Aussie couple tackles epic overland trip

West Australian couple Justin and Jen Lewis have set off on an epic overland trip that started out in chilly Vladivostok, and will take them through the wide-open spaces of Mongolia, before finishing up with a pit-stop in the UK and a marathon final leg from Egypt south to Cape Town in South Africa.

The couple’s home for the next two years (or less if savings run out!) is a 2006 GU Nissan patrol coil cab ute with custom-built camper body on the tray, that is fitted out with all the necessities for off-road life.

While the rugged Patrol comes from the factory with 175 litres fuel capacity, it has been beefed up further for the marathon trip with a dual battery system, new springs and shocks, two spare wheels, a winch, snorkel, UHF/HF radio and 120 litre water tanks.

To ensure they’ll never be left in the dark lighting specialist Narva has also supplied a bunch of accessories including Extreme HID driving lights, an LED 40 inch lighting bar, Narva + 50% headlight upgrade kit and LED combination tail lights.

One of two built, the custom, two-berth, pop-top camper body was constructed from aluminium/composite panels with a separate steel chassis.  Among its features are a pop-up shower, 60-litre fridge, diesel cabin heater and cooktop, portable toilet, water filtration system, side and rear awnings and a power system comprising two 105aH batteries, DC-DC charger, pure sine wave inverter and three 80W roof-mounted solar panels.

Both in their early 40s, the couple are avid off-road travelers with numerous trips under their belt including the Canning Stock Route and Anne Beadell.

The intrepid pair planned their trip in earnest for close to two years and said the main issues in preparing for a mammoth 4WD trip on the other side of the world was organising visas and planning a route that avoided the worst climate and conditions.

They hit the ground in Vladivostok in April and by mid-May, according to their

online blog, had covered 2074km and were about to enter Mongolia; the place they were most looking forward to driving through as it was likely to remind them of the conditions back home in Australia.

“I’ve heard and read a lot about it and I think that type of remote driving in any direction really suits the Australian psyche as we like that back-country, desert-type  feeling,” Justin said.

For more on their 'Globatrol' camper check out the video below…