Wollongong couple converts old Coca Cola truck into ultimate truck house

The living is tight but comfortable in the masterfully converted truck, which has its own Instagram page under the name Pauli and Clara gave it, Cola.

Even early on in their travels, when they went to work in the snowfields during Australia's ski season, Cola's diesel heater kept the frozen outside world at bay.

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Clara, 27, a nurse, and Pauli, 32, a carpenter, set out in June, after six months living parked on the streets of Wollongong as a way of testing out the truck and saving on rent.

Formerly housemates in a Balgownie sharehouse, and before that workers on the Japanese snowfields, where they first met, Clara and Pauli shared a hankering for a different lifestyle.

"Seeing Australia's always been on my bucket list," Pauli told the Mercury.

"We wanted to get out and have an adventure."

With the ski fields came work, and the opportunity for Cola to be photographed in idyllic white surrounds, not that truck life is completely problem-free.

As the mercury dipped below minus-six, the truck's water pipes froze, eventually cracking their casings.

"We'd wake in the morning to turn the kettle on to have a coffee and it would just go, 'mrrrrrph', and then we'd have to wait a while for the plumbing pipes to thaw out," Pauli said.

And then there were the tight confines to get used to.

"You've really got to pick what household objects you can keep," Pauli said.

"We definitely had to do a massive cull on clothing, we had to throw a lot out and leave the stuff we didn't want to throw at our parents'.

"But other than that, it's simplified living. We've got everything we need in there now. Once you start living in there you do realise you accumulate more junk than you need."

The couple bought the truck for $17,500 online, after initially searching for a bus but finding them too expensive, with too many kilometres on the odometer.

They spent 11 months worth of weekends on the conversion, which included work to raise and reinforce the roof so it can bear their weight when they go up top to get a surfboard.

Pauli virtually gutted the van before insulating the walls and installing a kitchen fully equipped with gas stove and oven, and a large overhead skylight.

They had air conditioning installed and 540 watts of solar panels placed on the roof.

They added timber panelling to the truck's exterior and considered removing its distinctive Coke-branded side curtains, but found these handy for keeping the truck clean and private.

The conversion has become a curiosity to others on the road, especially compared to some of the more makeshift vans and trucks.

"One truck I saw was literally just a removalist's van with a wardrobe in there tied to the side and a mattress laid out," Pauli said.

"Ours is definitely finished to a high degree. I'm pretty finicky when it comes to carpentry."

The truck also carries paddle boards and a motorbike on the back.

Now in Tweed Heads, the couple is moving slowly to avoid the wet season up north, leaving plenty of time for surfing, exploring and - for artist Clara - painting.

"If we pull up to a town and we want to check it out a bit we just unload the bike then we just cruise around," Pauli said.

Pauli is considering other building projects once the couple's adventures are over, and hasn't ruled out a sideline doing more truck conversions.

"I have had people offer me money for this already, wanting it to go on their properties to be used for farm stays" he said.

"But I don't think we're finished with it yet."

CONVERT COSTS

Total: $44,519

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