Paul Battenally and Clara Trindall love traveling. Although they are from Australia, they met in Japan, where both of them were working at the time. But they always dreamed of exploring their home country together. So they began to research vans and motorhomes, but they all looked too cramped for the tall Battenally. Instead, they bought a Coca-Cola truck and converted it into a mobile home.
Moving into a Truck
The couples bought the truck in 2021 and spent almost a year renovating the truck that cost $17,500. “When I bought the truck, I was living in a shared house with a bunch of friends in a coastal city in New South Wales, and so I was working on it in my free time after work,” said Battenally. “I’m a carpenter, so I had all the skills necessary to build it, and it wasn’t too challenging for me.” [1]
In November 2021, the couple moved from their home in Wollongong into their truck. They lived there for a year to save up money for the trip they have dreamed about for so long. And in January 2023, with about 40,000 Australian dollars in savings, they set out on their adventure. It was perfect timing when you consider Australia’s housing crisis. This way of life frees the couple from paying rent and mortgage.
“We’re fully off grid, it all runs off solar and deep-cycle batteries so we don’t need to plug into any power and we’ve got gutters on it so it collects rain and fills up our water tank,” Battenally explained. The couple had spent about 17,000 Australian dollars on plumbing, electric maintenance, appliances, and fixtures and 8,000 on the building materials inside the truck. [2]
Inside the Mobile Home
The outside of the Coca-Cola truck is covered with wooden panels and the inside is a cozy living space with large windows to bring in natural lighting. The living space is complete with a well-equipped kitchen with plenty of cupboards, an oven, and a gas stove, and a bathroom that contains the compost toilet, sink, and shower. The lounge space in the back of the truck converts into a queen-sized bed. There’s an additional storage area on the outer part of the truck for their dirt bikes, surfboards, and sports equipment. They also kept the taut-liner with the iconic Coca-Cola logo to use as a curtain outside of the wooden panels to keep bugs outside of the truck.
The couple has given their home the fitting name of “Cola” and they have traveled plenty so far, including a four-month winter trip to Thredbo. This was a play-test for the truck. “Apart from the water pump freezing on the odd morning she passed the test,” they wrote in an Instagram post. “Diesel heater was providing the warmth for us. Low power consumption and about 10L of diesel a week.”
Exploring Australia in a Coca-Cola Truck
Now Battenly and Trindell have embarked on their biggest adventure: driving around the entirety of Australia. They began at the Victorian border and plan to end the quest in Tasmania. So far, they’ve visited the Great Barrier Reef, Double Island, and Tully Falls. “We love being able to move around every few days and waking up to nature and the freedom the lifestyle gives us,” said Battenally.
They will continue to financially support themselves with Trindell continuing her business of selling art online while Battenally does carpentry when the opportunity arises. Right now, their biggest expenses are fuel and food, for which they spend about 500 Australian dollars a week.
“Cola” attracts a lot of attention at campsites and online. People are often curious about what it’s like to live in a truck. So the couple documents their journey on Instagram and TikTok. They share photos of the truck during its renovation and gorgeous nature shots from all over Australia. For those who feel inspired to set out on their own adventure, Battenly encourages people to “take the leap and just do it.”
Keep Reading: The Inventor of Coca-Cola was a Drug Addict who Died Penniless
Sources
- “A young couple turned a Coca-Cola truck into a tiny home on wheels and now live rent-free.” Business Insider. Jyoti Mann. March 4, 2023
- “Aussie couple living out of Coca-Cola truck: ‘Just went with it’.” Yahoo News. Tom Flanagan. February 5, 2023