Au revoir...

Busy week at work with a bit of weekend work even, which didn’t allow for a timely blog update.
Last week despite the offers of actually ‘normal’ accommodation, I have instead chosen to stick with the ute surfing. I am a little concerned at how easily I dismiss these options and instead prefer the ‘path less travelled’… It is just easier as I can come and go when I please and don’t have to worry about aligning this with other people’s plans.
Despite having finished the alphabet quest I have decided to keep moving around and trying out some new suburbs. On Monday I ventured over to Hawthorne. There are some awesome views over that way of the city lights. Quite a good night’s sleep too.
Tuesday night was an interesting one as I had a early morning appointment with the dentist. Spent the night in Balmoral and I was hoping for a bit of a sleep in. I had found a night quiet area which I was thinking would see minimal morning traffic. Unfortunately there were a lot of crows keeping me from my plan. Farken mongrel things… I didn’t think the dentist would appreciate it if I just turned up straight from the tray of the ute so I had to freshen up a bit beforehand. In a masterstroke of ingenuity I turned up down at Coorparoo pool and for the princely sum of $2 was able to have a long hot shower and fresh up accordingly.
Wednesday and Thursday I took the easy option and just stayed around Coorparoo. I dare say I will do much the same this week too.
Yes, indeed I did stay in Coorparoo and surrounds the following week. I moved around to different areas in Coorparoo at least...
Well folks this is the end of the line. Well, at least until I get back and take up where I left off! I am toying with the idea of a canopy even. The jury is still out on that one though…
I thought to sign off I might reminisce, the initial excitement, a few tribulations and lessons along the way and the overall success of the venture! So with that in mind here we go…

Best Location: Galloway's Hill.
Quietest Location: Ormiston.
Noisiest Location: Queen St, CBD.
Wettest night: Night 1 in Coorparoo with the tailgate open.
Funniest Incident: Popping up in the morning and startling early morning risers.
Surprising Locations: Virginia, Indooroopilly, Jindalee, Highgate Hill.
Dodgiest Location: Zillmere.

That is it for now. I think the efforts of the past few months have me in good stead for the roughing I am going to be doing in the French Alps on le tour. I am going to put all my faith in my ability to meet locals and get a bed at theirs for the night. If they throw in a single daughter they are trying to marry off, so much the better.

X marks the spot...

Mission accomplished - the alphabet from A to Z. The last letter ‘X’ presented me with a few issues, namely the fact no one has yet had the foresight to name a suburb Xanadu… I walked down the aisle many moons ago with Xanadu being belted out on the pipe organ – way cool. But I digress…

So with that out, I had to get the thinking cap out... Staying in the valley was suggested due to the XXX nature of the place, but it was not the sort of place I wanted to park the truck for the night. I looked up Xerox and was initially going to camp outside their Brisbane office in Westend. Then one night I had a revelation - why not this place!



It defies all my previous logic of a good location – railway line, well lit street, no other vehicles parked and lots of through traffic. To further complicate the issue there was a 24 hr McDonalds and 24 hr service station across the road. I basically had to climb in the tray under the watchful, hopefully distracted, eyes of the XXXX gate guards. During the course of the night there were 31 semi-trailers, like the one above, that rumbled past my bed and shook me awake. Surprisingly I still managed to get a good night’s sleep in. The morning tray exit was a hard one too. Being an industrialised area that starts the day early, I climbed out of the back in full view of a few amused on-lookers.

Nearly there...

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Back to the main game this week and getting the last few letters crossed off. I arrived back in Brisbane late Sunday night and as I was Northside, I thought I would get about finishing off a couple of what I had deemed 'dodgy' suburbs.
Sunday night I stayed in Virginia and I was surprised how nice it actually turned out to be. I was expecting much of the same the following night considering Zillmere is a neighbouring suburb. Alas, I think Zillmere might be the wrong side of the tracks... Had some very bad vibes in Zillmere and couldn't wait to get out of there. There were a lot of people walking around my first location and I thought it was best I moved on. I wasn't in the back so easy enough to do.
The next location had some mangy mongrel barking obviously aware of my plans. I was hoping he would eventually quieten down but no, the little farker kept at it. Wish I still had the shu-roo on the front to annoy the little farker before I moved on to my third location in the one night! The final location was fine and very quiet so all ended up well.
Night three saw me quite relieved to be back in the deep South. Well as deep as Tarrigindi can be. The last night was Yeronga by the river. What a nice area. If I was to ever want quiet suburbia, this would be the place. Awoken the next morning by hordes of cyclists. There was no way I could get out of the tray without some of them seeing me, but nothing was said.
Next week is a short week again with the public holiday so probably only the three nights in the tray. Only have the letter X left but am struggling to work out a suitable location with no suburbs starting with X. I am sure I can come up with something...

The Hills are alive

Not with music as one may expect, but homeless men, with utes...

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With a week of rain forecasted, this week was not going to be the most comfortable. With still plenty of time to finish off the alphabet, I thought I might slightly digress from the plan this week and sleep in ‘the hills’. Cue the banjos…
The first night was spent in the lovely suburb of Seven Hills. I have driven through Seven Hills quite a few times but have never actually spent the night. Awesome views to the city lights although I imagine the trade-off is looking straight into the Summer Western sun. Unfortunately it also seems to be directly under the airport flightpath.
Camp Hill was night two and more rain. Cannon Hill meant a lot more rain again but I was still able to stay dry. Highgate Hill was a revelation. What a fantastic place. It reminds me a lot of the Wollstonecraft / Waverton area I used to knock around in Sydney, well, without the harbour, national parks and views of a big bridge… This will definitely make the short list when I once again decide to join the rat-race. Fourth night in a row with rain. A side benefit of the rain is it at least keeps the undesirables indoors so it has security benefits.
I am off to Bowen Hills tonight to complete the week in the hills.
That is it for this week. I am sick of this rain and am heading to Melbourne to escape it. Oh wait… No, with a proper roof over my head I am sure I will cope.
It seems my idea is catching on with all sorts now deciding to join me on the rough streets.

Dogs are talking

Big week in the ute this week with five nights. As a few punters have been keen to remind me, my locations so far have been very Southside-centric, well, until now...
Started the week on Sunday night in Queen St in the CBD. With no suburbs starting with the letter Q, I thought this might be the next best thing. Ended up being a pretty crap night's sleep with garbage trucks, delivery trucks and damn street sweepers coming and going all night until daybreak. I was glad to notch it up, but won't be sleeping in the CBD again.
Found a wonderful spot in Paddington and was able to get straight in the tray as there was no real risk of being seen. Had a long and deep sleep to make up for the previous night.
Red Hill was also a wonderful spot and had another long and blissful night of shut eye.
Wednesday night found me up at Mt Coot-tha again with a pizza in tow. It was quite nice sitting up there enjoying the lights and relaxing. I was planning to head somewhere else, maybe Taringa or Toowong for the letter T, but I thought, why go anywhere?
The top carpark was full so I went around the corner and parked in the Eastern carpark and was the only car there. It was a bit of a risk as there was a chance to get a ranger or copper tap, tap, tapping on my window at some stage. It was definately a lot cooler, considering I am only in a tee shirt, but I was able to have a good night's sleep. It was really nice actually listening to the native animals and the wind through the trees.
After four big nights North of the river, I ventured back Southside on the last night this week. Crossed the letter U off thanks to Upper Mt Gravatt. I had some mongrel dog barking, he knew I was there, on and off, and then listening to his owners tell him to shut up. I had parked on the side street next to their house and they came at some stage and parked behind me and started unpacking their van. A bit damn rude I thought, when there were people trying to get to sleep.
As you can see from the alphabet list, I am nearly done! I might drag it out over two more weeks and couple the last few letters with some other random suburbs. See you out there...

The big 'O'

Greetings from a street near you… Had a very lazy week this past one with only the two nights in the back of the ute. After my location oversight the prior week, I ensured that this week I was actually in Morningside, before I settled in for the night. Another fantastic location, nice and quiet. I startled some early riser the next morning when I popped up out of the tray just as she was walking past. Gave her a story for the water cooler that day... The following night I made the long trek down to the Shire in order to get the Ormiston flag for the letter ‘O’. Probably the quietest night’s sleep yet – bliss.
My boss at work, taking pity on my plight, offered me his own house for a few nights whilst he was off on a long weekend. This essentially cut my ute surfing short this week, but I still have plenty of time to get the last few letters.
It would probably be wise here to welcome my first sponsor – ZipTV Cleveland. If you or your company need marketing exsposure drop them a line, and tell them I sent you.
I also found out this week that my lonely little quest is not as unique as I thought it to be. There is an apparent subculture of car dwelling folks down on the Gold Coast. I am not too sure I could do this as long as some of these guys though.
Peace out until next week.

'K.L.M' - Royal Dutch Airlines (nearly)...

Hi all. A short week this one but still managed to get some quality time in the back of the ute. I have found some fantastic places this week to park the ute. Kangaroo Point was a lot quieter than I thought it was going to be. There was a slight dull roar in the distance from traffic on the Storey Bridge, but if anything this actually helped me nod off. Crossed the river again and sorted out my first Northern suburb – Lutwyche.
I also attempted to knock off the letter ‘M’ via Morningside, but went too far down a street of choice, and forgot to verify my location on my phone GPS. Ended up I was in Galloways Hill. This was arguably the best location I have stayed in yet, so will definitely be back at some stage. On a perfect slope, very quiet split street, with a six foot fence on top of a retaining wall blocking me from residents view. Very handy to get to the drop off points for the truck too.
Now, as for the adventures this week…
Started off on Monday night when I was accosted. It was going to happen sooner or later if you believe all the doom merchants, but I bet they didn’t expect it to be from a couple of Mormon elders. These young lads are still out pressing the flesh at 9pm at night! They asked if they could walk with me and then proceeded to tell me I could be saved! I chuckled to myself, and told them they don’t seem to realize who they are dealing with here. They were undeterred and gave me a brochure to read and invited me to come to their temple. I am not sure if the invite extends to putting me up for a few nights, but they have some of the best real estate in Brisbane, so maybe after a big session in town, I can drag some young lady to their pad to spend the night partying…
So much for not eating well! I dined at the Hilton on Tuesday night at an industry function, and it was all free. Fresh salmon canapés and grilled prawns washed down with a quality shiraz. That is close to my ultimate meal so I was most pleased.
I also had a strange thing happen when I got back to the truck on Wednesday night. There was an identical ute to mine parked in front of mine. Considering the ute I have is a pretty rare colour (refer YouTube clip below) and there aren’t really that many around, it could have made for an interesting situation if I bedded down in the wrong one.
I have mucked around with some search engine optimization and am now one of the first google hits for ‘sleepless in brisvegas’. See you all next week!

River deep (very deep) Mountain high (not so high actually)...

End of week three and had a pretty uneventful week actually. Not that that is a bad thing. for those of you watching my movements via google maps you will have noticed that this week I have dared to cross the river. Thought I would check out the new Clem7 tunnel, being a huge fan of tunnels, and ended up in Indooroopilly to cross off the letter 'I'.
I lived in Indooroopilly for 6 months when I first moved to this fair city, but I had never really seen much of Indooroopilly towards the river. What a fantastic spot. The cycle track into town is just amazing when compared to what we have on the Southside. I am seriously considering this as a place to live when I do set down those roots again. I even popped up to Mount Cootha for an ice-cream and some quiet solitude. It really is a nice spot if it isn't windy.
Jindalee was also a surprise packet. A really nice area. I had a fantastic night's sleep out there in deep suburbia.
Saw this in the paper this week. Really giving me an incentive to seek out traditional accommodation channels...
Have a look at this little champion. The coppers nabbed him for living in his car. Obviously an amateur and has drawn the attention to himself and faced the consequences. I am using the truck only as a place to sleep and once I am in the tray with the tarp closed, you wouldn't know I was there.
I have also worked out that with all the public holidays coming up, I only have 2 more full weeks on ute surfing. Easy baby...

Luck of the Irish

Well folks - all is still grand. Had an interesting week but still managing to dodge residents, criminals, council and coppers. Highlights this week include:

• Enjoying a free violin recital in the Suncorp Piazza one night from a young lad looking for somewhere to practice.
• Watching the footy on cable on the big screen at work before heading home – and the good guys won.
• Parking a bit too close to a railway line one night and being shaken awake by freight trains a couple of times. Not the best sleep this night as I was also very close to the PA hospital and also had a helicopter sound like it was hovering over the truck.
• Free internet! Instead of using my own internet allowance, I scan for unsecured wifi networks and then have essentially free internet. If you start to notice a spike in your internet usage, maybe I have been nearby…
• A big St Paddy’s day session.
• Have knocked off some dodgy suburbs this week – Annerley and Dutton Park. I am now up to the letter F in the alphabet quest, which I have penciled in as Fairfield for next week.

A few people have raised the point of what I do for dinner, and concerned that any perceived rental savings, are then used up by dining out each night. I can assure you all that I am actually eating cheaper and healthier than when I have the services of a full functioning kitchen.
My breakfast has remained the same – a coffee from my favorite barista around 9am.
Most days I head to subway for lunch for one of their $7 foot long subs. I love tuna so it is easy for me to have the same one every day loaded up with lettuce, tomato, carrot, onion, capsicum, jalapeños and hot chilli sauce. I have half for lunch and the rest for dinner at work before I head ‘home’. The only other thing I eat during the day is an apple for an afternoon snack. I get a kilo of apples for $3 from the markets each Wednesday morning which are yummy.
Compared to couch dwellers, watching TV and snacking on rubbish, I think I am in a good place. Not only is my current situation allowing massive savings on food, but it is also a lot healthier.

Not sure this lady has fully grasped the concept of being inconspicuous. It is good news for me that no mention at all was made about her car surfing being illegal...

First week summary...

One week in and all is well. Really, this is easier than even I thought it would be. I am getting in the best sleeps of the summer. I am waking early morning, running to work, having a swim at Southbank on the way past, and am getting through the working day fine. I should have started this much earlier.

My plan in the past week was to get some early runs on the board to prove the concept and make my decisions from there. I won’t have to do another 7 night stint so it is essentially all downhill from here. Or to stick with the cricketing analogy, now I have my eye in, I can start tonking the willow in a cavalier fashion knowing I have this thing covered.

Some people have asked me how I work out a suitable location for the night. There are a few issues to take into count:
• Is it raining?
• Is there noise (train lines, busy roads, nearby hotels, flightpaths etc)?
• Is it a busy / quiet area at night and / or in the morning?
• Do trees / bushes help conceal by entry / exit from the tray?
• How much does the road taper to the gutter?
• Is it garbage night?

One of the things I discovered on my first night, was that if it is raining, I need to park on a slight slope. This helps ensure the rainwater runs off the back of the tonneu cover or off the end of the tray. In a later discovery, I have realised it is a fine line, as a slope too steep will cause me to slide towards the back of the tray everytime I move.

The hardest thing to get right is the balance between a location that is busy yet also quiet. Pulling up in a quiet residential street late at night will rouse suspicion and could result in nosey neighbours calling the cops or investigating themselves. A busier location, around apartment buildings, will not raise this suspicion as easily, but will increase the risk of someone seeing me get in or out of the tray and potentially calling the cops as well. Parking in a non residential area increases my vulnerability. It looks a bit suss for security patrols and coppers to see a ute in the middle of nowhere on its own, and it does stand out. It also increases the risk of undesirables coming in for a look. These non residential areas also get quite busy early morning and might disrupt my blissful sleep.

Where the hell is Matt tonight...

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First weekend...

Two nights in and all is well. A few 'teething' issues on the first night, but with them sorted, had a magnificent second night.

Lessons Learnt so far

• Park on a slight slope to facilitate rain dispersal.


• Wheel arches are no substitute for pillows.


• Even with the tailgate open, it is still going to be quite warm.

As stated earlier, rain is going to complicate things. Predictably night one, there was rain all night. Didn't get wet, but just means I can't stretch right out. Wasn't the best or most comfortable sleep I have ever had, but got through it.

Night two was spent in West End. I had a party on there and thought well I might as well leave the ute somewhere nearby. I found a nice quiet street, close to the bar, and on a slight slope. Had a fantastic nights sleep and was only woken at 6.30am when some young lass reverse parked behind me out the front of her house. She should be happy that I was looking after it for her in her absence.

So instead of spending my Sunday morning in bed, I was up bright and early to enjoy the day. I saw a fun-run composed near entirely of women in aid of breast cancer research. I was a crowd of one and I am sure they appreciated my attendance. I love those things, so it was only right that I was there... I then went to Southbank beach for a morning dip and was more than happy to find that a lot of the fun-runners also wanted a swim after their morning run.

After my swim I jumped back on the bike and ended up in the Botanical Gardens, where I found a nice piece of secluded grass, laid out a towel and finished off my sleep. Then it was off to work to drop the bike off, have a shower and then I headed to the library for some Eurotrash 2010 research.

Had lunch with my sister and her man and then went for beers in the mall with a good mate for a few hours. Overall, a most productive day. Much moreso than the usual Sunday routines...

D-Day

Well it looks like I have the night locked in as my first as a man of no fixed address - tonight, Friday the 5th of March. I am planning to head out on the town and unless some young lady, or ladies, with obviously much lower standards than I, take/s me home, that will mark night one of homelessness. In saying that, maybe I do need to lower my standards if I am hoping to use this as a way of finding a bed on the weekends...

The ute is still located in the visitor parking area of Langlands Close Apartments - my prior accommodation. I will have to move it somewhere else past tonight, so they don't cotton onto my devious plans.

A few people have questioned the legality of my plan, and to tell you the truth, it isn't that well documented. I have read all the documentation and regulations on the Queensland Transport, QPS and BCC websites, and there is nothing there that spells things out too clearly. I think I will be fine. I am not planning to 'live' on the streets like these champions. In yet another tick for the pro column of my plan, it appears BCC provide free haircuts to homeless people! Hope they do colours, foils and scalp massages to ensure my patronage. I bet you council rate paying lemmings don't get services like this...

Some questions keep coming up, so I thought a quick FAQ might be in order.

• Toilets / Showers: I have a shower every morning at work in air-conditioned luxury - this will not change. Funnily enough, we are also furnished with toilets at work. I am sure I can co-ordinate my toileting habits to cater for this.


• Food: I don't do breakfast in any case, and consider a brew from Glen's Espresso, my breakfast each morning anyway. No I won't be dining out every night for dinner either. I can work something out in the office kitchenette late afternoon for an early dinner each day.


• Entertainment: I am planning to use the BCC library and working longer hours to kill the time. I might also spend more time on the bike. I don't intend to get back to the ute each night until late when it is a bit quieter and my comings and goings are less conspicuous. The ute is simply a place to sleep, not a place to hangout. Wireless internet on my mobile phone should facilitate those times I can't fall straight to sleep.


• Location: A couple of my dear, and well meaning cousins, have suggested I work my way through the alphabet from A to Z, staying in a different suburb every night. I was considering it, but it seems like too much work, and I am pretty careful about where I leave my ute in any case. I am also not too sure I am quite that adventurous when you consider the options for the letter 'D'...


• Security: Really, who is going to get the bigger fright? My goodself, or some dirty shadow lurking, thieving farker poking their head into the back of the tray? I am sure they won't hang around to exchange niceties once they realise there is someone in the tray.

God bless to all - see you on the street.

Fark you landlord overlords...

Well some may say I am a little crazy for even thinking of doing this, but I really don't think it is such a big deal. I have a three month trip to Euroland in late May and have an expiring rental lease in early March, leaving a bit of a gap in my accommodation.

Accepted wisdom says I should find a place to 'live' for these three months, but I say why? I mean, it isn't like I do much at home other than sleep, so do I really need a place to live? I say no.

I have not had a 'home' since 2004 and any place I rent has no attachment for myself. It is just a place to sleep and leave my stuff. I am not one to spend money on physical assets and there is nothing I have of much value. I still have a CRT TV, a six year old PC and non of the accepted norm of playthings. I would prefer to spend my money on myself and my own personal growth. I do this through travel.

So you may ask, what are you going to do for three months, I mean it is a 1/4 of a year after all. Well as luck would have it I have a toyota hilux with a trayback. I have slept in there a few times over the years and it is more than comfortable enough. Not sure if those that have slept in the back with me agree, but well, I can rough it with the best of them. Over the years I have woken up in garden beds, a bus depot, bus shelters, train platforms, fire escapes, under desks at work and even a sauna. The world is my bedroom.

I have actually put a bit of thought into this and really think I can get by for a few months with no fixed address. Of course it won't be easy. Of course there will be unforeseen situations. I say bring them on baby... Part of the thought process involved a list as such:

Advantages

• No rent and associated bills leaving more cash for Eurotrash 2010.
• I can 'live' in a different suburb every night.
• An adventure - something to tell the grandkids.
• Don't have to waste my time trawling rental websites or dealing with rental agents.
• I can tell Big Issue vendors to leave me alone as I am homeless too.

Disadvantages

• Rain will complicate things.
• Might be a bit hard to convince young ladies to come back to 'my place'.
• Not sure exactly how legal this plan is...