Gladiator Build & Adventure - 18 months around Australia with The Road Chose Me

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

I've been exploring the WILD east coast of Tasmnaia, and it's utterly breathtaking.
This place is truely stunning, some of the best bang-for-your-buck scenery I've seen anywhere on the planet!



-Dan

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[Dan Grec]

Hi all,

I've been exploring Bruny Island off Tasmania - yep, that's an Island off an island... off an island :D

I finally got the Gladiator onto the beach for the first time, explored stunning forests and beaches and had a great time!

The house on wheels Gladiator continues to perform really well, and every day on the road is getting more and more streamlined as I find a home for everything and get more efficient with every system.



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

As I moved around Africa I interviewed interesting Overlanders that I bumped into - showing their story and what they were up to.

Here in Australia I've decided for a twist on that, and I'll be filming interesting Overland vehicles that I come across, showing the features and interesting bits and pieces that I think make them fantastic for long term overlanding.

To kick off "Overland Rides", I give you

THE CRUSINATOR!!

With a 4.5Ltr V8 Turbo Diesel, 180L (65Gal) Diesel capacity, 100L (26Gal) Drinking water tank, diesel heater, water heater, shower, fridge, freezer and plenty of room to swing a dead cat INSIDE, this thing is a beast of a house on wheels.

The owners are just wrapping up a ten month trip around all of Australia, so you know this vehicle actually works in the real world.
There are a ton of well-thought out features and ideas on this vehicle I really appreciate as a long-term overlander, don't be surprised when a few of them turn up on my vehicles in the future.

Video tour of all the features of this monster out now!


-Dan

 

[sdk131]

Love all the vids! I have watched them all and it is alwayts exciting to see the newest one. Silly question - what mud flaps/splash guards are you running? Are they just something you made yourself, or are they a commercial product? I have not been able to find a commercial product yet that works with those mopar performans rock rails (I have them as well).

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

I've been exploring South West Tasmania, which may just be the most stunning place I've ever explored on the planet.

The wilderness is immense, and there is simply nobody around - it's like having Alaska or the Yukon all to yourself - simply incredible.

I show it off in my latest episode on YouTube:



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

It's been a long time coming, and I'm finally exploring the region of Tasmania I have been looking forward to most of all.
With a name like "The Road to Nowhere" I couldn't resit exploring the famous Western Wilderness Road in the most remote region of Tasmania.
With very little traffic, genuine mountains, wild coastline and virtually no development, this is the perfect place to roam wild for a few days.

In my latest video I bring you along for the journey, and even teach you about some famous Aussie food for fun!


-Dan

 

[Trout Safari]

Great video! Love the view and the positive attitude. I think we are going out for fish & chips now..

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

I'm loving the wilderness on the West Coast of Tasmania, and set out to tackle the Sandy Cape Track - known for it's river crossings, beaches and quicksand (yes, really).

It did not disappoint, and is maybe the highlight of Tassie for me!

In this video I tackle what is easily the longest river crossing I've ever attempted -



-Dan

 

[Trout Safari]

Another enjoyable film. We are building our ride now to start doing similar trips this summer.

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

I strongly believe suspension should be the LAST upgrade on any overlander, and in my latest video I run through the whys of what I've chosen.
After months of planning and research, I just upgraded the suspension on my Gladiator.

It's impossible to choose the correct suspension package without knowing the weight of your vehicle, and you can't know that until it's complete.

Getting this right has completely changed how my Gladiator handles on and off road.



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

With my Dad as stunt driver we drove back up into the Victorian High Country to tackle over 30 river crossings in a single day on the famous Crooked River Track.
The river zig zags back and forward while the old mining exploration track basically goes straight, crossing the river every hundred yards for a handful of miles.

This is the kind of adventure I dreamed of when I came to Australia, and I'm so happy Dad and I did it together.
I'll never forget this one as long as I live.



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

After Tasmania I swung back through Dad's place and together we worked on a ton of little fixed, improvements and changes to the Gladiator setup and camping/overlanding gear.

These little tweaks make life on the road so much more enjoyable, and most importantly more convenient.
That means I spend more time each day enjoying my trip, and less time setting up and tearing down camp - which is super important to me.



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

After the fixes and adjustments to our gear in Dad's Shed we hit the road again, and made it as far as Robe in South Australia.

This place is famous for it's baech driving and massive sand dunes, and now I know why!

We spent a couple of days driving south from Robe to Beachport - in the huge dunes, on the beach and in the smaller dunes just back from the ocean.
It was incredible, and a lot more adventure than I bargained for.

It was great to get the Jeep stuck a few times in the deep soft sand a get a feel for how it behaves, and how hard it is to get unstuck (really not bad) - even though it's big and heavy.



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi Everyone,

We've moved West to what is virtually the center of Australia East to West - I saw a sign that said Perth was 2000kms West and Sydney was 2000kms East. (about 1250miles each way)

Over here we've now moved directly north into the red center, and tackled Goog's Track, where we had to cross 363 sand dunes as we moved through the barren desert.
This is an awesome "warm up" to our Simpson Desert crossing that will be coming in a few weeks where we'll be WAY more remote for WAY longer.

Goog's Track was a whole lot of fun, and I wish it had lasted longer!



-Dan

 

[Dan Grec]

Hi All,

People often ask me what do you really 'need' to go overlanding, and for a long time I've always thought the most important thing is a srong reason to get out there.

WHY do you want to get out remote and explore?
Maybe it's fishing, hiking, hunting or learning new cultures and languages.
Maybe you just want to buy mystery meat on a stick in a random street market for fifty cents and enjoy.

Whatever your reason, that is what will drive you to find better sleeping solutions, tolerate the bugs and the cold nights and get up before sunrise simply to enjoy it.

As you know, I'm a hot spring nutcase, and that was originally my reason to explore Canada and the USA in my first Overland vehicle.
Now I've taken it to another level, and I paid a visit to the only Radioactive hot spring in the world.

The water coming out of the ground here is heated by the decay of Uranium, which none others are.

It was a rough, hot and dusty adventure, and it was worth every second.
Checkout my latest video for all the adventure:



-Dan

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