Rhino-Rack catches up with Australian Overlander, Dan Grec
With international borders opening and off-the-beaten-track adventures looking tastier than ever before, we couldn’t think of a better time to catch up with one of our favorite Aussie Overlanders, Dan Grec. Known online as ‘The Road Chose Me’, Dan’s motto is “Going where others don’t dare”, which is exactly what he’s spent the last five years doing. 55 countries, 93 000 miles, and a whole lot of epic tracks later, we’re catching up with Dan on his latest expedition across Australia.
What are your plans for 2022?
I’ve spent years taking on enormous expeditions across the world, from 41,000 miles across the Pan-American Highway to my 54,000 miles Africa adventure. When it was time to dream up a new expedition, I realized I had seen more of dozens of countries around the world than I have seen of Australia – where I was actually born!
My plan is to explore all of Australia over roughly 12-18 months, starting with the south before moving north through the center, across to Queensland, then back West across the top.
What have you been up to over the last few months?
Over the last few months, I’ve explored Victoria from top to bottom. I covered Wilson’s Promontory National Park, Croajingolong National Park, The Grampians, Big & Little Desert National Parks, and finally the Victorian High Country. From Melbourne, I jumped on the Spirit of Tasmania and for the last seven weeks, I’ve been all over Tasmania, from remote white-sand beaches to mountains and everything in between. The wilderness here has completely blown me away; I’ve seen more native Australian wildlife than in the rest of my life put together.
What have been your favorite destinations?
Spending a week roaming The Victorian High Country was everything I look for in my adventures: remote gravel tracks, mountains, river crossings, and endless opportunities to camp remote wherever I wanted to get off the track.
More recently, I have been staggered at the number of free campsites in Tasmania. Even on the side of stunning white sand beaches in the famous Bay of Fires, there are a handful of officially free campsites which is the polar opposite of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria!
What does your vehicle setup look like?
The base vehicle is a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon that I have outfitted extensively for extended exploration. I’ve added an auxiliary fuel tank, solar, aux battery, and DC/DC charger. In the bed, I’ve got a 55L water tank, pump and filter, storage drawers, and a really slick kitchen setup that integrates a 55L Domestic fridge. On the roof, I’ve got a Rhino-Rack Pioneer Platform so I can carry surfboards with me, and a Rhino-Rack Batwing Awning, which gives me plenty of shade and rain-free space so I can enjoy myself no matter what the weather.
Have you had any problems or breakdowns, and did you help anyone else out who had either of these?
My vehicle and modifications have been flawless so far, though there are a couple of little things I’m going to tweak and some final additions that are required, like a sand flag.
In the High Country, I watched a Hilux ingest water into the engine attempting a deep river crossing, though with multiple vehicles in a convoy they didn’t need my help to pull it out.
In Tasmania, so far I’ve repaired one flat tire on a stranded vehicle and used my compressor to air up one other. I seem to dig out my toolkit at least once a week to lend something specific or work on someone else’s vehicle.
What track have you enjoyed the most?
In the Victorian High Country, the King Basin Road had a ton of little river crossings that are extremely beautiful and a lot of fun. When I got to the far end of the track I saw the remainder was closed for repairs, so I had to turn around and drive back through them all, providing double the fun.
In Victoria’s Big Desert National Park I made a detour over to “Big Dune” to practice sand driving. Multiple attempts to climb the big dune was the perfect chance to try out all the different driving modes in the fancy Gladiator, and experimenting with different tire pressures was also a great way to prepare for the big desert crossings coming later in the expedition.
Did you meet any interesting characters and what was their story?
Randomly, just when the drama around the murders in the High Country was at its peak, I crossed paths with The Button Man - famous for his quirky life living in his beat-up old Land Cruiser and hunting deer by hand with a spear. At one point he was the prime suspect, and only days before we met he had been visited by a very jumpy police team who helicoptered down to question him. Once cleared he was free to go on his way and we had a great chat for ten minutes on the side of the trail.
Have you come across any wildlife?
In Tasmania, it’s basically impossible not to come across wildlife! Every single day I see dozens of wallabies, pademelons, and little kangaroos. I’ve also seen dozens of echidnas, wombats, and even numbats. I have spent time with a platypus on a few occasions, and my camp was even visited by a friendly quoll late one night.
If you could choose one special moment, what would it be and why?
Driving onto the Ferry from Victoria into Tasmania gave me goosebumps. I’ve always wanted to visit Tasmania and it was hard to believe it was really happening! Virtually every night in camp I still have to pinch myself to remember that I really am out exploring all the parts of Australia I have long dreamed of!
What are your plans for the next few months?
I will move back into Victoria in early March and complete some minor adjustments and last-minute additions to the Jeep at my dad’s house. From there, I’ll move into South Australia, where I plan to visit Kangaroo Island, drive Googs Track, explore the Flinders Ranges, and take the Oodnadatta Track north before crossing the Simpson Desert into Queensland and continuing to venture north along the East Coast of Australia.
Follow Dan Grec:
- Website - www.theroadchoseme.com
- Facebook - www.facebook.com/theroadchoseme
- Instagram - www.instagram.com/theroadchoseme
- YouTube - www.youtube.com/theroadchoseme
- Twitter - twitter.com/theroadchoseme
