Inside road-tripping family’s $2 million ‘mansion on wheels’

An Aussie road-tripping family has paid $2 million for this two-storey luxury van. It comes with a fully equipped kitchen and a whole floor for the kids.

How does a large family explore Australia without sacrificing the comforts of home? In this $2 million mansion on wheels, that’s how.

An Australian family has commissioned a company to build this two-storey customised camper van that is large enough to accommodate both parents and six kids on an off-road adventure across the country.

“This family certainly didn’t want to rough it,” Warwick Boswerger from SLRV Expedition Vehicles, which built the vehicle, told real estate site Domain.

“They wanted to be self-sufficient even in the middle of nowhere.”

The seriously impressive $2 million SLRV Commander 8x8. Picture: SLRV

The company came up with the 8x8 Commander, which features 10 beds, a modern kitchen with two ovens, an induction stove, two microwaves, refrigerator and a freezer, sound system, washing machine, multiple TVs, ducted heating, dining room, living room and a bathroom.

The parents have a separate room and the kids have the first floor to themselves. There are even pullout beds for visitors.

It’s roomier than many people’s actual homes.

Kitchen envy, anyone? Picture: SLRV

“The owner wanted it to be like a unit,” Mr Boswerger. “He wanted freezing-cold airconditioning and warm heating both upstairs and downstairs. There are six kids in the family, so that means a lot of cooking and cleaning appliances, too.”

The vehicle is powered by a system of solar panels and a battery that charges while the car is driving.

It comes with 10 beds. Picture: SLRV

It took about six months to design and seven months to build, with SLRV even having to build equipment to help it build the 8x8 Commander.

And it may not be the only mansion on wheels the company creates.

It means the family can go off-road around Australia without roughing it. Picture: SLRV

“People want to take the path less travelled; they don’t want to take the usual routes along the usual roads,” Mr Boswerger said.

“They are looking for something they can live in and have unique experiences in; that’s what expedition vehicles like this one provide.”