20 hours ago
WA couple Peter and Rita are travelling the east coast in their floating caravan
It's a conversation starter among other travellers on the road: Peter and Rita Luck's floating caravan.
The West Australians, in their 70s, are undertaking a 12-month adventure of the rivers and lakes of Australia's east coast.
They call themselves the amphibious nomads, driving their houseboat from waterway to waterway with their dog Moet.
"I've never really liked caravanning … you're pretty limited in where you can go," Mr Luck said.
The pair took a detour from the coast to experience the outback, setting up on the Thomson River in Longreach.
"It's been fantastic. Something we'll never do again, and not many people do either," Mr Luck said.
"It's like glass, it was beautiful and so quiet you just hear the birds."
This year's tourist season in outback Queensland has had a slow start due to widespread destructive flooding earlier in the year.
Caravan parks are only just starting to fill, but having a floating home means the Lucks will never have to fight for a spot.
Twelve years ago, a cancer diagnosis caused Peter Luck to retire early from the Royal Australian Air Force.
While Rita continued to work, Peter got busy building the boat.
"It was all his idea … he worked on it day after day and I went to work and came home," Ms Luck said.
Mr Luck called it his "therapy project" during a bladder cancer diagnosis and recovery.
"Having something to look forward to is really important."
They'd had the pontoon party boat for around 20 years and used to go camping on it.
Then Mr Luck came up with a design and stripped it down to a bare deck to build the frame.
"It's pretty basic, but it does the job," he said.
"We've got a double bed, portaloo, handheld shower, kitchen up the back, and solar panels on top.
"There are platforms on the outside, so we can walk all the way around the outside, and a barbecue on the back."
The Lucks are drawn to water and sightseeing offered from a different perspective.
"It's the scenery and the incredible bird life you see — you don't see that on the roads," Mr Luck said.
Loading the boat back onto the trailer in Longreach, the pair say they'll work their way up to Cairns and then all the way down to Victoria and ferry across to Tasmania.
"You learn so much about Australia, and there are some fantastic communities along the way."
