Fully refurbished double

It's hard to miss James Horley as he travels across Australia.

That's because he is driving a giant, double-decker, black bus, which he has affectionately dubbed "Brutus".

One of seven iconic double-deckers built in Brisbane more than a decade ago, Brutus has had an intrepid life.

The black beast spent its youth as a coach running between Brisbane and Melbourne before it was shipped off to the other side of the country to cart workers to and from a mine site in Esperance, in Western Australia.

It was there, in 2016, that big Brutus caught the eye of Melbourne engineer James Horley.

"It's just such a unique vehicle and it does have a bit of a special history, being one of only seven," James said.

"I'm an avid traveller and as soon as I bought Brutus I set about converting him into an RV of sorts," he said.

The next few years were bliss for James and Brutus — full of weekend road trips as James continued to renovate his new passion project.

Then COVID struck and James and Brutus were hit with some of the harshest lockdowns in the country.

During the fourth hard lockdown, James was invited to Cairns for a work project.

"I just hopped in Brutus and bolted. I'm sure everyone has their COVID story, but for me, having that bus allowed me to escape," he said.

"And then I thought, why would I go back?"

"I've had a good career, a long life, my kids are grown, there's really no need to go back."

So James and Brutus put their Melbourne home in the rearview mirror and set their sights on the open road.

That was 18 months ago and the pair are now travelling around outback Queensland and northern Australia before heading south to New South Wales and Victoria when the weather clears up.

"This is my permanent lifestyle now, and I've met some lovely people, had some great conversations, shared some wonderful experiences and have just travelled," said James.

"Brutus, if nothing else, is a conversation starter."

So what makes Brutus so special?

On the lower deck, Brutus boasts a long, galley kitchen fit with white marble benchtops and state-of-the-art appliances including a coffee machine, gas stove, fridge, oven, microwave, dishwasher, crystal cabinet, a working desk and dinette with plush leather seating.

The top deck includes a swanky living room complete with a plush leather sofa suite, big screen TV with surround sound system, a piano, a double bedroom with a split air-conditioning system and what James calls "the world's comfiest mattress".

A crisp, white-tiled bathroom and a laundry are also on-board.

Brutus carries an outdoor spa, electric bikes, a TV installed on the side and a get-around-town mini car called 'Noddy'.

"Look, we've gone a bit silly, a little bit overboard but everyone has to 'slum' it in their own way I guess," James said.

Also onboard is a giant, inflatable movie screen which James uses to host outdoor cinema sessions in the towns he travels to. It's part of a fundraising effort in partnership with The Kids Cancer Project.

"It gives me an agenda and a great purpose — a reason to get up in the morning," James said.

"Australia is such a special place, the people are amazing, the country is breathtaking and I'm so lucky to be able to do this for the foreseeable future.

"We will just have to see where the road takes us and what happens next!"