Martin Klussendorf is looking for a place for himself and his two cats, Bienchien and Kater, to live.
Key points:
- Martin Klussendorf spent nine months building his tiny home
- He and other campers and caravaners want local governments to relax regulations
- Two local councils in Victoria are working towards ways to help the housing crisis by waiving permits
But not in the conventional sense. He already lives in comfort and has all the homely trimmings.
Mr Klussendorf joined the tiny home movement 11 months ago after building his house on wheels during the coronavirus pandemic from his house in Mount Gambier on the Victorian and South Australian border.
With enough money to buy a small block of land, he's joined the growing number of people looking to local governments across Australia to relax local laws and allow those with tiny homes and caravans to live on their land or in the backyards of others without a permit.
"I like this little house. I wouldn't swap it for a full-size house. I would probably like to have land again and be able to live with this little house," Mr Klussendorf said.
"I wouldn't have enough money to buy a house. That's not an option. It would have to be land. The only way I can live on my own land is with this little house."
Right to put down wheels
Now with a self-contained tiny home, Mr Klussendorf wants to go one step further and buy a plot of land that he can stay on without contravening state or local laws.
In Victoria, Mount Alexander Shire Council has approved an amendment to a by-law that will allow residents to live in caravans and tiny homes as an ancillary dwelling on a block. Further south, the Surf Coast Shire is testing tiny homes in a two-year trial.
Mr Klussendorf would not need utilities connected, just a plot of land without services to be a base for when he's not travelling.
"There should be a way that people can live on their own land. I understand there has to be regulations, but it should be possible for anyone to live on their own land," he said.
Mr Klussendorf tiny home is completely self-sufficient. It has solar panels for electricity, grey and freshwater tanks for water, and a composting toilet for sewerage.
Being as self-sufficient as possible is important for the German-born traveller. He lives on a diet of grains, cereals, vegetables and fruit, and grinds his flour with an old-fashioned mill to make bread.
"The grain harvest is on and I'll be getting plenty of wheat, enough to last me for quite a while to make bread," he said.
Building a tiny home
The rise of giving up the conventional life to hit the road in a camper van, tiny home or caravan has taken hold in Australia.
"It took me nine months to build and it is 5 metres long, almost 2 metres wide. It's dual axle so it rides smoother, and weights just under 2.3 tonne loaded."
And while local laws differ across council areas, Mr Klussendorf said he was careful when selecting where to go so as to not break the law.
"In one place, I stayed for more than six weeks. In other places only overnight. It depends on whether I find something for me to do and I stay longer. If not, I move on."
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