Aaron Moore – an artist and Camplify van owner – on finding inspiration in people and places.

Aaron Moore has been making art all his life. He went straight from high school to Sydney’s National Art School, and though he eventually dropped out, his friends told him that’s what artists are supposed to do. And hey, we don’t condone dropping out of school, but it would appear that Aaron’s friends were right.

We caught up with Aaron – who is currently based in Darwin – to talk about his art, his van and his journey with Camplify. And if you like what you see? NT Dreaming, his van, is available to hire now.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and work as an artist?

I struggled with the meaning of art and life. In particular aspects of poverty and inequality that I saw in the world around me, so I left art school to try and address some of those challenges. I worked in community projects in Australia and abroad, sometimes with small charities and sometimes with big ones. I returned to art after a decade or so, and though I was still struggling with the same aspects of life, I tried to combine them by studying a Masters in Fine Art at UNSW Art and Design. My thesis was entitled 'Visual art and global inequality' and I used my solo exhibitionsto try to come to terms with the poverty, inequality and guilt I still witnessed and experienced.

What inspires your art?

My work has continued to reflect the people and places where I live and work. I created a series of portraits from a remote village community where we lived and worked in Togo, West Africa, followed by a series of animal drawings inspired by time spent in a bakkie in national parks in southern Africa. I’ve spent the last few years creating ceramic pieces inspired by the unique rock formations and gorges of the Northern Territory, where we currently live.

When did you first get on board with van life?

I originally bought a van a few years ago to transport my artworks around because they were so big and couldn't fit in the car. Not long after, I was inspired by the unique van creations that people were making and decided to try it myself. I built the van out during the weekends and evenings of 2021, and at the start of 2022, we made our maiden voyage in the van as a family from Sydney to Darwin and loved it. We stayed in Darwin and now regularly take the van to visit parks and gorges like Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk.

How has your experience with Camplify been? Has it had much impact on your life?

I started hiring out the van with Camplify after we arrived in Darwin. It’s been a really fantastic experience and the van has proved super popular. This could be because it’s a unique build, it sleeps four, and we were sure to install air conditioning before we left Sydney, which has really turned camping into glamping. Especially here in the NT.

When I’m not making art or looking after the kids, I’ll often be preparing the van to be rented out. I think the most attractive part of renting the van out is the flexibility. We can make it work around the other aspects of our lives by blocking out periods when we are either busy or using it ourselves, but then making it available at other times. I also really enjoy being able to share what I’ve built with others. We’ve had so many great experiences and it’s great to see the smiles and similar memories being made by others.

Any hot tips for a Northern Territory road trip?

Most people who hire my van will do the Nature’s Way loop, which takes in Darwin, Litchfield National Park, Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine) and Kakadu. We really like swimming in natural water holes and I've made a series of ceramics works named after our favourite rock pools at each of these locations, including Maguk, Buley Rockhole and Wangi Falls. But I think my family would say that the best place to swim in the NT is Bitter Springsin Mataranka. The pristine, crystal-clear waters are stunning.

Interested in hiring out your own van as a side hustle? Quit stalling and find out how you can with Camplify.