Owner Awards 2025

Meet Australia's 2025 New Owner of the Year: Jake

The 2025 Camplify Owner Awards celebrate the people who make our community brilliant – and this year's New Owner of the Year proves you don't need years of experience to make an impact. Sometimes you just need a van you built yourself, a mate in New Zealand, and the willingness to throw yourself in the deep end.

Jake joined Camplify in April 2024 with two self-built Toyota Hiace campervans and zero expectations. Less than a year later, he's racked up a solid run of bookings, earned a reputation for lightning-fast responses, and discovered that sharing van life with others might be even better than living it yourself.

"I had no idea what the criteria were," Jake admits when told about his nomination. "But it's really cool to think that something's being recognised."

On how it all started...

Jake's campervan obsession began in Germany. He was living overseas, decided to build a van, and had no tools, no workshop, and no real plan.

"I just started in my friend's parents' driveway and kept going until it was done."

He travelled Europe in that van and had, in his words, "the best time ever." When he came back to Australia, recreating that experience was inevitable. He built two more Hiaces – fitted out himself, using his decade of commercial construction experience plus YouTube tutorials for the electronics.

The vans sat there. He used them when he could. Then a mate in New Zealand messaged him about a side hustle – earning money from his campervan through Camplify.

"That reminded me I'd been meaning to check it out. I had these vans sitting there, so I thought I'd give it a go."

On his first big booking...

Jake's introduction to Camplify wasn't exactly gentle. His second van was stuck in Perth – a friend had borrowed it and was over in WA. Jake needed it back in Brisbane. Solution? List it on Camplify as a relocation.

A lovely English couple took the job – a one-month booking to drive the van back across the country. Jake's friend did the handover in Perth. Jake picked it up when it arrived in Brisbane. In between, the couple extended for a couple of extra weeks so they could see the Nullarbor along the way.

"I was really new to the platform at that point. I hadn't even met them – it was all done remotely. I just had to put it out of my mind and be like, this is either going to work or it's not."

It worked. They did half a lap of Australia in his van, had a great time, and it came back in good condition. "Pretty thrown in the deep end," Jake laughs. "But that's kind of how I do things – just dive in and see what happens."

On response time as a secret weapon...

Jake's approach to new bookings is simple: reply fast.

"My method was, a lot of people hiring are first-timers too. They're just as nervous as I was as a new owner. Quick responses put them at ease and give them confidence that I'm just as invested as they are."

His most recent booking came through at 7am from a hirer whose other plans had fallen through. Jake replied within four minutes.

"He was like, 'Yeah, okay, done, let's go.'"

It's not just about beating other owners to the punch – though that helps. It's about showing hirers that someone's actually there, paying attention, ready to help.

On keeping the vans hire-ready...

Jake admits he's "a bit of a nerd" about preparation. He came into Camplify treating it like a business from day one – emotionally detached, focused on systems.

He's built pre-hire and post-hire checklists to streamline everything. Before each booking: strip out the linen, wash everything, vacuum, wipe all surfaces, fill up water and gas, check the whole van over.

"It's pretty basic when I say it out loud. But I feel like the cleaner you give people the van, the more respect they're likely to treat it with. They can feel that's the standard you've set."

On the weekly catch-ups that keep him going...

Jake's mate in New Zealand – the one who reminded him about Camplify – is now his accountability partner. They catch up at least once a week to talk bookings, discuss tactics, and keep the motivation up. "It's kind of been like a personal community. Just having someone to talk to about it is really cool."

There's also, he admits, "a little bit of friendly competition." (Though competing with someone based in Queenstown, right near the airport, might not be entirely fair.)

Where he'd send you first...

Based in Brisbane with easy access to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and Byron, Jake reckons there are too many good spots to list. He lived in a van for a year and a half around the area before hiring his van out on Camplify, so he knows the hidden gems.

Rather than a standard itinerary, he chats to each hirer about what they're after – freedom camping spots, surfing, hiking – and tailors his recommendations. One tip he's happy to share: Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. "Coolum is great."

On what surprised him most...

Two things caught Jake off guard.

First: how responsive and helpful the Camplify team was. "If I ever had any issues or needed to modify a booking or had questions, the chat was super responsive. That really surprised me."

Second: how quickly handing over the keys became normal.

"At first I was really nervous. It was a huge step to hand over the keys. But after a few rentals, it just becomes a lot more natural. You can enjoy it – or at least put it out of your mind."

Especially when you've built the vans by hand, emotionally detaching is easier said than done. But Jake's learning.

On why he loves it...

Van life has completely taken over Jake's world – in the best way. That trip in Germany made such an impression that he's since moved into his van back home in Australia.

"I love everything about it. The freedom, even the challenges. Being outdoors more often than not. Travelling Australia."

But what he loves most now? Sharing it with others.

"When someone's coming from England and asking questions, or a couple wants to explore Southeast Queensland – I really enjoy chatting about the cool little spots and trying to help them have a really good experience like I've had."

Ready to hit the road in a hand-built Hiace?

Jake's self-converted campervans are kitted out by someone who's lived the van life – in Germany, across Australia, and now sharing it with Camplify hirers. Check out Jake's vans.

Meet all our 2025 Owner Award winners here.

Got a campervan sitting in the driveway? See how Jake went from zero bookings to New Owner of the Year in less than a year. Learn how to list your van.