An old black billy hangs above a doused fire at the front of John Cleeland’s caravan, nestled on the banks of Lake Burrumbeet. The afternoon sun peeks through the surrounding eucalypts, casting its light across the waterfront, as Tank the French bulldog keeps guard.
Cleeland has been living on the lake’s foreshore, 30km north-west of Ballarat, for about four months. His van is decked out with cooling, heating, a washing machine and oven. His disability pension funds the diesel in his tank. He says he’s self-sufficient.
