How a Bellarine couple turned their love of Kombis into a one-of-a-kind final farewell

PARKED among the colourful Volkswagen Kombis of the Hire a Kombi fleet, Wattle looks right at home.

But unlike the vans that carry wedding parties, holidaymakers and road trippers, Wattle serves a very different purpose.

Wattle is a hearse.

For Hire a Kombi founders George and Alyce Gorgievski, building it was about reimagining what a farewell could look like.

What started as a conversation about a Kombi destined for a lap of Australia eventually sparked a relationship, and later the creation of Hire a Kombi. Photo: Matthew O’Donnell/Hails + Shine.

“The last five years, in particular, we had a really strong pull to find the time to build this hearse,” George said.

“It was all really based on how we feel we want this to look – what would we want?”

That question sits at the heart of both their business and their story.

Long before Hire a Kombi became known for weddings, holidays and road trips along the Great Ocean Road, it began with a single vehicle and a chance discovery.

George has worked as a mechanic for many years, with the original idea for Kombi hire emerging while working for a car hire business in Queensland. Photo: Matthew O’Donnell/Hails + Shine.

George’s connection to Kombis started decades ago in Queensland when he came across one that had been sitting idle for more than 30 years.

“We fired it back to life and it felt so amazing, so precise, so easy to drive,” he said. “That to me was a game-changer.”

The affection quickly grew beyond mechanics. The idea for a Kombi hire business came years later while working for a rental car company on the Gold Coast.

“I saw Kombis and thought, ‘Wouldn’t the Kombis make a great car for surfers to rent?’ I pitched it and they weren’t interested, so I parked the idea in my mind,” George said.

George and Alyce drive their kombis everywhere, and it is all their children have ever known. Photo: Matthew O’Donnell/Hails + Shine.

That idea sat dormant until his own collection grew.

“When I had about seven or eight of them, I thought, maybe I should start looking at hiring,” George said.

Around the same time, Alyce entered the picture – initially as a customer.

George had advertised a Kombi for sale, but after hearing about her plans to travel Australia, he suggested building something more suitable instead.

“I called her up and I said, ‘How about I sell you this Kombi? I’m happy to build it for you’,” George said.

The Kombi hearse was named Wattle after its original Volkswagen colour, which closely resembles the bright yellow flowers of the native wattle. Photo: Matthew O’Donnell/Hails + Shine.

What followed was four months of daily conversations while George customised the vehicle for Alyce’s trip around the country.

“We would talk every day,” he said. “After that, sparked a relationship.”

After moving to the coast, the idea of a Kombi hire business resurfaced and Hire a Kombi began to take shape.

George and Alyce’s lives have grown alongside their fleet. Today, the business remains firmly family-oriented.

“This is us,” Alyce said. “It’s George and I and the kids and the dog, a free-range guinea pig and a couple of chickens.

“Our kids have known no other vehicle. They got brought home as babies in a Kombi, and that’s all they’ve ever known.”

Hire a Kombi’s colourful fleet has become a familiar sight across the Bellarine and Surf Coast, carrying wedding parties, holidaymakers and road trippers. Photo: Matthew O’Donnell/Hails + Shine.

The Gorgievskis believe the enduring appeal of the Kombi lies in the way people connect with it emotionally.

“Through movies [and] television, I think the Kombi has been used to represent that joy, freedom and peaceful kind of loving character,” Alyce said.

Few vehicles inspire the affection that a Kombi does.

“We’ve seen kids that’ll run back up and hug the van, and adults nearly crying when they have to hand over the keys,” Alyce said.

It was that emotional connection that ultimately inspired Wattle.

“For us, the ending of the life really should be a celebration,” Alyce said. “It is sad, but no one’s going to dodge it in life.

“How do we want that to look for our loved ones?”

Hire a Kombi founders George and Alyce Gorgievski. Photo: Matthew O’Donnell/Hails + Shine.

Built without a template, the hearse reflects the same craftsmanship and care found throughout the Hire a Kombi fleet.

The result is a vehicle designed to soften what can be an overwhelming moment.

“A Kombi hearse will bring just that little bit of sense of peace and a little bit of a smile to the ending of life,” Alyce said.

“To watch your loved one drive away in a Kombi definitely creates a lasting memory.”

Though still new, Wattle has already been part of several services.

“It really felt like such an honour to be carrying these people on their final journey,” Alyce said. “It felt like a beautiful space that they were being held in for their final time here on this earth.”

Even in its design, Wattle carries that same thoughtfulness. It can be configured as a five-seater for smaller services, allowing family members to travel alongside their loved one.

“I wouldn’t want to go out any other way,” Alyce said.