Wayne and his kelpie, Dodge, have been homless for more than six-and-a-half years. Picture: Sandra Godwin

FORMER railway worker Wayne Tripptree has given up hope of finding a place to call his own after being homeless for more than 6 1/2 years.

The single father of three brought up his children in public housing in Melbourne and once they were "old enough to do their own thing", hit the road with his kelpie Dodge.

Initially, Mr Tripptree wanted to travel Australia, but since returning to Victoria has been unable to find anywhere to live.

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The pensioner said he couldn't afford to stay in a caravan park let alone a private rental.

He applied for public housing in Swan Hill some years ago and was told that nothing was available, but no one had ever followed up with him.

"I probably did the wrong thing by going away," he said. "I didn’t know what homelessness is like. When there’s nothing, just a car and a dog, it’s not easy. It was harder than what I thought it would be. I've just given up. No one gives a damn about it or about me."

Mr Tripptree said he had lost touch with family and it was four months or more since his last shower.

While camping in his battered Toyota Hilux ute at the Wood Wood car park, he lines up each morning with other homeless people to use the public toilets to wash and dress.

"There’s another person down there with a dog," he said pointing along the nearby Murray River. "There’s all sorts of people."

Mr Tripptree said he bought very little food for himself but splurged on steak for Dodge when he could.

"I hardly eat anything," he said. "I'll buy steak in Swan Hill or Piangil and we come up here and he'll eat all the steaks. I'd love just to have somewhere to live for me and the dog. That’s all I want really. I couldn’t live without him. I've had him since he was a pup."

This article first appeared in The Guardian