Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 584 i Caravan World

With the advent of camping apps, it’s becoming increasingly easy to find awesome campsites that may have otherwise slipped under your radar. WikiCamps is a good example. With content available both online and offline, it’s easy to search your route and find camps off the highway that are still easily accessible. Better still, with access to site information, photos and reviews, you can quickly get a snapshot of the area or set it as a favourite for later. Over Christmas, we took our new BRS Offroad Pursuit Platinum hybrid for a quick squirt to Victoria. Normally, we shoot across in a day, but on this occasion we didn’t get away 'til after lunch, which required an overnight stop. Scanning our route using the WikiCamps app, we found a beautiful campsite…

Here, in the final instalment of a two-part series, industry stalwart Colin Young — Caravan Council of Australia (CCA) honorary manager — offers myriad invaluable ‘buyers' tips’. His main piece of advice is to have a good idea of what you are after — and stick to it. “Don’t get talked into buying something that does not ideally suit your desired travel plans or is outside of your budget,” Young says. “Buying a caravan is a very big investment, and it is essential that a potential buyer thoroughly does their homework beforehand, to best ensure that they make a sound and wise investment,” he adds. According to Young, ‘self-certification’ of caravans unfortunately does not provide potential buyers with anywhere near the same degree of assurance of compliance or quality compared…

Family caravan trips are the stuff of legends. It’s precious time away from the pressures of home, and an eagerness to explore different places and have new adventures that you can treasure forever. Scooping up the kids, hooking up the van and taking off for a weekend or during school holidays is a great way to see Australia and spend time as a family. But what about taking it to the next level, and absconding for months at a time? Cue the inevitable questions and obstacles. How will you afford it? What on earth will you pack? How will the kids cope in such a small space? What about school? We chatted with two families who took the challenge head on and loved every minute of their extended trips —…

The concept of renting your RV to strangers instead of it sitting idle between adventures is gaining traction. A number of peer to peer platforms have popped up over the past few years in what’s known as the share economy. It’s super easy to rent someone else’s car through GoGet or an apartment through Airbnb, and it is now burgeoning within the RV sector. Platforms including Camplify, SHAREaCAMPER, MyCaravan and Outdoorsy in Australia and Mighway in New Zealand offer the opportunity to make money and offset your RV’s purchase price, pay off your finance loan or simply afford to travel more. But, before you start counting all your gold, it’s important to understand where you as an owner sit with respect to insurance. There’s no point making a neat little…

The New England region of northern New South Wales holds one of Australia’s richest deposits of fine gems, in particular sapphires. The centrepiece of trade in these and other fine gemstones is the annual Minerama Fossicking, Gem and Jewellery Show, held over the second weekend in March each year. This year the event is being held over three days from the 8 to 10 March at the Glen Innes Showgrounds. “This year’s Minerama is the 30th in the show’s history, and it will be NSW’s largest gem and jewellery show which involves fossicking,” said Glen Innes Council’s event coordinator Navanka Fletcher. “It draws stallholders and at least 2000 enthusiastic participants from across the nation, and last year it attracted supporters from as far as New Zealand. "Visitors come to see…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Overall length 8.2m (26ft 11in) External body width 2.4m (7ft 11in) Travel height 3.75m (12ft 4in) Internal height 2.0m (6ft 6in) Tare 10,000kg ATM 13,000kg Payload 3000kg Ball weight N/A EXTERNAL Body construction 60mm infused composite fibreglass panels Chassis Galvanised steel Suspension Airbag Coupling N/A Brakes MAN electronic brake system (EBS). Anti-lock braking system (ABS). Disc brakes on front and rear axles. BrakeMatic switch on dash to operate. Exhaust Valve Brake with the brake pedal, when loaded. Wheels Steel disc wheels 8-hole 11.75 x 22.5 on 13t version. 385/65R 22.5 single tyres all round on 13t version. Water Freshwater 600L, grey water 100L, black water 100L Battery 2x360Ah Mastervolt lithium International charging system Charges on various voltages around the world Solar 6x150W Air-conditioner Truma ducted Gas 2…

It’s more than apt that Goldstream RV’s 1800 EWB ST is inscribed with the “Australis — Great Southern Land” motto on its sheathing. To steal a few lines from Icehouse frontman Ivor Davies’ Great Southern Land lyrics, it’s a mid-sized family bunk van that will have you ‘standing at the limit of an endless ocean’, ‘listen to the motion of the wind in the mountains’, and ‘hidden in the summer for a million years’. POWER AND THE PASSION Based in Pakenham, VIC, Goldstream RV is a proudly Australian-owned caravan manufacturing company, and this display of patriotism is a constant theme in its Australian-made range. “Immediately upon inspection it’s strikingly clear that it’s purpose-built for family forays” In fact, the 1800 EWB ST also sports a “25 years and counting” axiom,…

During the past decade or so, Mars Campers has introduced several ‘worldbeaters’ in the camper trailer genre. And now it has come up with an offroad pop-top hybrid series that is ‘out of this world’. Yes, the ‘planets have aligned’ with Mars’ recent launch of the Saturn series. CW recently tested the Saturn 16 hybrid — a 4.8m (15ft 9in) pocket rocket — which gave every impression of being a real ‘trooper’ in a true offroad environment. To all intents and purposes the Saturn 16 is a clone of the previously released Saturn 13 — obviously the primary difference is a double-bunk configuration in the S-16. And in that respect, how Mars Campers has managed to ‘squeeze’ a queen-sized bed, twin bunks and a shower/toilet combo — and still have…

ELECTRICAL SUITE (BATTERIES; CHARGER; INVERTER) The electrical system is as straightforward as it can be. Plug in to a powered site and your three 100Ah batteries will be charged by the 20A system installed in the hybrid. Connect the Anderson plug and it will charge as you drive. There is also a 1800W pure sine wave inverter so you can charge laptops and cameras when you are deep in the bush without access to a powered site or generator. FOLD-OUT BED The fold-out rear bedding is way easier than it looks. Step 1 - Lower the spare tyres (assisted by well-calibrated gas struts). Step 2 - Undo locks and lift the back section. Step 3 - Bring out the side and back walls and latch it in place. All key…

Adria’s Altea 552 PK Sport caravan isn’t the first that comes to mind when considering a family caravan. Yet with an external length of 6.31m (20ft 8in) and as a full van, it presents an interesting alternative to both larger/heavier options and the rising-roof-style of camper trailer. Built in Slovenia, Adria has been one of the successful import brands in Australia's RV scene and the Altea 552 PK looks to me like a good example of the genre. My review van came from Sydney RV which is based in Penrith, NSW, an excellent starting point for a tow test in the Blue Mountains — something the Adria passed with flying colours. “With a Tare weight of 1470kg and a payload of 450kg, it’s an excellent towing prospect for any number…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Overall length 8.42m (27ft 7in) External body length 6.4m (21ft) External body width 2.43m (8ft) incl. awning Travel height 3.05m (10ft) incl. a/c Internal height 2.02m (6ft 8in) Tare 2574kg ATM 3000kg Payload 450kg Ball weight 214kg EXTERNAL Frame Meranti Cladding Aluminium composite/one-piece fibreglass roof Chassis DuraGal box section Suspension AL-KO Independent coil spring Coupling Cruisemaster DO35 Brakes 10in electric Wheels 16in alloy Water 2x95L Battery 2x100Ah Solar 2x150W Air-conditioner Belair 3400 Gas 2x9kg Sway control No Kitchen No INTERNAL Cooking Swift four-burner, grill and oven Fridge Thetford N3185 177L Microwave NCE Bathroom Thetford cassette toilet and separate shower cubicle Hot water Swift gas/electric 22L OPTIONS FITTED Bike rack PRICE AS SHOWN $79,840 MORE INFORMATION To enquire about this caravan, please visit www.kratzmann.com.au/spec  or phone…

Hi Dave, My husband and I have been arguing over whether we use the portable panels or to have panels mounted to our van's roof — which do you think is the best way to go? We have young kids around so if we went for the portable panels, we need to know if they are safe. Anne B, Mt Gambier, SA Write to: Caravan World Postbag, 125 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North, Victoria 3161 or email: submissions@emprisegroup.com.au Please include your full address (not for publication). Letters chosen will be edited for publication, may be shortened, and may appear online. Hi Anne, I am always happy to help out with saving a good marriage! Obviously, you are keen to get off the blacktop and into a bit of free…

Love fossicking? Take a tag-along tour in search of garnets and zircons at Gemtree in the Red Centre. There’s excellent camping and nightly stock dinners too .(08) 8956 9855, www.gemtree.com.au Learning to surf? Head for protected and patrolled Bridgewater Bay at Portland, Victoria; Smiths Beach at Yallingup, WA; Byron Bay, NSW; or Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Live to fish? Head for Kakadu to chase barramundi on the east and west Alligator Rivers drain www.parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu. Try for trout on NSW’s Snowy River and stay at the excellent Pinch (Moyangul) River Camp. www.national parks.nsw.gov.au. Love walking? Climb into the treetops on a canopy trail: Mamu Tropical Skywalk (Wooroonooran National Park, FNQ), Otway National Park, WA’s Walpole Wilderness Area (Valley of the Giants), or Tassie’s Tahune Airwalk.…

The Caravan Council of Australia (CCA) assists the local recreational vehicle industry. It provides professional independent services to RV owners and potential buyers, as well as manufacturers and dealers. Recreational vehicles include caravans, camper/tent trailers, motorhomes, campervans, slide-ons, and fifth wheelers. The CCA is not involved in — or in any way competes or conflicts with — state association issues, or any RV lifestyle-promotional activities. It is only concerned with vehicles. Vehicle compliance, safety and quality are the prime areas of interest and action. The CCA is completely independent, does not have any members, is non-profit, non-commercial, and non-political. It does not mention any RV make or model, and operates on a strict and confidential basis, under the Institution of Engineers, Australia Code of Ethics. Being completely independent means that…

Travelling in the States and Canada is easy; Mexico is a little more difficult with language, border formalities and police checkpoints, but it is still a relative pain-free experience and more than worth the effort. If you want to take your own vehicle, remember that you are only allowed to leave it in North America for 12 months. Hiring a vehicle or camper for travelling in the US and Canada is again easy and there is a lot of choice, but if you want to travel in Mexico with it, you'll need to check with the vehicle hire company. Cruise America now has vehicles for hire that you can legally take on dirt and gravel roads. If you want to buy a second-hand vehicle in the USA, check Craigslist (www.craigslist.org)…

• Confirm with your insurance company what your policy will and won’t cover • Investigate the policy offered by the peer to peer platform - always read the fine print twice • Ensure those people who may want to rent your vehicle have a good understanding of how to drive it or tow it (consider a test drive) • Develop a comprehensive handover session with renters • Design a detailed booklet listing all the features of your RV, step-by-step instructions for cooktops, toilets, power management etc as well as emergency contact numbers • Remove any valuables from the RV • Include hard-wearing plastic utensils, plates and cups - no crockery or glassware…

Glen Innes is located just four hours’ drive south-west of Brisbane and seven hours north-west of Sydney, at the junction of the New England and Gwydir Highways. It is well catered for with four caravan parks plus accommodation at the Showgrounds and plenty of motels and hotels, a wide variety of stores and all the resources necessary for a comfortable stay for as long as you wish. There is a lot more to see in Glen Innes than just Minerama, and autumn is a great time to enjoy the area without the extremes of seasonal weather. Minerama is from this year being held at the Glen Innes Showgrounds, best approached from Torrington Street, off the New England Highway/Church Street, where you’ll find the main entry gate. There are plenty of…

Most of my cherished memories caravanning have been with wife Meredyth and family. Nowadays, though, the kids have moved on — well, not completely. We’re not suffering from empty nest syndrome yet! Our daughter Alle, 31, is married with children. But sons Paul, 23, and Patrick, 19, are typical of the early Generation Z demographic cohort — tech-savvy and open-minded, and still at home ‘living off the fat of the land’! Alright, I’ll concede that both have stable employment — albeit significantly contributing to a massive food bill and consistently dipping their fingers into my wallet. (My wife has several hiding places for her purse.) Regardless, I couldn’t help but get holidaying flashbacks while recently reviewing the roomy STR-6400 family van from Coronet RV. And the minute I cast eyes…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Overall length 7.6m (24ft 11in) External body length 5.55m (18ft 3in) External body width 2.4m (7ft 10in) Travel height 3.05m (10ft) Internal height 1.95m (6ft 5in) Tare 2130kg ATM 2700kg Payload 570kg Ball weight 233kg EXTERNAL Frame Meranti (42inx19in) Cladding Aluminium composite (3mm) Chassis Preston Chassis DuraGal Suspension Cruisemaster XT Coupling Cruisemaster DO35 Brakes 12in Wheels 16in alloys, with 265/75/R16 tyres Water 2x82L Battery 1x80Ah lead crystal Solar 1x120W Air-conditioner Dometic Freshjet Gas 2x9kg Sway control No INTERNAL Cooking Thetford four-burner and grill Fridge Dometic three-way 190L Microwave NEC 23L Bathroom Shower/toilet combo Washing machine No Hot water Truma UltraRapid gas/electric 14L OPTIONS FITTED Cruisemaster DO35; Sirocco fan; front toolbox; extended A-frame; slide-out barbecue tray; exterior shower; black checkerplate; gas bayonet PRICE AS SHOWN $64,990 (driveaway, VIC)…

WHY HAS MARS CAMPERS EMBRACED THE HYBRID SECTOR? Its affable national sales manager, Celso Prado, says Mars has served more than 15,000 customers during the past 13 years. “Our earlier customers are now in a different stage of life where the mortgage is under control, the kids are young adults or have moved out of the house, and maybe grandkids are popping up here and there. "These early customers are now looking for hybrids and caravans and we are here ready to serve them. “They trusted us when we were an unknown eBay seller offering totally imported campers; their support enabled us to build factories in China and Australia (Melbourne and Brisbane). “We expanded across the country and feel that this is just the beginning, with a line-up of new…

Avid motorhomers aspire to get out there and ‘cry freedom’. But, as in most aspects of life, we’re invariably dictated by a budget. Hence the growing popularity of ex-rental RVs such as the 6.5m (21ft 4in) Jayco Freedom I recently tested in Victoria's seaside hamlet of Barwon Heads and immediate surrounds. This motorhome, with around 50,000km on the clock and an enticing $85,000 price tag, is in pristine condition and to my mind represents excellent value for money. Dave Boyte, from RV Sales Centre in Braybrook, says the Jayco Freedom — part of THL’s ‘Summer Fleet’ of rental RVs — is indeed ideal for sun-lovers of all ages destined for coastal environments. (THL is a motorhome manufacturing and distribution giant, and its motorhomes retail through RV Sales Centre outlets in…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Overall length 7.61m (25ft) External body length 6.31m (20ft 8in) External body width 2.36m (7ft 9in) Travel height 2.68m (8ft 9in) Internal height 1.95m (6ft 5in) Tare 1470kg ATM 1920kg Payload 450kg Ball weight 105kg EXTERNAL Frame N/A Cladding Fibreglass composite Chassis AL-KO hot-dipped galvanised Suspension AL-KO Independent Rubber (IRS) Coupling AL-KO anti-sway Brakes Over-ride Wheels 16in alloy Water 120L Battery 1x100Ah Solar No Air-conditioner Trauma Saphir Gas 2x4.5kg Sway control No Kitchen No INTERNAL Cooking Dometic three-burner and stainless steel sink combo Fridge Dometic RM8555 189L Microwave Camec Bathroom Thetford cassette and combo shower Hot water Truma 14L OPTIONS FITTED N/A PRICE AS SHOWN $44,990, on-road NSW MORE INFORMATION Adria Australia 698 Nudgee Rd Northgate QLD 4013 Web: www.adriaaustralia.com.au…

The role of the folding (drop-down) picnic table is a many-splendoured thing. It’s the ideal position for placing camping condiments and the like while cooking al fresco style on, say, a slide-out barbecue. And they’re a popular location for an appetising cheese and wine platter when relaxing outdoors, or when pulled over at a rest stop — or even at Happy Hour. And they’re a popular location for an appetising cheese and wine platter when relaxing outdoors…” Having a folding picnic table at your disposal is convenient after inviting your caravan park ‘neighbours’ over for drinks and nibblies, and also when you simply don’t want the hassle of dragging out the camping table from the tunnel boot. And they can be easily retrofitted to your existing van. CW recently observed…

An undersea robot has delivered heat-tolerant baby corals to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in a world first bid to recover and restore the area. The baby corals (coral larvae) were dispatched six weeks after Southern Cross University professor Peter Harrison and Queensland University of Technology Matthew Dunbabin won the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s $300,000 Out of the Blue Fox Reef Innovation Challenge to carry out the project. The robot, named LarvalBot, gently releases up to 100,000 larvae per mission onto damaged reef areas allowing them to settle over time to develop into coral polyps or baby corals. Professor Dunbabin said: “Using an iPad to program the mission, a signal is sent to deliver the larvae and it is gently pushed out by LarvalBot. It’s like spreading fertiliser on your lawn.…

Keen observers may note that this issue is devoted to the family caravan holiday. It has given me pause to conjure up some of my memories of family holidays back in the 1970s when I was still at school and technical college. In case you are wondering, it was the time of the Holden Kingswood, the Viscount caravan and many a caravan park vacation taken over the Christmas school holidays. Prior to the caravan, our family had owned a tent for a number of years, but I seem to recall that one particularly wet year resulted in the purchase of something with more solid walls. It’s funny what you remember, in particular our first caravan purchase at a caravan show. My parents had decided on a particular 15ft design, one…

It’s a good life for the ’vanners, who live out on the road, Seeing our great country, without a fixed abode, But there’s danger ever lurking, on our highways when you drive, So be careful when you travel, so you get back home alive. Towing sure can be a problem, if something isn't right, It may be out of mind, but it’s never out of sight, So check that all’s OK, both the tow rig and the van, And enjoy the pleasures of your trips, as safely as you can, Is the van in sound condition, are mechanicals still good, Are you never overloaded, does it tow the way it should, Is the ball load as it should be, not too high and not too low, To give the safest…

After weeks of planning and packing, you bundle everything and everyone into the car, and leave behind the well-oiled routines and comforts of home for a slice of the simple life. Before your adventure begins, use these tricks and tips to ensure you enjoy your summertime break as much as your kids. 1. TRAVEL WITH TOYS Summer breaks provide the space and time that kids need to learn, practise and perfect new skills. It might be discovering how to ride a wave, breathe through a snorkel, catch a ball or simply how to get into and out of the hammock without hitting the ground. At every age, there is so much to teach children and during the holidays it can happen without haste. Before your head starts to reel about…

The Boswerger boys at SLRV Expedition Vehicles in Queensland have put together their latest Commander 4x4 Expedition Vehicle and so I wanted to see if this rig is really a true commander, a master of the global roaming set. Although the owner of this adventure-bound vehicle has an African sojourn in mind, in order to get a taste of what this luxury motorhome can do without the chance to drive across the golden hued African savannah, we took it for a test run. Not in Tanzania's Serengeti or the Kalahari Desert, but instead through a special location in the Gold Coast hinterland that was green, lush and bucolic. COMMAND THE OUTDOORS The mechanical heart of the Commander comes from the well-established MAN range. In this case, it’s an all-wheel drive…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Overall length 8.6m (28ft 3in) – includes extended A-frame and spare wheel at rear External body length 6.4m (21ft) External body width 2.31m (7ft 7in) – excludes rollout awning Travel height 2.85m (9ft 4in) – includes air-conditioner Internal height 1.98m (6ft 6in) Tare 2426kg ATM 2976kg Payload 550kg Ball weight 200kg (at Tare), 350kg (maximum permissible) EXTERNAL Frame Worthington 18mm CNC seamless veneer Cladding Seamless FRP (fibreglass reinforced plastic) Chassis G&S, with 160mm main rails Suspension AL-KO rocker roller leaf spring Coupling AL-KO 50mm ball Brakes AL-KO 12in electric Wheels 15in×8in alloy offroad Water 2×95L Battery 1×100Ah Century AGM Solar 1×160W Air-conditioner Finch RV (Houghton Belair 3400) Gas 2×9kg Sway control AL-KO ESC INTERNAL Cooking Swift gas/electric hot plates and grill Fridge Thetford gas/electric N3185E 185L Microwave…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Overall length 6.7m (22ft) External body length 4.8m (15ft 9in) External body width 2.18m (7ft 2in) Travel height 2.49m (8ft 2in) Internal height 1.96m (6ft 5in) Tare 2250kg - Range: 1850-2250kg ATM 2700kg - Range: 2400-2700kg Payload 450kg - Range: 350-850kg Ball weight 200kg - Range: 180-220kg EXTERNAL Frame Aluminium Cladding Aluminium composite Chassis Offroad - galvanised steel (150x4x50mm) Suspension Independent trailing arms, heavy-duty twin shocks Coupling McHitch Brakes 12in electric Wheels 16in alloys and mud-terrain tyres Water 2x100L (fresh); 1x100L (grey) Battery 3x100Ah AGM Solar Optional Air-conditioner Dometic Gas 2x9kg holders Sway control Optional Kitchen Slide-out cooktop and sink INTERNAL Cooking No Fridge No Microwave No Bathroom Shower/toilet combo Washing machine No Hot water Truma UltraRapid 14L OPTIONS FITTED Dometic reverse cycle air-conditioner; extra spare wheel;…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES External length 6.5m (21ft 4in) External width 2.31m (7ft 7in) Internal height 2.07m (6ft 9in) Travel height 3.15m (10ft 4in) GVM 3510kg (3800kg swivel) ENGINE Base vehicle Renault Master Engine 2.3L four-cylinder turbodiesel Gearbox Six-speed automated manual transmission Max power 110kW Max torque 350Nm EXTERNAL Fresh water 1x65L Grey water 1x45L Batteries 1x120Ah Solar 1x120W Air-conditioner Driver’s cab plus 240V mains in house cab Gas 1x9kg INTERNAL Cooking Dometic two-burner Fridge Thetford three-way 185L Microwave Sphere Bathroom Separate shower and toilet Lighting LED Hot water Yes OPTIONS FITTED Driver’s cab entertainment (radio, aux input, Bluetooth); house cab entertainment (flatscreen TV/DVD, Furrion stereo CD/DVD/ radio system); fixed awning PRICE AS SHOWN $85,000 MORE INFORMATION RV Sales Centre Ph: (03) 8398 8848 Web: www.rvsalescentre.com.au…

Aura Caravans is a mid-sized Victorian-based manufacturer with a good range of models and layouts in its stable. One of these is the Explorer which, amongst other layouts, is available as a family four-berth caravan (with an optional third bunk to make it a party of five). My review van came from Brisbane-based Kratzmann Caravans and when I arrived, the Explorer was hitched up behind a Holden Colorado ute. Given the van’s ATM of 3000kg, this was a good choice and certainly handled the van without any problem. BODY TALK In the best traditions of an Australian-built caravan, the Explorer has a DuraGal box section chassis with 150mm x 50mm (6in x 2in) main rails and drawbar. For extra strength in the front section, a smaller 100mm x 50mm (4in…