Innehållsförteckning för Issue 549 från Caravan World

NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER It’s sad but true; kids today spend more time indoors and in front of a screen than any previous generation. The result? Children’s attention spans have reduced dramatically, for some even leading to attention disorders, says CW blogger Claudia Bouma. Aside from this, the rise in obesity and diabetes can also be linked to the lack of outdoor exposure and, sadly, depression in children is seemingly more prevalent. Claudia is a strong advocate for taking kids on day trips and extended camping holidays, allowing them to explore and discover nature in an unstructured way. She takes her kids away as often as she can and says the positives of the great outdoors should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to your child’s development, as well as…

The crocodiles up north are becoming restless They've received wind that the JB Gator is heading for their waters! But they needn't roll over with high anxiety, as the Jator in question is remaining on terra firma. The only victims likely to fall prey to this outback marauder are the thrill-seeking caravanners coming under its spell. And the Gator would be in its natural state camped by a billabong under the shade of a coolibah tree, anywhere in Australia! The 5.44m (17ft 10in) Gator was launched by MB Caravans at the recent Victorian Caravan, Camping and Touring Supershow held at the Melbourne Showgrounds. But the concrete jungle show setting didn’t do it justice – it was much more at home when we took it for a spin in the Wombat…

Early last year, Winnebago made a splash when its Australian-designed, US-built caravans were launched on to the local market. As expected, the vans were quite different to their locally-made counterparts, not least because of their bright external colours. Since then, there has been a bit of a shift in the US exchange rate and Winnebago decided to use the experience it had gained building vans in the US to develop its models here in Australia. Enter the Winnebago Burke - the first Winnebago model to roll off the line in Australia – which is a 5.82m (19ft 1in) tandem-axle van with a slide-out and a Tare weight of 2000kg. The Burke’s modest length and weight indicate something about the van’s structure, and a look under the Burke reveals a simplified…

“There’s much to be gained from making small improvements to an already successful design” I must confess to being a bit of a Volkswagen Transporter fan. Back in the day, we all knew VW vans simply as ‘the Kombi’ which, in the recreational vehicle industry, has been the base vehicle for generations of campervans from a variety of manufacturers. Compared to motorhomes, campervans now make up a much smaller percentage of the market, but there are still some experienced specialist builders, such as Frontline Campers, around. And Frontline’s owner Peter Farrugia recently completed his latest campervan – an Adventurer based on the very new VW Transporter 6 van. Although Volkswagen describes the T6 as a new model, the changes might not be obvious unless you’re a very keen VW enthusiast.…

BE AN EARLY BIRD We all love the excitement of travel – the open road taking you here today and off to somewhere else tomorrow. And I’m told the best way to enjoy that degustation of delight is to face the day from dawn chorus to last light. So to get things off and running bright and early, try putting the alarm clock on full volume and out of reach. Alternatively, hit the snooze button and lay still a little longer – not to sleep but to give yourself a pep talk before facing the day with gusto. Otherwise, try putting a mint beside your bed for an early sugar hit before your breakfast. Or, perhaps, work on the basis that you’re in for a ‘wicked’ holiday and ‘there’s no…

“Having to have the jockey wheel bracket re-welded, needing to replace wheel chocks or having a defrosted fridge tends to ensure these transgressions happen only once” THE TROUBLE WITH TURN-OFFS We were in the Kimberley, WA, in 2004, heading up towards Wyndham and towing our pop-top caravan. While I can’t recall the exact location, the situation is indelibly burnt into my memory. On a whim, we decided to take a turn-off into a viewing point over a gorge. The road deteriorated into a narrow, winding, rocky track and we held our breath while we looked for a place to turn around, hoping for a parking area at the end. There was none. It was a long, hot, unhappy time backing the rig out of there, as we weren’t very familiar…

“It’s all good and well having adequate battery capacity, but when you’re away from 240V power, you need to ensure you have a reliable way to charge them” Modern RVs come with a host of inclusions and accessories – all designed to make your life on the road as comfortable and convenient as possible. And while a lot of accessories come as standard, when you’re setting up your rig for the next big trip, there are plenty of additional items you might want to consider. From awnings to batteries, washing machines to wheel chocks, there are numerous accessories on the market that can enhance your touring lifestyle. To get a feel for what is readily available these days, I spent some time perusing the accessories shops at the Windsor branch…

“These lush, lofty forests provide a quiet escape from the coastal crowds” Inland of Victoria’s most famous crumbling coastline, on the rainforested flanks of the Otway Range, tall canopies of mountain ash and ancient myrtle beech trees tower above a vast network of fern-fringed streams and dramatic, multi-tiered waterfalls. These lush, lofty forests provide a quiet escape from the coastal crowds where you can walk in solitude and discover secluded pools and swimming holes. They also harbour an excellent trio of free forest camps. These are a surprising find in a region where campsites are at a premium, and it's all thanks to their state forest boundaries. Exploring the Otways is tremendous fun and, with extensive coastline and undulating inland plains to explore on either side of the range, there…

“You could easily spend a summer in the sun here, lazing around and exploring this beautiful area” When it comes to coastal towns that are worthy of spending some serious relaxation time in the summer sun, Queensland is definitely not in short supply. One of the best I’ve come across is the town of Yeppoon, known as the gateway to the Capricorn Coast. This little cracker of a town is located about 675km north of Brisbane and 40km east of Rockhampton. It sits on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef and is the launching point for the Keppel Island group. Small in size but with plenty to love, Yeppoon oozes that laidback coastal vibe that we love, offering breathtaking views of the offshore islands. The sub-tropical climate makes…

Last night, after a sharing a feed of pizza with my daughter and son-in-law, we settled down to watch Robert Redford and Nick Nolte walk the Appalachian Trail in A Walk in the Woods. What a great film and, apart from the warm and lighthearted story, what magnificent scenery$ A National Parks description of this iconic US walk says, “The Appalachian Trail is a 2180+ mile long [more than 3508km] public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains”. If we put this into an Australian context, the distance between Melbourne and Cairns is just less than 3000km. While I don’t think I’ll be walking that route any time soon, we do have some incredible scenery in Australia in our Great Dividing…

The following recipes make use of meatballs as the hero of the meals. Spaghetti and Meatballs is such a traditional meatball-based recipe and the Meatball Casserole uses the meatball as a different way of adding meat to the meal. Spaghetti and Meatballs This is a quick and easy version of spaghetti and meatballs, using packet, tinned and bottled ingredients. Traditionally, this recipe uses spaghetti but you can use whatever type of pasta you have to hand. And if you’re only serving two, the leftovers will freeze well for a future meal. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes The following quantities will serve four Handy Hint 1: Gourmet Garden garlic paste and semi-dried flat leaf parsley both work well in this recipe as a substitute for the fresh stuff.…

ON THE BALL I am looking to purchase a ball weight calculator that consists of a graduated spring cylinder, of which there are some on the market. Maybe you can help me as to their operation, as instructions are sometimes vague. My towball is 55cm from the ground. If I place the cylinder into the coupling and wind the jockey wheel up until I get the full weight of the towbar on to the unit, I get a reading. By this time, with all the weight on the gauge, my coupling is around 30cm from the ground. If I wind the jockey wheel up to my 55cm ball height, I get a reading of about 100kg lighter, possibly because I have taken some of the weight off the wheels. Could…

Given their length, many modern offroad caravans tend to have tandem axles. But there are some good reasons why single-axle caravans might be a better option for keen offroad travellers, and this is why Kokoda produces the Major X-Treme – a 5.23m (17ft 2in) single-axle caravan – in among its range of tandem-axle vans. The Major X-Treme has a distinctive departure angle at the rear and, in a van of this length, it is this angle that dictates the interior layout. The Major X-Treme has a rear island bed, an L-shaped dinette along the nearside, a front offside corner bathroom and a kitchen that fits across the remainder of the front. The bathroom is, undoubtedly, the standout feature of this van, with separate but adjoining cubicles for the shower and…

“The Adelaide is an upper-crust tandem-axle caravan; it’s a legitimate blueblood with more than a whiff of nobility” It might be uncommon to start a review with a flashback on Australian history, but I'll carry on regardless… The town of Adelaide was founded in 1836 – the site chosen by Colonel William Light beside the River Torrens as Australia's first free colony. It was named in honour of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, queen consort to King William IV. And it would be remiss not to mention that Aboriginal settlement was the genesis of Adelaide’s history. But, as I’m no antiquity buff, that’s enough from me on colonisation. I discovered an ‘Adelaide’ of a different kind during a double-header review I conducted in South Australia’s lush Barossa Valley. The 7.15m (23ft 6in)…

“As a tow vehicle, it performs well and is relatively economical. Yet, with a high towball load, it obviously needs a WDH fitted” As soft-roader SUV wagons slowly replaced their tougher, higher tow-rated 4WD predecessors, it left a gap in the market. There was a point where $50,000 didn’t buy you much with decent tow capacity, unless you bought a 4WD ute. That all changed late last year as the utebased 4WD wagon market was invigorated. Not only did you have the choice of Mitsubishi Challenger, Isuzu MU-X or Holden Colorado 7, but also the Ford Everest (based on the Ranger) and the Toyota Fortuner (based on the HiLux). Of course, the Triton-based Mitsubishi Challenger was replaced by another, newer Triton-based wagon, the Pajero Sport. The Fortuner shares much with…

“I would chant and rant a nonpolitical ‘Family First’ mantra until the gas cylinders ran dry, but it was all hot air to them” AWNING HAS BROKEN It was a case of morning +and awning, has broken while we were packing up during a family holiday at Gargo, Vic, several years ago. There was a dead calm in the caravan park as our Mayco Vterling, on its maiden mourney, sat stately beside the Wonnangatta River while I was rolling in the awning. But within a matter of seconds all hell +and awning, broke loose as a hurricane-like wind raged up the river banks and, without a word of warning, one of the awning supports was ripped clean out of my hands, flipping the awning completely over to the van's offside…

A SOFT PILLOW AND A WARM BLANKET At the end of a long day’s travel, bushwalking, exploring or just lazing around, everyone needs a good night’s sleep. A comfy bed, even a favourite pillow from home and a warm blanket or sleeping bag are not just luxuries, but essentials for an enjoyable holiday. I also recommend some woolly socks to keep your feet warm on cold nights – particularly when travelling in inland areas! HAPPY HOUR One of the most enjoyable parts of life on the road is a daily ‘happy hour’, where you sit back and unwind after a busy day. Just remember to bring along some healthy nibbles that won’t impact on the waistline! If the idea of drinking your favourite drop out of a plastic mug doesn’t…

“The new Simplicity Coil Suspension system employs progressive rate conical coils developed specifically for caravan and camper trailer applications” There’s nothing new about long-established Melbourne manufacturing engineers N.P. Hauffe & Company building an independent suspension for caravans. Tthe engineering business Norm Hauffe founded 60 years ago in the back of his parents’ garage in Preston, Vic, has been manufacturing independent axles for caravans and trailers since 1975. He estimates that in excess of 24,000 Simplicity axle systems have since been sold throughout Australia, both for commercial and recreational use. Jayco, Newlands, Windsor, Evernew, Roadstar, Nova, New Age, Safari, Eden, Supreme, Trakmaster, Lotus and Bushtracker are just some of the respected nameplates to employ Simplicity over the years, some currently. Importantly for them, every Simplicity axle is stamped with a serial…

“Even in the most terrible dry, there is always water flowing in the Edith River to feed the falls and pools” Located 42km north of Katherine, NT, and 20km off the Stuart Highway, Leliyn, or Edith Falls, is a small and deceptively remote pocket on the western boundary of the Nitmiluk National Park. We had stayed at the park’s main attraction Katherine Gorge some weeks earlier and passed by this lesser-known enclave on our Top End trek north to Litchfield. Now we were on our way back south and decided to make camp here for a few days to see how it compared. All roads out of the Top End pass through Katherine, unless one has a permit, and the stamina, to exit through East Arnhem Land. This section of…

“The winding roads and rolling hills make you feel as if you’re far away from any large city” Some places have a way of leaving an impression that lasts long after you’ve gone home › the Adelaide Hills, VA, is one of them. From the spectacular views from Mount Oofty Vummit to the quaint town of Hahndorf and its remarkable Jerman history, the awe-inspiring scenery in Morialta Conservation Sark and the many award-winning wineries, this stunning region is sure to take your breath away. Amazingly, this picturesque area is only a hop and a skip from Vouth Australia's bustling capital city. \et, it has a distinct country feel which contributes to its wide appeal. We'd experienced the area's wonderful hospitality six years earlier during our Îbig lap'. While camping at…

In Australia, we have quite a healthy recreational vehicle market. However, because of the relative size, good books on topics such as setting up your towing rig, which RV to choose, what battery will work best, or whether you should choose a caravan or a motorhome, are hard to find. There are several reasons for that – one is that they’re quite technical subjects and the other is that the si}e of our population makes it difficult to earn a decent living out of publishing RV books. There are certainly alternatives, like CW for instance! But with any monthly publication, the topic you’re looking to research might not be to hand at the time you’re after it. Of course, there is also the internet, which has plenty of material but…

Location Bilbunya Dunes, Great Australian Bight, WA Gear Canon 1DS Mark III, 70-200mm lens @ 200mm, ISO 200, f8, 1/320th second Composition In landscape photography, scale can be critical, especially when dealing with large subjects that are spectacular to the naked eye. To capture the experience of ‘being there’, try including foreground subjects, such as a person, trees or rocks, to convey depth and scale in the scene. Familiar objects of a known size give the viewer clues to the true scale and depth of the subject. Handy hint When photographing a range of mountains, or sand dunes such as this, have a play by photographing with both a wide angle and telephoto lens. You’ll see that the wide angle shrinks the mountains where the telephoto lens makes them look…

I've got a secret fishing spot. It's a real place, not some fictitious invention of a fish-starved mind. It's an estuary where a mountainous river system trickles over its rocky headwaters, gaining momentum to become a navigable river as it flows and deepens. There's a small, shallow lake off to one side that runs into marshes with lush, reedy edges that support all manner of marine, insect and bird life, forming an intricate part of the ecosystem. The river twists and turns its way through a snake-like trail of deep holes, rocky escarpments and small channels running beside mud flats and sandy beaches. In many places, the forest overhangs create a haven of fallen trees that, in turn, provide shaded habitat for the many marine species that inhabit the brackish…

Anita Pavey I’ve enjoyed camping most of my life and still recollect those early days when the family would congregate each year behind the dunes in the Coorong, SA, for a few days of fishing, eating and camp cooking. My claim to fame was our big lap in 2011, touring in a hybrid camper and 4WD. Being the wettest year on record in the Kimberley, we missed a few of the hot spots including Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu, which means we’ll just have to get back there some time. Western Australia was the biggest eyeopener of that trip – the gorgeous beaches, the amazing red hues of the Pilbara and the sheer beauty of the Kimberley. We’re hoping to get away this year, but at this stage it is destination…

More people are heading to remote areas of Australia every year, and with signature outback highways such as the Great Central and even the Gibb River Road earmarked for sealing within a decade, there is renewed urgency. However, not everyone wants to do their exploration Burke and Wills style - hence the market growth of large, solidly-built caravans that can offer true remote area living comforts by night after taking a hammering by day. Aura's new Harth Veries offroader is the latest to moin this growing offering and, with the first two examples finished respectively in bright blue and red Aluwell aluminium cladding, the model is clearly designed to make its presence felt well off the beaten track! Masterminded by experienced caravan sales and marketing professional Paul Golding, the Harth…

“Probably the most surprising thing about the Neptune is just how much has been squeezed into it” Every now and then, an Australian-built caravan that is different to the mainstream product appears, and I’m always interested to check them out. That was the case with Silversun’s Neptune 402D. Silversun is a small Brisbane-based RV manufacturer that has been a successful van/ bus to motorhome converter for some years and has recently moved into caravan manufacture. So what’s the most interesting feature of the Neptune 402D? In short, it’s a full caravan, but it has a Tare weight of only 1050kg! This lightweight package has an external length of just 4.02m (13ft 2in) and includes an onboard bathroom with separate shower and toilet. But there are a few compromises, of course.…

“There’s nothing like local knowledge when you are searching for new and authentic experiences in an unfamiliar place” BECOME TOTALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT If I had to list my top 100 Aussie camps, it would be chock full of remote Kimberley bush camps, unmissable west coast beach sites and loaded with national park campgrounds. While I don’t mind brief caravan park stays as I pass through towns and cities, our self-sufficient setup frees us to escape to the most scenic locations and utilise our own supplies of power and water for weeks at a time. To maximise your onboard power supply, install solar panels (including a mobile panel that you can shift to follow the sun), invest in a micro wind generator, wire up a generous bank of deep-cycle batteries and then…

“For me, planning a trip is half the enjoyment – building a sense of anticipation that is satisfied in execution” TRIP PLANNING Some people like to ‘wing it’ when they go on a trip, enjoying the sense of freedom and excitement of a journey into the great unknown, without the constraints of deadlines or locations that must be achieved every day - which is fine, up to a point. But this free-wheeling approach has its drawbacks. For example, missing a must-see attraction down a side road, or arriving at a van park with no booking at the end of a long drive only to find it's full. For me, planning a trip is half the enjoyment – building a sense of anticipation that is satisfied in execution. My family and…

“The people you do meet are usually the salt of the earth characters who will go out of their way to help out, if you have the right attitude” We all know Australia is a safe country, right? And it is, providing you’re not complacent once you leave the urban centres or major highways. The sales of offroad caravans and 4WDs continues to boom as more and more people push the boundaries, heading further out to explore new outback experiences. But going remote means a little more thought and preparation needs to happen before you head off. Here, we take you through some of the essentials. SHE’LL BE RIGHT, MATE! The popular catchcry says it all. You are well-prepared, have all the necessary gear – shower, toilet, extra water tanks,…

“With a population of only hundreds, it is but a dot on the map in terms of size. However, this little place has more character than most” One of the things we love most about the Northern Territory is its complete uniqueness and ability to surprise us with something different at every turn – not that you’ll even remember what a turn looks like once you hit the Stuart Highway! The quaint little village of Mataranka and Mataranka Homestead are no exception and provide a welcome break from the long, impressively straight stretches of tarmac through the red-painted landscape of central NT. The township of Mataranka is located about 420km south-east of Darwin on the Stuart Highway and, with a population of only hundreds, it is but a dot on…

“Alexandra Headland makes a great base for exploring the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, with its amazing rainforest and waterfalls, the scenic Baroon Pocket Dam and some quirky, alternative tourist towns” It had been about five years since we had been to the Sunshine Coast, Qld, so on our way home to Mackay from the southern states, we decided to stop and spend a few days at the Alex Beach Cabins and Tourist Park at Alexandra Headland, or ÎAlex' as it's known to locals. Alexandra Beach is a patrolled surf beach about halfway between Mooloolaba and Maroochydore, 400km north of Brisbane. There is a surf club overlooking the beach which serves tasty, good value meals and we had an enjoyable dinner there for Denyse's birthday. There are shops and restaurants along the…

“After a time, you start to see things in a new light and ideas for upgrading or improving present themselves” You hear it often: “We went to the show for… but ended up buying…” In Alan and Helen Bruce’s case, it was, “We went to the show for an annexe, but ended up buying a new van!” That may seem impulsive, but they would argue that’s where the fun lies and is what puts spice into your life. In their case, the new van was an Atlantic Murchison and would be replacing their older 200< Roadstar. The Roadstar was, they figured, a very well-built caravan, but they had come to have some doubts about its layout, its liveability and its colour scheme. It was all pink and black and had…

It all started when my cousin Darcy came roaring into the Mudflats Hotel late one night clutching a tobacco tin. “Gold!” he shouted. “Lumps of gold and all sorts of stuff. It’s got to be worth a fortune!” Now, being the more sensible one in the family (and that’s really not saying much), I put my hand out and took the tin. I did a big spell prospecting in my earlier years and, while my brother and I never made a fortune, we took enough trips to the assay office to know a little about minerals. We paid a few fines for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, too, but those stories will wait for another day. ÈWhere'd you get this stuff, GarceBÍ I said, as Chooka…

Back in CW 544, I talked about the top five things to consider when buying an RV, with size being one of the key criteria. And while there are plenty of big RVs on the market, there are exponentially less smaller rigs, which is interesting considering the medium-sized SUV market is booming. Most medium-sized SUVs, such as the Subaru Iorester, Holden Captiva and Ma}da C[8, have a modest towing capacity of around 1800kg. And while there are less options at the smaller end of the RV market, there is still a reasonable selection of smaller vans to choose from, including rigs that tip the scales at only around 1100kg dry. But while I'm talking dry weights above, it's the fully-loaded weight (ATM) and the ball weight you really need to…

QLD – Goomeri This tiny country town is in the Gympie region of south-east Queensland. GETTING THERE It’s around 250km northwest of Brisbane and around 140km inland from Noosa. ATTRACTIONS The quaint town has lovely crafts, specialty cheese stores and an interesting emporium filled with all sorts of goodies perfect for life in the country. VISIT Historic Booubyjan Homestead, around 30km out of town, is an early pastoral station in a picturesque setting and is a good example of early timber building techniques. TOURIST INFORMATION Wondai Visitor Information Centre, Haly St, Wondai, (07) 4189 9251. QLD EVENT OF THE MONTH May 29: Goomeri Pumpkin Festival, Goomeri. Join locals and tourists at the entertaining pumpkin competitions where you can sit back and watch or get in on the fun, browse market…