Innehållsförteckning för Issue 557 från Caravan World

Soul Caravans is a newcomer to the world of caravans. So new indeed, that its very first caravan only appeared at the Brisbane show in June this year. But while its caravans are new, the manufacturers aren't. Directors Curt Goldring and Adam Skelton have had plenty of experience in the offshore powerboat business and are now applying the same manufacturing methods to caravans. Soul's first effort wasn't timid at all, to say the least. Building a 6.7m (22ft) tandem-axle caravan with a slide-out that takes up about two-thirds of the wall, and using an unusual (for caravans) construction technique are good ways to attract attention! CORE STRENGTH The Soul 22 has no frame and the entire van body and floor is a one-piece monocoque structure. And it's specifically designed to…

“It’s not an offroad van but I did tow it on some smooth gravel tracks as part of my test and it performed well” Every caravan (hopefully) has a highlight or two. It might be the list of equipment for offroad touring, or the particularly innovative chassis design. Sometimes it’s the shape of the van that appeals. And sometimes it’s something else entirely. The Paramount Micro 15ft 6in was built just in time to be launched at this year’s Queensland caravan show where, I’m told, three were sold in short order. But what is the highlight of the Micro? What feature or aspect will bring customers back for a second look? For me, it’s undoubtedly the layout. The fundamentals of the van, from chassis to suspension to frame, are sound,…

Adria is a name familiar to many Australian caravanners. The Slovenian manufacturer has, for quite a few years, had a small but increasing range of caravans available in Australia via several importers, but no motorhomes. That changed when the Apollo Group, the current importer of the Adria range, decided to bring the A660DU motorhome, otherwise known as the Coral – a much more travel-inspiring name – to Australia! I thought that the Coral was an interesting choice by Apollo. It’s a six-berth motorhome, which really makes it more suitable families and rental companies. So how does it stack up for a couple on the road? There are no surprises in the motive power department; the Coral has the familiar Fiat Ducato 180 Multijet as its base vehicle. Adria has not…

I have yet to meet a caravanner who didn’t arrive home from a trip without a long ‘to do’ list: things they forgot to take; things that broke and needed to be fixed; things that could have worked better; things they would change in their ‘next’ caravan. So, after more than a year of planning and obsessively micro-managing its construction, it was slightly unnerving to bring our new Trakmaster Pilbara Extreme home after its maiden Outback run with relatively few notes. What had we missed? Well, for a start, we missed our planned destination – Cape Leveque in the far north-west Kimberley, WA. A late change of date for our son’s wedding, combined with an immovable property sale, compacted our trip. “Let’s spend quality time on the less travelled tracks…

From tree kangaroos to sea turtles and cassowaries to crocodiles, the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area harbours some of Australia’s most intriguing, rare and rarely-seen species. Encountering these fascinating far northern inhabitants is a highly rated thrill for many visitors to tropical Queensland so, if you are headed north any time soon, here’s our pick of places to spot them. Plus we’ve got all the great base camp spots and some curious facts you probably don’t know about northern Australia’s most captivating creatures. LUMHOLTZ’S TREE-KANGAROOS Mount Hypipamee NP, Atherton Tablelands If you crossed a bear with a kangaroo, the result might look something like the heavily muscled, canopy-dwelling Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo. As few as 2000 are estimated to exist in Queensland’s far northern forests, and you won't find them anywhere else…

The time I first heard of Cockle Creek, I wanted to go there. It is the southernmost settlement in Tasmania and the furthest point south you can drive to in Australia. To reach this micro-hamlet, you'll travel a narrow road through some of Tasmania's most beautiful scenery, on the edge of a World Heritage wilderness, to the forested shores of Recherche Bay, where French explorers first met Tasmanian Aborigines. Both the journey and the destination are well worth the efforts. DOVER Although it is possible to camp near Cockle Creek, we opted to stay at Dover, which is a beautiful destination in its own right and more centrally placed for exploring the Far South region. Only 85km from Hobart, this picturesque village sits at the head of Port Esperance, a…

Stretching across nearly 200km, the spectacular West MacDonnell Ranges, in the heart of Central Australia, are the gateway to a vast number of scenic gorges, cool rock holes and breathtaking landscapes. But while most visitors make do with a one-day whirlwind tour of this outback region, you can easily spend a week here. Camping options vary from bush camps without any facilities, to unpowered sites with hot showers and flush toilets and powered campsites at Glen Helen Homestead Lodge, 130km west of Alice Springs. We chose to base ourselves at Glen Helen, an outback oasis surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery. The entire campground faces the impressive ochre-red walls of Glen Helen Gorge which are set ablaze as the sun sets – an unforgettable memory. Our first trip was to Redbank Gorge,…

I recently spent a few days at the CMCA’s National Rally in Canberra. As always, it was a good time to get around and catch up with the motorhoming fraternity and also some of the traders who regularly attend rallies. There was a problem this year because of a clash of dates with Melbourne’s Leisurefest, a few manufacturers clearly opted for the more southern city. But what did cause confusion was the Open Day being held on the first day, not the last weekend as normal. Open Day is when the general public are invited into what is normally a closed site and can wander around to check out the motorhome lifestyle in everything from a Hiace camper to a $500,000 Class A motorhome. I’m not going to mention any…

Location Mt Buffalo, Vic Gear Canon IDX, ISO125, f18, 0.5 sec, 16mm lens Composition Waterfalls are hugely popular with most landscape photographers. Getting the movement and the rocks in a nice arrangement makes for striking imagery. With limited positioning options, I still made sure there were rocks in the foreground to break up the movement of the flowing water. Handy hint Some suggest using ND filters, however, in full sun this can make shadows too dark and the sunlight often creates hot spots. A tripod and slower shutter speed are essential for capturing the water’s movement. Photographic fact An overcast day can work well, as waterfalls are frequently surrounded by trees. This example shows back lighting, where the sun behind the trees gives beamed highlights. Experiment with the shutter speeds…

I love the challenge of a new fishing mission, especially one of those bucket list trips that you thought you'd never get around to! Modern technology has made it so much easier to identify a target species, where to go and how to get 'em, so why not try something new occasionally? There are innovative ideas developing daily, especially in lure technology, but team that up with good word of mouth from a network of trustworthy mates and your chances of angling success expand dramatically. When you get that phone call telling you that the fish are on, you've got to move immediately - or else the fish will. Only last week I received a text from a close friend on the Sapphire Coast with a photo of a lovely…

For almost 50 years, the Dolphin Eveready torch has been an Australian household name for its achievements in providing reliable outdoors illumination with its tough, waterproof design. The latest flagship model, Dolphin LED lantern, builds upon this tradition with the bright, buoyant favourite enjoying better ergonomics, a wider beam and 200 lumens of light output that effectively doubles its capacity on the previous model. The lantern stays true to form, delivering 65 hours of usage time from the 6V battery and an anti-roll shape incorporating a contoured base that allows it to stand upright or maintain stability in rough situations. Dolphin LED Lantern RRP: $19.99 Where: Leading outdoor outlets and grocery retailers More info: www.dolphintorches.com/home/products…

You might call Caravan World staff journalist Peter Quilty a late starter, receiving a caravanning and camping baptism in his mid-40s. But roll on nearly a decade and he's done his utmost to make up for lost time. Initially, Gippsland was the primary stamping ground, free camping in idyllic bush settings such as Dargo and Licola, beside the Wonnangatta and Macalister rivers respectively. His first few expeditions were spent in tents, but he was soon hauling a Jayco Sterling behind a 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero. Pete relishes the freedom and relaxation of the great doors - just the feeling of being a million miles away from the rat-race. Your favourite place in Australia to visit and why? Last year I bush camped on Fraser Island (the world's largest sand island) with…

Kokoda Caravans and Caravan World are teaming up to give away a brand new offroad caravan to one lucky reader. The Kokoda Force X-Trail GT is a true offroad van, worth $68,990 and purpose-built for this exciting giveaway. I first cast eyes on the Kokoda Force X-Trail GT during its foetal stages. At that point, it was basically skeletal with just its frame, chassis and suspension in place, prior to the internal fitout. I'd been given the exclusive assignment to follow the construction of the Force X-Trail GT, taking our readers along for the ride as it developed, which we have done over the past two issues of CW. So it was exciting to see the van take shape, and even more impressive when I saw it for the first…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about getting away from the gentrified suburbs and going up-country, exploring our vast terrain. While ideas are easy to come by, the real trouble starts when we try to work out what caravan would make the ideal home away from home. As luck would have it, just as I was daydreaming about the Cape or perhaps the Channel Country, Rhino Caravans sent me a cooee, with news of its offroad-ready Rhino Savanna designed for the rough and tumble of the great Aussie bush. So I headed over to Rhino headquarters south of Brisbane to see for myself. A UNIQUE PROFILE In the Australian caravanning market, Rhino Caravans is a niche manufacturer, making only a handful of caravans every year. Rhino boss Martin Gray insists…

”The SR-15 certainly tracks along very nicely on the road” Quirky caravan names and the reasons behind them is something I take great interest in. Some are obvious, some are evocative and others make me wonder exactly what the manufacturer was thinking! The new Snowy River range of vans grabbed my attention because I quite like the Snowy River region of the High Country. It created an instant bond that prompted me to call Green RV, the Queensland dealer for the Snowy River range, to arrange a review. There are several models in the Snowy River fleet, including family and slide-out models, but my van of choice, the SR-15, is the smallest in the range. It’s a single-axle, 4.9m (16ft 1in) van with a 1975kg Tare weight, which puts it…

The biggest Mercedes-Benz SUV has been given a new face and identity for 2016 — what was known as the GL-Class is now the GLS-Class. The GLS-Class was renamed, together with its smaller SUV siblings, using the last letter to better align the SUVs with Mercedes-Benz’s passenger-car range. So there’s the GLA-Class, GLC-Class, GLE-Class and here the big daddy of them all, the GLS-Class. The first-generation GL-Class was sold from 2006 until 2012, when an all-new model was introduced. Like its predecessor, the 2012-2015 GL-Class used a monocoque body instead of the familiar body-on-chassis construction but was 100kg lighter. Now the GLS-Class has arrived, with a new lower front-end design, new tail-lights and rear bumper, adding 10mm to overall length. Inside, the GLS has been treated to a redesigned instrument…

We could have hitched our Trakmaster Extreme behind our trusty Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6, but after a very positive experience towing two prototype Bailey Rangefinder caravans across the girth of Australia from West to East in 2015, I was keen to see how the update Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series V8 Diesel would handle the task hauling the slightly heavier Trakmaster offroad. Toyota kindly lent us a standard GXL Diesel with a steel bullbar, and a cargo barrier for our trip, while I put a spare 265/75-16 General Grabber carcass for the caravan on the LC200’s heavy duty alloy roof-rack to accompany the Toyota’s additional mounted 285/65-17 spare wheel and a pair of lime green MaxTrax to match those fitted as standard to the Extreme model. What was interesting is…

One of Tasmania’s best-loved features is its forests, and none are more beautiful than those south-west of Hobart. Flanked to the east by the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and on the west by World Heritage-listed national parks, these wet eucalypt forests blanket the catchments of several major rivers. Deep soils and high rainfall combine to produce some of the tallest trees on the planet, and enlightened management has preserved the region’s forests as a renewable resource and a valuable tourist asset. The gateway to this arboreal wonderland is Geeveston, a small town on the Huon Highway (A6), 62km south-west of Hobart. Originally known by the whimsical name ‘Lightwood Bottom’ after a type of timber prevalent in the area, the early settlement became Geeves Town after founder William Geeves who took up land…

When Cindy Fogarty rang and asked if I’d like to be a judge at the Australian Camp Oven Festival, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. Held every two years in the town of Millmerran, about an hour west of Toowoomba, it’s got a reputation for being one of Australia’s best country festivals and for good reason, too. Yet, I’d never been to one because the long weekend in October is about when we kick off filming DVDs most years. Now, while it's known for the camp oven competitions, this is about as complete as a country town festival can get and there’s no way you can spend a couple of days here and not become totally immersed in bush culture, old and new. In fact, I reckon a whole lot…

Water is a resource we often take for granted. It is essential for our body’s healthy function, providing hydration, helping with digestion and flushing toxins just to name a few. And its sheer abundance and availability in our homes, caravan parks, rivers, creeks and in many supermarkets ensures we rarely give it the consideration it deserves. So how much is enough and how can we best protect ourselves from dehydration? HEALTHY HABITS As mentioned above, water intake is a necessity of healthy living. We like to always have a bottle of water each on hand around camp. In the car, we have two per person, stowed in the side pockets of each door. Not just any bottle with a screw cap, that can cause distraction for the driver, but speciality…

QLD GOLDFIELD ASHES Jan 20-22 Amateur cricketers compete for legendary status on 58 playing fields at this friendly event. Charters Towers, www.goldfieldashes.com.au GINGER FLOWER AND FOOD FESTIVAL Jan 20- 22 Learn top gardening tips during a three-day food and floral bonanza with exquisite sub-tropical ornamental gingers and heliconias, workshops, cooking demonstrations, live performances and a mega plant sale. Yandina, www.gingerfactory.com.au AUSTRALIA DAY AT AUSSIE WORLD Jan 26 Enjoy true-blue red-blooded Aussie action with dunny races, a tug of war, mullet tossing plus great Aussie food, live classic rock in the air-conditioned shed decorated in all things Aussie! Palmview, www.aussieworld.com.au AUSTRALIA DAY AT THE WOOLSHED Jan 26-27 Pay your respects with a flag raising ceremony, and enjoy barbecue, damper making classes, cricket, whip-cracking demonstrations, lamingtons, scones with jam and cream and,…

LOAD OFF MIND I have a question about using a weight-levelling system with an offroad coupling on the caravan. I have a single-axle 17ft offroad caravan running on 16in wheels. The van’s Tare is 1710kg, ATM is 2010kg, GTM is 1880kg and towball weight is 130kg. It has a 3t rated Treg hitch. Can I use a WDH? I feel safer with one. David Byrne Via email The offroad coupling obviously won’t articulate as intended for offroad tracks with a WDH hooked up, but yes, you can use a WDH. Often it’s the case that you’re driving a lot more slowly offroad so you can afford to remove the spring bars and allow the offroad coupling to do its job. There is the issue, of course, about just how far…

Wonderland RV’s Amaroo Hornet Limited Edition (LE) has is an extravagant and striking offroader, sure to put a sting in your tail out on the tracks. This Amaroo is well connected with the great outdoors and I reckon you could forge a lifetime of memories in this unique caravan. I loved the bright yellow flat composite exterior matched with the high black X-plate waist – but there’s more to the Hornet than meets the eye. CW took the Hornet out to Greenvale, 20km north of Melbourne, Vic, and the robust 5.7m (18ft 8in) van simply oozed lifestyle features along with full offroad credentials. It all comes together beautifully inside, while there’s plenty of self-sufficiency in the engine room. But let’s start at the beginning… The Hornet’s walls are cut from…

”It’s the van’s lithium power that takes the cake for true free camping” Some things don’t need to be big in order to be good… In fact, it’s oft said that good things come in small packages. And this proverb rings true for the custom-built Halen Avalon 4.72m (15ft 6in) offroad pop-top. Based in Lilydale, Vic, Halen Vans has master-crafted a rolled-gold pocket rocket – a nuggety, high quality offroader bred to tackle the outback. It really demonstrates Jason Francis’s 35 years of manufacturing experience. Francis said the owners of this particular Avalon wanted a small, compact van, and Halen has more than delivered on the brief. CW tested the Avalon around Silvan Reservoir, around 40km east of Melbourne in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, and it had a…

“Susan loves her little retro-styled van, especially the rear concertina wood-framed window” In the 1930s, caravanning in Australia meant hitching up a small, oval-shaped plywood caravan and hitting the open road – here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow. Although times have changed – and the caravans certainly have – somewhere, in most people’s hearts there’s a desire for a simpler world, a time when life was gentler, slower and easier. So, for many of us, there are probably still moments when the idea of the small round plywood van of yesteryear seems desirable. But it doesn’t have to be just whimsy. Gold Coast caravan manufacturer Woody Caravans makes new vans that hark back to those early days. To add a twist, the van I saw was aimed…

As the world’s largest island country, with more than 59,000km of coastline, it’s no surprise that Australia is home to more white-sand beaches than any other place on earth. We have famous beaches (Bondi), remote beaches (Lizard Island), croc-infested beaches (hello, NT), and all those nostalgic favourites dear to each one of us. Selecting five of our best is bound to stir controversy, but here goes... CABLE BEACH Broome, WA After long, dusty days behind the wheel, Broome’s big blue looms large, beckoning travellers who park their 4WDs on Cable Beach, tumble into the sea, and sit back with something chilled to watch the sun slip west. This far-flung destination routinely rates as one of the best in the world: 22 gorgeous kilometres of silvery sand fringed by a cerulean…

On an epic journey to the iconic Red Centre, you can expect a confrontation of outback landscapes, colours and a surprising variety of wildlife. To travel to the centre of Australia is to discover a completely different part of this fascinating continent, one the majority of Aussies never see. Yet, it has formed and shaped our nation in many ways – it’s a history worth discovering. Travelling to the Red Centre should never be attempted without adequate preparation and familiarising yourself with the places you’re going to explore. Let me share some of the things we learned during our seven-week adventure in the Territory. PREPARATION Preparation is the key to any successful trip but this is especially true when you head into remote and isolated areas. Sure, Alice Springs is…

Over the edge of the world's largest, flattest limestone plateau, where the Leeuwin current warms the sea, around half of Australia’s southern right whale population gathers each winter, to the delight of Nullarbor travellers. The Head of Bight Visitors Centre guarantees you’ll see these bus-sized whales from June to August as they mate, socialise and give birth before leading their young south into sub-Antarctic feeding grounds. Their presence is safeguarded by overlapping marine sanctuaries that parallel the Nullarbor’s dramatic coastline from the WA/SA border east to Cape Adieu. Closest to shore and declared a whale sanctuary in 1995, South Australia’s Far West Coast Marine Park ranks as one of the country’s three largest whale breeding sites and is shadowed by the much larger Great Australian Bight Commonwealth Marine Reserve that…

“Be prepared for a treat, as this is where the rainforest really does meet the ocean and the Reef” Denyse and I have been visiting the Daintree area in Far North Queensland since we met in 1973, and she has been coming here on holiday since she was a little girl. It’s one of our favourite places in all of Australia. Usually, we come in the shoulder season (in late September or October), but this year we visited in late August, when there were still lots of visitors. We were pleased to find there was a site available for us at Pinnacle Village Holiday Park. DAINTREE AREA The trip from Cairns to Port Douglas and on to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation area is one of the most spectacular drives…

A Purple Line Saracen Ultra hitch lock, valued at $149. Saracen Ultra is a highly visible, simple to use, compact, high security lock which works both hitched and unhitched to keep would-be caravan thieves at bay. It fits to most standard 50mm ball hitches on caravans, camper trailers, boat and car trailers, and even work trailers. For more information about this and a host of other vanning accessories, visit www.purpleline.com.au HOW TO WIN The most travel-inspiring submission will win next month’s prize (pictured left). Just email a picture (2-3MB) of yourself, family and friends with your rig, along with a brief description to caravanworld@bauertrader.com.au with ‘Readers’ Rigs’ in the subject line, or send a print to Caravan World Readers’ Rigs, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166. All entries must include…

A couple of months ago, I was crowing about a fantastic helicopter instructional flight I'd had at Mackay Airport. I tried to get another chopper ride in Alice Springs but they don't take single bookings and didn't have a couple going with an empty seat, although the lady took my details and said she'd ring if a vacancy occurred. I remembered the balloons soaring overhead in the Alice when we were school photographers and thought it would still be what happened but, unfortunately, things have changed over the years, although I didn't know that. Okay - no helicopter ride, so I went ballooning. I was at the last pick-up point so had a fairly long wait for the bus and, when I'd climbed aboard, away we went to the take-off…

Seared Steak Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes (plus 10 minutes resting time) Handy Hint 1: A super sharp-edged cutting knife is better to use than a serrated ‘steak’ knife for eating your steak. The sharper the knife, the less juice that is squeezed out of the cooked meat when it is cut. The caveat here is that a serrated knife is still much better than a blunt knife. Handy Hint 2: You can use whatever herbs appeal to you in the herb butter. With steak I would suggest perhaps either fresh tarragon, or thyme leaves or chives. Handy Hint 3: Remove the steak(s) from the refrigerator or chiller box half an hour before cooking in order to bring them to room temperature. • 1 porterhouse steak (or…