Innehållsförteckning för Issue 562 från Caravan World

A larger evaporator, optimised gas heat exchanger and two 12V fans are key features of a new range of Dometic fridges for RVs designed specifically for tropical climes. The RMDX range, which comprises two different models, has claimed superior cooling performances in both the fridge and freezer compartments. The fridge is said to perform well in both high and low ambient temperatures. Controlled by temperature, the fans only operate in high temperatures to ensure excellent cooling in the heat, while maintaining energy efficiency in cool conditions. The interior of the range has also undergone a redesign, with an additional shelf added to take the total number of shelves to four. And the fridge contains no moving parts, meaning it is completely silent during operation – ensuring a good night’s sleep…

Tennis and camping, in no particular order, are two of my favourite leisure pursuits. I’d just come off the back of a week’s tennis in country Victoria at Yarrawonga – where I’d played harder off the court than on it. I was part of the Mud Island Lawn Tennis Club team, a self-styled sobriquet due to the fact that most of its members hail from Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula – and even a blow-in from Tatura! Mud Island actually lies 7km north of Portsea and 9km east of Queenscliff, Vic. It was tough out in the heat – and in the bar! And celebrating my eldest son’s Paul’s 21st birthday on day one didn’t help! So I was ready for some R&R when I headed away, along with photographer/videographer Stu…

Legend status is only afforded to the best of the best in any walk of life. Based in Campbellfield, Vic, Legend Caravans is aware that great reputations aren’t handed out on a plate, so is already developing its own star status. It has built a reputation for manufacturing excellence and quality, and significant points of difference with its convoy of caravans. The Legend fleet has a distinct personality, with offroad wunderkinds such as the Groundbreaker Ultimate, which turned heads in the $85K-$100K category during Best Aussie Vans 2016. An on-road touring family van, the 6.58m (21ft 7in) Wild Native is a completely different proposition, but it exhibits many Legend Caravans hallmarks. Some of these traits include an insect-treated, laminated poplar frame, aluminium roof, insulation batts in the roof cavity, exclusive…

There’s nothing quite like a summer getaway. There’s sun, sand and surf – yep, give me a taste of summer anytime! So when the opportunity came a knockin’ in late summer to take the wheel of the Discovery 4 Berth motorhome from RV Sales Centre in Braybrook, Vic, I was quick to pull on some boardies and my favourite 70s-inspired surf shirt. I became a Beach Boy for a couple of days, and let me tell you – I had good vibrations travelling in the Discovery! Now, this trip happened to coincide with my 22nd wedding anniversary and, after possibly forgetting to purchase a gift, I extended an olive branch and asked my wife Meredyth along for the ride. I think she’s now forgiven me for blotting my copybook. After…

Among the many thousands of people who travel Australia in an RV, there are a growing number who travel on their own and enjoy doing so. Most of those I come across, particularly women, opt for a motorhome – usually either a large van conversion or a small cab chassis. This is often because they’re easier for one person to handle and they generally offer more security. So I was all ears when I met Leonie Gaulton, who enjoys the caravan lifestyle and often travels on her own in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and Billabong Grove caravan combination. Like many people, Leonie can track her interest in the travelling lifestyle back to her childhood, when her family enjoyed both camping and caravanning, travelling to many places throughout Australia. In the…

Few vehicles on our roads need insurance more than our caravans and motorhomes: they are large and, hence, vulnerable to damage; they are unaccustomed travelling companions for many who take them on holiday; we tend to take them to places we’ve never been to and roads we’ve never travelled on; and they usually spend a lot of their life outdoors in all sorts of weather. Yet, for many Australians, insuring one of their major possessions is an afterthought – a box just ticked on delivery. That’s surprising, when you consider how much they’re worth and the potential for something to go wrong. Equally surprising is that relatively few companies specialise in caravan insurance, with most offering fairly basic cover as part of their suite of products. One exception is CIL,…

It was a clear October Tuesday when a truck destroyed Ross and Michelle Stephens’ caravan. Returning home after a weekend enjoying the V8 Supercar championship on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the couple was within 15 minutes of their north Brisbane home when the truck struck them. Beyond their interest in motorsports, as caravanners, the Stephens have almost two decades of experience touring Australia’s highways, especially in recent years as members of the Queensland Masonic Touring Club. Until that moment, and despite completing two laps of Australia, their travels had been free of any significant accidents. They’d got underway early but still the traffic became heavier as they got closer to Brisbane until they found themselves stopped in a traffic jam; stuck in centre lane of three lanes of stationary traffic. “I…

1. The Village Campground, Hill End An affordable, grassy campground and an easy walk from the village, this site has hot showers and laundry facilities. 2. Mudgee Riverside Caravan Park A stone’s throw from the restaurants and shops of Mudgee, this leafy park with well-maintained gardens is on the banks of the Cudgegong River. 3. Old Bara, Mudgee For total peace and quiet, you can’t beat Old Bara. This is self-sufficient bush camping on a scenic 1100-acre private property complete with rolling farmland and meandering rivers.…

Coorong NP stretches for 130km along South Australia’s coast from the Goolwa Barrage in the north to 45km north of Kingston S.E. in the south. The park is located 200km southeast of Adelaide. Several entry points along this stretch are suitable for 2WD though the track to the ocean beach at 42 Mile Crossing is 4WD only. Bush camping is available at 42 Mile Crossing where there’s plenty of space for caravans and big rigs. Facilities include long drops and a water tank (non-potable water). Parnka Point and Long Point are smaller camping areas without any water. Fees apply and sites must be booked online at www.environment.sa.gov.au. A Parks Pass with camping option will cover your fees but booking is still mandatory. If you prefer more luxury, the Lake Albert…

On a recent trip to Chinchilla, Qld, for its biennial Melon Festival (see page 168), I was amazed by the number of visitors and rigs that swamped every available inch of accommodation in town. In search of quiet bush camping alternatives to this managed mayhem, I was pleased to find a couple within short driving range from town, along the Condamine River. The Condamine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Queensland. The river rises on the slopes of Mount Superbus (1375m) in the Main Range, east of Warwick, and flows 657km northwest across the Darling Downs, past Dalby and Chinchilla, to become the Balonne River near Surat. The river was named by explorer Allan Cunningham in 1827 for Thomas de la Condamine, a former aide-de-camp to…

Last month, I wrote that Yemmy was still unregistered but he is currently with my Sprinter guru friend who is fixing anything that could stop him getting his roadworthy certificate. Hopefully by the time you read this, he will be legal again and ready to continue roaming the roads of this fair country. Little did I know the roadworthy check would turn up that he was still registered as a van and needed to be certified as a motorhome before the certificate would be issued! The engineer doing the certification found some poor welds under Yemmy’s window frames plus the exhaust pipe was too short. The welding is not easily fixed as it’s in an inaccessible place although the tailpipe extension is simple. All this meant he couldn’t be re-registered…

These recipes are quite mild and focus on taste rather than heat. They use only a small amount of either dried chilli flakes or fresh chilli, yet the Mexican flavours still come through. I use a mild salsa in the main filling and then offer a variety of mild, medium and hot/spicy salsas for my guests to add once the main fillings and/or the complete wraps are cooked. This way, they can tailor the wraps to their preferences. Mexican Prawn Wraps These prawn wraps are made by tortillas that are folded over the combined prawn and cheese filling and then baked in the oven for a snack of crispy golden deliciousness. Serve the prawn wraps with a little salsa and a dollop or two of sour cream. Preparation time: 10…

QLD HUNGERFORD BIENNIAL FIELD DAY Jun 3 Drive or fly your way into the tiny border town of Hungerford on the Paroo River for a field day where you can pick up anything from chickens to 4WD with excellent camping and amenities on site. Hungerford, www.thargotourism.com.au RICHMOND FIELD DAYS Jun 9-10 More than 100 regional exhibitors display livestock, agricultural supplies, fashion and homewares, with a sideshow alley, a Beef Dinner and Dance, a race day on Saturday and nighttime shows. Richmond, (07) 4741 8600, www.richmondracecourse.com.au SHEEP SHENANIGANS AND WOOLLY CUP Jun 10 Think sheep racing complete with jockeys, cheese making, shearing demos, the Rousy’s Roundup, novelty events, billy cart racing with a difference, and art competitions. Jundah, (07) 4658 6930, tourism@barcoo.qld.gov.au www.barcoo.qld.gov.au THEODORE TRAIL RIDE Jun 10-11 Cheer on more…

Queensland’s Zone RV, which took out the $100,000+ category at Caravan World’s 2016 Best Aussie Vans, has now launched itself into the ‘semi-offroad’ market with a new range of dirt-road-capable caravans. Zone RV’s Venture Series will start production in July and are intended for travellers who don’t intend to go far off the bitumen or stay in remote areas. The Venture Series further exemplifies Zone RV’s commitment to reducing weight and the vans will have ‘stripped back’ specifications, a high 1200kg payload as standard, and a new chassis design and new cabinetry. The new chassis incorporates laser cut and folded engineered components. The new cabinetry system is exclusive to Zone RV and takes its cue from the smart composite sandwich panel technology applied to the body construction of each caravan.…

TOWING QUESTIONS I have recently purchased a new caravan with a Tare weight of 2300kg, ATM of 2800kg and ball weight of about 160kg, towed by a VW Touareg V6 180 TDI. My questions are as follows: Should I tow with the dual water tanks full or partly full (each tank holds 90L)? Do you believe I have the right tow vehicle for the caravan stated above? Your reply would be greatly appreciated. Paul Gorrel via email. There’s nothing wrong with the Touareg V6 TDI as a tow vehicle – in fact you can read all about it in this month’s tow test (see page 108 ). As for carrying water in the tanks of your van, I suggest that you always tow with the tanks full. Caravan water…

It was somewhere on the outskirts of Mudgee, NSW, driving a gentle dirt track towards one winery or another, when, with a glance in my side mirror, I realised this might be my perfect caravan. With my best friend Bec giving directions beside me in the passenger seat, this foodie-inspired road trip was pretty typical of my touring style: free and easy, and liable to last minute changes and spontaneous U-turns. And the Adria Altea 402 PH Sport, with its lightweight, stylish frame and its fuss-free, low-maintenance attitude, suits those objectives perfectly. Sleek European styling, ergonomically intelligent use of compact space, an affordable price tag and an element of offroad capability to boot; where do I sign? STYLISH EURO Diminutive in weight and stature at just 1230kg Tare and 6x2.4m…

The Australian caravan market is dominated by large, heavy vans but, particularly lately, there has been a small but noticeable uprising in the number of smaller, shorter and relatively lighter vans hitting the market. These vans are particularly suitable for travellers whose want to traverse offroad and heavily undulated tracks. Brisbane-based Green RV’s 4.85m (15ft 11in) NextGen X hybrid is one such van. And its most noticeable feature, apart from the very striking black and white colour scheme, is its single axle. Trimming a metre or two off a caravan’s length is great for its offroadability but it results in compromising the internal living space. So how creative has NextGen been in making a small, liveable van? VAN BUILD The van’s construction follows a tried-and-tested method. A meranti timber frame…

We haven’t had the chance to tow test Volkswagen’s large SUV since the last of the first-generation (facelift) Touareg V6 TDIs back in 2007, so we were keen to see how well this new, second-gen update model performed as a 3500kg tow hauler. The Touareg might be a bit-player in the Australian passenger vehicle market but, anecdotally, there appears to be quite a few on the road being used as heavy-duty tow vehicles. Back in 2008, we thought that the Touareg did a great job of hauling a heavy van, but would this new generation keep to the tradition? Unfortunately, there has been a change to press-vehicle policy since we last tested a Touareg. As with the Amarok V6 we tested last month (CW561), we could only test a Touareg…

Weights and measures Overall length 7.51m (24ft 8in) External body length 5.44m (17ft 10in) External body width 2.43m (8ft) Travel height 2.95m (9ft 8in) Internal height 2.01m (6ft 7in) Tare 1823kg ATM 2123kg Payload 300kg Ball weight 139kg External Frame Meranti Cladding Aluminium Chassis SupaGal box section Suspension Leaf spring Coupling Hitchmaster DO35 Brakes10in electric Wheels 15in alloy Water 2x60L Battery 1x100Ah Solar 1x200W Air-conditioner Aircommand Sparrow Gas 2x9kg Sway control No Internal Cooking Swift 500 four-burner and grill Fridge Dometic RM 2553 150L Microwave dLuxx Toilet Thetford cassette Shower Separate cubicle Lighting 12V LED Hot water Suburban 23L…

Get the best caravan insurance you can afford. It is relatively inexpensive compared with the value of your van and the cost and inconvenience that damage can cause you Make sure the policy on your tow vehicle covers towing and, ideally, recovery of both your tow car and the caravan/camper. Take out a national roadside assistance policy for your tow vehicle as further backup Reduce your insurance premium and minimise risk as much as you can by fitting safety and anti-theft devices. You’ll not only save money on your insurance policy, but just as valuable, you’ll save all the time and worry that damage or a breakdown can cause to a treasured family holiday or that ‘trip of a lifetime.…

There’s a word on the lips of Sydney-based caravanners, foodies and weekend warriors alike: Mudgee. Just a hop, skip and jump over the Blue Mountains, this historic region is rising to prominence as a burgeoning food and wine centre. It offers fascinating colonial history, hip cafes and restaurants, chic country accommodation and excellent caravan parks and campsites. Add to the mix some of the best wineries in Australia, and you’ve got a destination bound to delight all demographics, from the young to the young at heart. And those who appreciate a full-bodied cabernet! And while the town of Mudgee itself is enough of a drawcard, with its beautiful heritage buildings, charmingly rustic cafes and network of cellar doors just an easy bicycle ride away – some with ‘hatted’ restaurants –…

1. Peter Van Gent Winery Bearing the name of the man who created Australia’s first chardonnay, this winery is a Mudgee institution not to be missed. Its atmospheric cellar door is dark but beautiful with enormous wooden barrels and a friendly winery cat. 2. The Zin House Mudgee’s ‘hatted’ restaurant overlooking the vineyard and kitchen garden at Lowe Wines, here seasonal, locally grown produce is the hero, served in rustic yet delicious ways. This is unpretentious fine dining and the perfect long lunch. 3. Alby and Esthers (right) The best coffee in Mudgee is tucked down a sweet cobbled laneway, and they do a mean breakfast, too. Alby and Esthers is a sunny café by day and a sophisticated wine bar by night.…

The small town of Chinchilla lies at the heart of Queensland’s Western Downs, about 300km north-west of Brisbane. This is the undisputed Melon Capital of Australia, producing 25 per cent of the country’s melons (including watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew). Once every two years, in February, the town hosts a week-long festival to celebrate the product that is the district’s economic mainstay. In 2009, the Melon Festival won the Queensland Regional Achievement and Community Award for Tourism Event. The first Melon Fest was held in 1994 to boost the morale of a Chinchilla community that was wilting under long-term drought. The inaugural event attracted a credible 2500 visitors, but successive festivals have seen attendances grow dramatically to an estimated 15,000 melon enthusiasts in 2017. But how does a rural town the…

The subject of whether you should require a caravan license to drive a vehicle towing a caravan has been raised many, many times over the years. It has divided caravanners in caravan parks all around the country, and one of the principal objections is that many people think it’s just a government revenue-raising exercise. I suspect, unless there’s sharp increase in caravan-related accidents, it’s never going to happen but I also think it’s a good idea that it does and here’s why… There’s no doubt that, over the last decade, caravan weights and, hence, tow vehicle requirements have increased dramatically. A caravan with a loaded weight of over 3000kg being towed by a vehicle with a tow rating of 3500kg and a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) well over 3000kg is…

Location Discovery National Park, Vic Gear Canon 5Ds, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/100 sec, 55mm lens Composition Nature has created its own foreground subject with the light catching the grass. I framed the bunched grass where it best catches the light. Handy hint When travelling, you’ll often find your subject – the landscape – is right there in front of you; all you have to do is look a bit closer. Having an eye for detail, and picking the right subjects within a landscape, rather than using the whole area, can bring out far more interesting narratives about a place. Flower petals and leaves can be transformed, revealing networks of structures not normally visible, and shape and texture can be emphasised. Photographic fact Using only natural light during sunset and sunrise…

Flathead, ‘frogs’, ‘lizards’ or the Ol’ Bucket Mouth – it doesn’t matter what you call them, flathead are one of Australia’s favorite fish. There are around 40 different species spanning the entire coast of the country, so flathead are readily available to almost everyone. There’s no mistaking their individual looks, nor their excellent eating qualities. You can be the laziest fisherman on earth, or the most active and still enjoy catching these wonderful individuals. Flathead were once so prevalent in my local Port Phillip Bay, Vic, that we laughed about being able to catch them on a piece of cigarette paper. This was just some foil-type paper that we rolled around a hook as a shiny lure - it just goes to prove that you can catch flathead on just…

Caravan manufacturers, at times, dream up fascinating names and, occasionally, there’s a common theme. For instance, in this issue there are two vans with the letter ‘X’ prominent in the title, although both are designed for different purposes. In this review, a 6.73m (22ft 1in) Franklin X-Factor from Kratzmann Caravans rides on tandem axles and is designed for on-road travel – which is quite obvious if you look underneath the van at the SupaGal chassis. It comes with 150x50mm (6in x 2in) main chassis rails and drawbar frame, with a 100x50mm (4in x 2in) filler back to the suspension mounts. A simple load-sharing leaf spring setup makes up the suspension which bolts on to 15in alloy wheels. Both the 95L water tanks and the offside rail fitted battery box are…

Millard Caravans is a little different to most mainstream caravan manufacturers. For a start, it is based in regional Sydney where there are only a handful of companies building caravans. It has also garnered a reputation for doing things a little differently to the crowd. My review Millard, a Toura 1860 RD, came from Sunshine Coast-based dealership Queensland RV. The Toura range is firmly pitched at the midrange market and comes in a variety of layouts and in both full-height vans and pop-tops. The Toura 1860 RD reviewed here has an external length of 5.8m (19ft) and weighs in with a Tare of 2060kg. SUSPENSION Although the Toura is a predominantly road-going van, Millard fitted Vehicle Components Cruisemaster Country Road Suspension (CRS) underneath. It’s designed as a lighter-duty setup than…

Cutting-edge caravan manufacturer On The Move (OTM) has won three consecutive years (2014-16) at Caravan World’s marquee annual awards, Best Aussie Vans (BAV). It’s a stand-alone achievement in the caravan industry and even more noteworthy considering OTM fundamentally commenced as one man’s ‘hobby’ only 10 years ago. In 2014, the OTM Grenade Series II – laden with the latest gadgetry – took the judges at Best Aussie Vans by storm and it took out what was then the highest-priced category, the $80K-plus group. The Grenade was loaded with bling and substance – and even a shoe compartment on each side of the bed. Then in 2015, the well-featured and impressively-built Traxx – comprising a high degree of electronics sophistication – snared the $65K-$80K category, again impressing the judges with its…

Taking on more risk: If you have a long history of no claims and you’re a confident tower, consider upping your excess to reduce your premium. This can usually be changed at any time, if you change your mind. Reduce your contents cover: If the van is often unpacked at home, you may get away with as little as $1000 contents coverage. Shop around: Are you one of those ‘set and forget’ types who’s been with the same insurer since day one? You may be paying far more than you need to! Get some quotes from other companies and see if your current insurer will match them. If not, it may be time to jump ship! If you’re a member of a caravan or motorhome club, check if your club…

Some national parks have an instant wow factor, such as Watarrka National Park (NP) and Uluru-Kata Tjuta NP in Australia’s Red Centre. Other destinations don’t seem to have much appeal on the surface but when you look a little deeper, you realise you’ve stumbled upon a rare jewel. Coorong NP, SA, is such a place. At first glance, you don’t see much more than tall white sand dunes, a narrow lagoon with little to no wildlife and a seemingly monotonous landscape – but nothing could be further from the truth. The Coorong wetlands protect an extremely fragile ecosystem which is intricately linked with Australia’s mighty Murray. The 2500km-long river winds it way through New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to finally reach the ocean near Goolwa on the Fleurieu…

Watermelon is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, along with cantaloupe, squash, pumpkin, cucumber and gourd. Watermelon is both a fruit and a vegetable. It is the official state vegetable of Oklahoma (US). They can be round, oblong, or spherical in shape. Farmers in Japan have found a way to grow cubic watermelons, by growing them in boxes. Pyramid-shaped watermelons have also been developed. More than 1200 varieties of watermelon exist worldwide, ranging in weight from less than 1kg to more than 90kg; the flesh can be red, pink, orange, yellow or white. A ‘Carolina Cross’ holds the current world record for heaviest watermelon, weighing 159kg (in Tennessee, 2013). 85 per cent of all watermelons produced in the US are seedless. Watermelon originated in sub-Saharan Africa, where it grows wild;…

A BM PRO BatteryCheck from Setec, valued at $299 (RRP). A first in the RV market, the BatteryCheck simply connects to deep-cycle batteries and communicates wirelessly with Apple and Android smartphones via a mobile app. RV owners can view real time data including volts and amps, time remaining, temperature, battery status, state of charge and battery health – all with the touch of a button. For more information, visit www.teambmpro.com 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 submissions@adventuresgroup.com.au with ‘Readers’ Rigs’ in the subject line, or send a print to Caravan World Readers’ Rigs, PO Box 4, Oakleigh, Vic 3166. All entries must include…

“In a diesel, it’s exploded by the high temperatures air can achieve when it’s compressed” Oh dear, remember last month how I cranked on about giving you a few tips on bush cooking and how my wife said it was rare for me to do anything as planned? Guess what? This month, we’re right off that topic. Why? It’s her fault. I was all ready to knock up a roast yesterday but we had one of those afternoon rain storms here in Queensland that usually sees the bloke next door out in his undies with some soap. Blockies are like that, freedom loving spirits who do things ‘normal’ housebound types wouldn’t dare. They probably do ‘dare’; it’s just we have to justify paying higher rates while burying our rubbish and…

“Call me a tree-hugger if you wish, but I believe we should respect the environment for future generations” If you’ve been absorbed in your own little world over the last few years, chances are you haven’t been following the discussion on grey water. Grey water is the discharge from sinks, showers, washing machines and the like, as distinct from black water, which is the product from toilet systems. Grey water tanks are sometimes fitted to offroad vans to collect used water so it can be discharged at a suitable facility, rather than creating a muddy pool under your RV by discharging it on to the ground. Vans with outside cooking facilities will normally use a bucket for collecting spent dishwater that can be emptied away from camp to share with…