Innehållsförteckning för Issue 567 från Caravan World

There’s something enormously satisfying about completing a DIY project or job yourself – whether it’s working on your car, caravan, house or garden – especially if you’re doing it for the first time, or if it’s something you didn’t think you could do! While I’m certainly not professing to be a DIY pro – or anywhere near it – when it comes to van or vehicle maintenance, I get the same sort of satisfaction from other projects. Take driving across the Nullarbor in someone else’s brand new motorhome with only a couple of weeks’ planning – if I’d spent more time thinking about that, I’d probably have talked myself out of it. As it is, it was probably one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in a long-time. I…

The new-release Legend Trackline Off-Road gives me the distinct impression it could sustain some real punishment and turn the other cheek. That is, it wouldn’t bat an eyelid going tete-a-tete with our iconic outback trails. This 5.98m (19ft 7in) offroad brute gives off a warhorse feel with its battle-hard but ruggedly handsome exterior. However, its sparkling interior really shows it’s a rough diamond. I can certainly visualise tackling crossings such as the Tanami Track and the Gibb River Road in this van. However, it had to contend with much more sedate environs during this review. I collected the Trackline from the Bellarine Peninsula before heading out via the Midland Highway, then turning off at Lovely Banks Road and passing through the quaint hamlets of Maude and Steiglitz. There, I met…

The Atlantic Caravans range – including the Endeavour fleet - has been making a splash in RV circles since debuting at the 2016 Caravan and Camping Lifestyle Show in Adelaide. So I called in to Atlantic Caravans’ HQ in Campbellfield, Vic, to pick up the 6.33m (20ft 9in) E206-1 RD tandem-axle Endeavour on-road tourer Endeavour for review. FIRST AND FOREMOST Predominantly pitched to first-time buyers that don’t want to blow the budget, I thought the Endeavour had the ‘wow factor’ of a higher-end caravan. And if I had to bundle up the shortlist of features I’d want in my caravan, it ticked all my boxes: towability, spacious bedroom, snazzy ensuite, practical kitchen, club lounge, washing machine. It’s also a relatively lightweight van for its size. With a Tare weight of…

”It’s also perfect for a couple with one child wanting to hit the road for a couple of weeks, or grandparents wanting to take a grandchild on a short holiday” Not every retiree wants to go on the road permanently, some just want to hop from one destination to another and back home again. And, in that respect, the aptly-monikered KEA Nomad 2+1 three-berth is ideal for those who like to roam from place to place. It’s also perfect for a couple with one child wanting to hit the road for a couple of weeks, or even grandparents wanting to take a grandchild away for a short holiday. I only had a couple of days to check out the 7m (23ft) Nomad during a two-day sojourn in Victoria’s Mitchell Shire…

BALL WEIGHT ISSUE I have been part of a discussion about factors affecting caravan stability. One of the recurring issues is about tow ball weights. In CW 565 (July ‘17), I noticed the tow ball weights of the all vans reviewed ranged from 4.57 per cent to 13.6 per cent, expressed as a percentage of Tare weight. I realise there has been a drift away from what used to be the ‘norm’ of 10 per cent of the weight of the caravan, and that ball weight may increase as the van is loaded, but I do think people need to be aware that tow ball weights of this minuscule amount can have a very major impact on the stability of the van. Take one example of a van with a…

When you’re working to a tight budget, setting up your 4WD for touring and towing can be daunting – there’s a million and one pieces of gear out there that are touted as camping essentials and it’s easy to spend half your savings before you even leave the driveway. But one way you can save a buck is with a good old-fashioned DIY approach. We bought our Toyota LandCruiser Prado 95 Series a couple of years ago, and prepping it for our big trip on a shoestring budget became an ongoing DIY project. We decided to leave the camper at home this time, so our 4WD needed to be entirely self-sufficient. Everyone’s needs are different, though, and how you set up your rig will depend on the type of vehicle…

It was the last Sunday in May. The magpies were carolling and a gentle breeze was sweeping the morning mist off surrounding hills and meadows as the first cars began rolling into Goomeri. These were the early arrivals of a large contingent of visitors expected for the town’s 21st annual Pumpkin Festival. In fact, caravanners and campers had been mustering for the past few days and the local showground was already bursting at the seams with camping festival-goers. We made our way down Goomeri’s Boonara Street (aka the Wide Bay Highway), passing stalls setting up assorted wares and cafes selling real coffee heart-starters for the early arrivals. At ‘Pumpkin Central’ (the festival’s info-hub at the junction with the Burnett Highway), we secured our festival programs and a map pinpointing all…

ATM, GTM, GVM and Tare mass – they’re all terms that get thrown around in relation to caravan weights, including by us here at Caravan World. The terms are largely understood by experienced caravanners, however, from reader letters, queries, anecdotal evidence, online forum comments, and my own experience, it’s clear there’s still a lot of misunderstandings out there! In addition to that, there’s a bit of a new kid on the block – Gross Combined Mass (GCM). It’s actually not new at all, but, until recently, the only people who really needed to consider GCM were those who tow fifth-wheelers, which is an incredibly small portion of the Australian RV market. However, since the recent market explosion of utes with very high towing capacities around 3500kg, GCM has quickly become…

So, you’re itching to get back on the road but you haven’t found the ideal rig. A quick pan through the classifieds yields a smorgasbord of offerings, spanning a wide price range. This month, I caught up with a couple of savvy buyers, who went down the used caravan front, to find out about their experiences… BOUGHT ON A WHIM Harry is retired. He purchased his pre-loved Regal caravan back in 2011 from a friend. It wasn’t a planned purchase, just something that happened on a whim. It hadn’t done much work and was well presented. At 22ft long, it had room to move and was kitted out with plenty of bling including a dishwasher and washing machine. Little work was required apart from upgrading the charging system and regular…

Smart phones help the pluckiest overlanders find their way, but if technical issues stand in your way, they’re not much use at all. Thankfully, Lander has developed the tough Moab mobile case to improve the performance of your iPhone, and the life of its battery. The Lander Moab is embedded with the smart Thermoline-insulated layer, which maintains optimal operating temperatures by trapping and releasing heat based upon the external conditions around it. Clever. The case includes special crush zones to guard against impact, and extra wide buttons for use with gloves. The Moab is suitable for all iPhone 6/6s/7 sizes and comes in black or purple. Lander MOAB RRP: $59.95 Where: drboom.com.au More info: 1800 DR BOOM…

Camping is real a hands-on affair, what with unadjusted awnings, attached rigs, and uncracked beers demanding our dexterity at any given point of the day. So why not free yourself from the tyranny of the torch after dark with the Energizer Vision HD+ range of headlamps? Comprising four models, the range comes in a choice of output of 80 to 250 Lumens, delivered behind a shatterproof lens for up to 50 hours using convenient twin AAA batteries. The sporty green Energizer Vision HD+ 200 Lumens is our recommendation for camp, with weatherproof protection, four light modes including spot, flood and a red night vision LED, and a dimmable beam. A pivoting head provides accurate control during road-side repairs, while the adjustable non-slip headstrap keeps you comfortable on an extended wander…

There’s hopes Australian roads will soon be safer for RV drivers, with a new Road Vehicle Standards Bill to be introduced to Parliament by 2019. The Bill will strengthen laws governing road vehicles when they are first supplied to the Australian market and clarify recall arrangements. It will also provide more choice through streamlining regulations through which non-standard vehicles, specialist, and enthusiast vehicles like caravans and motorhomes are imported. The safety measures mean that all vehicle recall provisions will apply to all road vehicles that are sold in Australia, whether they are private or commercial. Following consultation with police agencies, the Government will also move to require a secure vehicle identification marking on new vehicles. This requirement will provide a significant deterrent to motor vehicle theft and re-birthing.…

Most think of the Brisbane River as the serpentine waterway that runs through Brisbane’s business district. However, its headwaters rise up about 25km northeast of Nanango, 190km by road from central Brisbane. Upstream, the river is still youthful, babbling and racing over rocks, winding through dairy country and offering locals and travellers many picturesque spots for a little riverside camping adventure – some are local secrets. I found one of those secret locations. It’s on the Brisbane River, about two thirds of the way along its route from Nanango in the Somerset region, near the Brisbane Valley township of Fernvale at a river crossing called Savages Crossing. It’s a beautiful spot and there’s a great bakery as well! I took the AUSRV Byfield All Terrain caravan there to put it…

Caboolture-based Sunland Caravans has always been innovative in its approach to caravan design – adopting everything from a composite chassis design to sophisticated electrics over the years. The layout of Sunland caravans have generally been conventional, though, often using a front island bed/rear bathroom configuration, but the new Sunland Longreach Adventure takes a step in a very different direction. The Longreach has an external body length of 5.63m (18ft 6in) and a Tare of 2610kg. Its healthy payload of 890kg, though, puts it well and truly into 3500kg ATM category, for which you’ll need a large tow vehicle. DIFFERENT STROKES It was the interior layout of the Longreach Adventure that captured my attention. Essential to this layout is the forward entry door. Stepping in leads straight into the kitchen, with…

If you don’t need a big towing capacity but still want the versatility of a large, seven-seat, all-wheel drive wagon, there are plenty of SUVs to choose from. The most popular wagon in Australia is the Toyota Kluger. It’s been updated for 2017 with more power, a new transmission, cosmetic upgrades and infotainment improvements. THE COMPETITORS The Kluger is up against vehicles such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-9 and Nissan Pathfinder, but outsells each of them at a rate of about two-to-one. Like the Mazda and Nissan, Toyota only offers the Kluger with a petrol engine; for a fuel-sipping diesel, you have to turn to Hyundai or Kia. WHAT’S NEW? Changes to MY17 Kluger include a new grille, repositioned LED daytime running lights, LED taillights, new…

HITCHMASTER® DO35 All-Terrain Drop-On Coupling The HITCHMASTER® DO35 is designed, tested and manufactured in Australia by Vehicle Components and valued at $405. This coupling provides an easy drop-on connection no matter the road surface. Featuring a smooth, spring loaded lock mechanism, a bumper and safety cap, an ultra low profile housing, and weight distribution hitch (WDH) compatibility for most vehicles. The winner will receive a HITCHMASTER® DO35 V2-R which includes a spanner, tow pin and tow pin cover. How to win If you’re stumped by a technical or towing problem, send your question to submissions@adventuresgroup.com.au with ‘Tech Talk’ in the subject line or send a letter to Caravan World Tech Talk, 125 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North, Vic 3161. All entries must include your full address (not for publication).…

The little town of Goomeri (pronounced goo-merry) straddles the junction of the Burnett and Wide Bay highways, about 240km north-west of Brisbane, Qld. Its annual Pumpkin Festival (see page 150) is reason enough to visit this charming place but after spending a couple of days exploring the district, we discovered a whole bunch of other things to see and do here in the heart of the South Burnett. LOCAL HISTORY European settlement in the Goomeri area began around 1843 with the establishment of large pastoral holdings at Boonara Station and Barambah Homestead (now heritage-listed), both of which grew into self-sufficient villages during the late 19th century. Goomeri itself was originally a railway siding used primarily by timber hauliers and local farmers. A land sale in 1911 opened up 12,000ha of…

Hordes of people want to live the dream of travelling around Australia. And who could blame them, considering the diversity of our country and the natural wonders to discover and explore? What’s more, it’s a relatively cost-effective way to travel – in retirement, or with the family. So, needless to say, purchasing a caravan, camper trailer, or motorhome is high on the agenda of many aspiring adventurers. However, that RV you’re longing for is likely going to be the most expensive purchase you ever make after the family home, and most of us simply don’t have that kind of cash just sitting around. But many buyers also presume they don’t have the same finance options as when it comes to buying a house. Anecdotally, most new RVs are paid for…

I was recently on the Sunshine Coast having a look over a Bonetti Campers Cruisinator. It’s a pop-top conversion based on a Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series. Although the 70 Series is a little more agricultural than the 200, it’s a fun drive with its rumbling 4.5L turbodiesel engine and five-speed manual gearbox. You’ll have to wait for the full review in an upcoming issue of CW, though! Stefano Bonetti heads up Bonetti Campers. He’s known to many, mostly KEA owners, because in a previous life he was the fleet manager at KEA Campers in Sydney before it merged with THL. He’s used that experience to develop his own business servicing KEA motorhomes. So, as you might imagine, he knows a thing or two. In addition to that, Bonetti has also…

By the time you read this, winter has finally come to its icy end for 2017. Spring brings new joy, new beginnings and new life with an array of opportunities for recreational fishermen. Caravanning nomads will slowly start their southward return to the homelands that have endured one of the coldest winters in memory. Spring is usually associated with high wind events and often rough seas. This is the time that my hometown of Melbourne associates closely with the phrase ‘four seasons in a day.’ If not in a day, then certainly within a week! The cold, chill and strong winds can continue all the way until summer with some icy Antarctic blasts right through our November snapper run. DOWN SOUTH August/September hails the beginning of trout season in Victoria…

Looking to inspire a life-long love of camping in your little ones? Why not check out the Camping with Kids guide, published by Hardie Grant Travel. Seasoned camper Simon McGrath has compiled more than 300 travel-friendly ideas in an easy-to-carry format, including orienteering basics, festival fun, and night walk inspirations. Camping with Kids aims to involve the tin-lids in all aspects of camp life, with top recipes, car trip fun, and adventures that will inspire at camp, available December. Camping With Kids RRP: $19.99 Where: Online and in all good bookshops, Australia-wide More info: hardiegrant.com/au…

One of Australia’s prominent motorhome companies has been recognised at the Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, with the gong for Best Big Business. Horizon Motorhomes and Ballina Campervan and Motorhome Centre has been in business for 29 years, and owner Clayton Kearney said he “couldn’t be prouder” of the effort of the staff involved. A mechanic by trade, Clayton began selling campervans in the late 1980s before starting Horizon Motorhomes in 1995. The business now employs 26 staff members and produces nine models in the Horizon range, all built into Fiat Ducato and Mercedes Benz Sprinter wheelbases. Over the past year, Horizon Motorhomes has moved into a brand new factory in Ballina to accommodate product demand. Most recently, Horizon launched the Melaleuca Appeal, in response to demand from…

It’s etched in our history. Pulling up at a coastal spot with the family, hearing the waves lapping on the beach as you wake and with your first steps, feeling the sand between your toes. However industry leaders are warning the great Aussie RV dream of coastal camping could soon be relegated to history. As we go to print, the Mooloolaba Caravan Park in the Sunshine Coast in Queensland has become the latest victim and is under demolition to become a carpark. Save the Mooloolaba Caravan Park spokesman Jon Erbacher said the park dated back to the early 1920s but, despite pressure from the state government and local residents, the council had made the decision to close the park until it could raise funds to redevelop the site. He said…

Plenty of roadside stops are dusty and gravel strewn, blistering you in scorching heat due to the lack of shade, with all the charm of stale beer. Pioneer Park, near Kenilworth in Queensland, isn’t one of those. It is a beaut, shady spot with a history that dates back decades and tells the story of a community. If you’re roaming the Sunshine Coast, keen to check out your new caravan, it’s worth stopping. So there I was, in Pioneer Park pouring over a new Roadstar GT Sport Cross-Country caravan, wishing I had more time to get to know it better – like a week or three. ON THE GROUND The Roadstar GT Sport Cross-Country is handsome enough with all the presence and personality you’d expect from an offroad van. As…

There are a few things that set Melbourne-based Wonderland RV apart from its rivals in the busy heartland of Australia’s caravan production. A quick look under the skin of the family bunk model Amaroo Hornet 2200 shows a few key differences that I thought worth exploring. Wonderland dealer, Five Star Camper and Caravans at Newcastle, NSW, supplied the Amaroo for this review, so I set off for the Watagans area on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie to explore. THE NITTY GRITTY The Hornet has a Tare of 2920kg and an ATM of 3500kg, giving a payload of nearly 600kg. What that means, though, is that you’ll need a pretty hefty tow vehicle once you load the family and all your gear into it. The van has an external length…

Us humans are a funny bunch. Not in the Seinfeld jokes about aeroplane food kind of way, but more in the way we insist on customising everything we get our hands on. We change our phone’s wallpaper image, we paint our houses, and we rearrange kitchen drawers. So it makes sense when you plan on hitting the road, that you roll out the spanners and make your adventure machine something that’ll be not only more suitable for your needs, but more comfortable on long trips away, too. We’ve put together a list of must-have modifications, gleaned from years on sealed and unsealed roads lugging everything from top-dollar caravans to campers you wouldn’t lend your worst enemy. We’ve included a whole bunch of helpful info like expected costs and job difficulty…

I think the popularity of doing DIY maintenance on our vans and vehicles is declining. This is due, in part, to the fact that these vans and vehicles have become more sophisticated in recent years. Take a car for instance. Back in the day, I knew how to set spark plugs, check the battery acid levels, change the oil and roughly tune the carburettors - my first car, a VW Half Back, had two! But times have changed and we’re now faced with fuel-injected engines, hefty emission requirements and sealed batteries. These days, engines are often simply too complicated to work on without a diagnostic computer to plug into. And caravans can be much the same. Back in the day, it was a matter of checking the towball grease, re-packing…

A number of the townships within Victoria’s Mitchell Shire are innocently, if not ignorantly, deemed as places deserving of just a quick ‘pitstop’ en-route to Sydney. But my recent experience of a sojourn to Seymour (just over 100km north of Melbourne) and its surrounds taught me that anyone who adopts a ‘blink-and-you-miss-it’ mentality to this region is forgoing an exciting and fascinating travel treat, just a quick jaunt from the city. Any preconceived notions I had about this area just up the Hume were ill-informed and literally flew out the Nomad’s windows as I encountered an exhilarating and, at times, emotional exposure to its proud military history along with a staunch railway heritage. Quite simply, it was a touring reality check. PICTURE PERFECT I stayed at the pristine Big4 Seymour…

Seated comfortably under their awning, overlooking Woolgoolga Beach on the NSW north coast, Eric and Lorraine Marsden certainly look the part of the retired, experienced caravanners enjoying a decades-long dream of life on the road. But, in reality, this is a couple with minimal background in caravanning. Their caravan, a 25ft Jayco Sterling with a caravan-queen bed slide-out, is their second van, purchased to solve some perceived shortcomings of an earlier 21ft Jayco Sterling, bought in 2009. “I liked the smooth composite finish,” Eric explained, “but, in the end, we decided it didn’t have enough room around the bed, and the eatery was a bit small.” After 23 years working in the Bass Strait gas industry, Eric was offered a new job in the gas industry in Chinchilla, central Queensland,…

WITH JOHN ‘ROOTHY’ ROOTH PICS ROD PILBEAM Mining’s in my blood. Family lore has it that our mob used to dig coal somewhere in Yorkshire before somebody won the stolen sheep raffle and got a free ticket to Australia. But for a bloke who gets claustrophobic in a small car, I’ll never forget that first moment when I was underground on my own for the first time. The stillness, the calm cool air, the dull lack of sound apart from the odd pebble dropping down the shaft and not much more than a bulb to light a drive that seemed to go forever. I loved it. There’s something incredibly good about digging holes in the ground. I was going to say ‘wholesome’ but that’d be a lousy pun.…

QLD MARYBOROUGH HERITAGE CRAFTFEST Nov 2-4 Stock up on Christmas treasures as 50 local artisans showcase their talents, with stalls, demos and displays. Create Care Packages for overseas troops in the Christmas Stocking Challenge. All door profits going to the Yoorana Women’s Shelter.www.facebook.com/MaryboroughHeritageCraftFest LIONS CLUB MARY VALLEY FAMILY FISHING CLASSIC Nov 7-8 Anglers compete for bass, saratoga, silver perch, golden perch and catfish in the well-stocked banks of the Lake Borumba. With stalls, casting competitions and entertainment Saturday night. Imbil, www.gympie.qld.lions.org.au AIRLIE BEACH FESTIVAL OF MUSIC Nov 5-8 Get set for an entertaining weekend of live music in the tropical sunshine of Airlie. Headline acts include famous Leo Sayer, Kate Cebrano, Sneaky Sound System, and Mosters of Rock. Airlie Beach, www.airliebeachfestivalofmusic.com.au NINDIGULLY PUB PIG RACES Nov 28 Support the Royal…

Not much beats getting away from it all, however communication is critical for safety when you’re heading off the beaten track. Garmin’s new inReach Explorer+ and inReach SE+ have satellite coverage for two-way messaging and SOS alerting anywhere in the world. There is a built-in GPS for location tracking and basic navigation, a compass, barometic altimeter and accelerometer. With one of these in your kit, you can get out and explore with peace of mind. Garmin inReach Explorer + RRP: $699 Where: Selected retailers More info: www.garmin.com.au…

As you negotiate the rough and tumble on your way to camp, keeping your water stores clean can be a real challenge. Thankfully, Endless Hot Water offers a steady stream of hot water on site with its latest gas heating service, the GSWH-2, without the worry of a surplus tank. Simply set the burner to your preferred temperature between 35-55°C for a consistent flow from your existing tanks at the flick of tap. A digital display will keep you abreast of the temperature delivered to your tap. Easily retrofitted by a certified gas-fitter, the AGA Approved GSWH-2 comes water marked and is designed to slot straight into the existing hole for your old hot water service. Endless Hot Water GSWH-2 RRP: $1299.95 Where: Selected retail outlets More info: www.australianrvaccessories.com.au…