Innehållsförteckning för Issue 597 från Caravan World

Welcome to our Great Migration North Issue, and for those lucky ones hitting the road soon there is plenty here for you. For the rest of us, perhaps there is inspiration from our travel writers to pack the van and follow suit, especially as there are fire ravaged areas across the country crying out for visitors. Huge donations to the cause show how Australians and people around the world have been touched by the plight of those affected, particularly those who have lost everything. But many businesses that survived are also in trouble. It’s the same from the east coast and across the great divide, through South Australia and over in the west. Not all these towns are ready for an influx of visitors, but plenty are. As Brett from…

In a world first, a new app from the CSIRO will help sugarcane farmers in far north Queensland monitor fertiliser use and reduce nitrogen runoff into the Great Barrier Reef. The app, named 1622WQ, shows water quality information and the nitrogen concentration in local waterways in real time, allowing farmers to tell whether fertiliser has run off their farm and adjust their management practices accordingly. Rainfall washes fertiliser into waterways, wasting both the farmer’s time and money and becoming a major threat to the health of Great Barrier Reef ecosystems. According to CSIRO agricultural scientist and 1622WQ project leader Dr Peter Thorburn, the app was co-designed with farmers to meet their needs. “Sugarcane growers told us they wanted quick and easy access to water quality information, so they could find…

I know that people like automatic gearboxes these days, but I am one of those funny people that prefers to drive a vehicle, so my current around town vehicle, a diesel Subaru Forester, has an anti-theft device fitted, aka a six-speed manual gearbox with three pedals on the floor. Unfortunately the time has come to upgrade, which has presented a slight problem. For the most part manual gearboxes are no longer available. Indeed, when I asked the 20-something salesperson about a vehicle with a manual gearbox, she looked at me with a somewhat quizzical look like, “What are you talking about?” It turned out there was a manual model available for a test drive — 1000km away in Queensland. It looks like us old fashioned types are going to have…

THE VEHICLE OR THE VAN? Q Hello Tech Talk, My wife and I have a dilemma. We are looking to travel around Australia in the next two years so we have commenced researching our caravan. The dilemma is, do we stick with our five-year-old 4x4 (Prado) with 2500kg towing or do we upgrade to 3500kg towing? The changeover to a 3500kg towing vehicle seems a lot ($35 – 60k+), but I have been trying to calculate the payload of our Prado with the maximum 2500kg caravan as I am concerned about the GCM, and I have been told that I can’t exceed the maximum braked towing capacity of the tow vehicle. I believe the answer is almost nothing. The calculation I have at present is GCM 5370kg – Max caravan…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Body length 6.3m (20ft 8in) Overall length 7.8m (25ft 7in) Width (incl. awning) 2.4m (7ft 10in) Height (incl. hatches) 2.77m (9ft 1in) Tare 1798kg ATM 2298kg Payload kg (calculated)500kg Ball weight 174kg at Tare, 300kg maximum loaded EXTERNAL Frame Composite foam Cladding Aluminum cladding Chassis G & S chassis/100mm main rails Suspension AL-KO Torflex (independent rubber) Coupling AL-KO 50mm Ball coupling Brakes AL-KO 10" electric Wheels 15” Primal black alloy including 1 x spare Water 1 X 95 L Fresh water tank (can option additional tank) Battery 1 x 100A AGM Century Solar 1 x 150W lightweight flex solar panel Air conditioner Option (Roof mount or ducted available) Gas 2 x 4.5kg Sway control AL-KO Electronic Stability Control INTERNAL Cooking Swift 3 x gas/1 x 240V Element…

Weeks after I had penned this review for Caravan World, Mercedes-Benz confirmed the widely circulated rumour that its X-Class mid-size pickup would cease production from the end of May 2020. After years of building anticipation and bold announcements about the impact the luxury brand could have in this new workhorse segment, in the end the X-Class will be remembered as a short-lived one-trick pony from the world’s oldest car maker. In an official global statement released on January 31, Mercedes-Benz confirmed that the model’s demise came as a result of the decision, taken in early 2019, to not proceed with production of the ute in Argentina. The X-Class is manufactured at a Nissan plant in Spain and there were plans to extend manufacturing to Argentina but “the price expectations of…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Body length 6.56m (19ft 4in) Overall length 8.56m (28ft) Width (incl awn) 2.44m (8ft) Height (incl ac) 2.83m (9ft 3in) Tare 2170kg ATM 2800kg Payload 660kg Ball weight 245kg EXTERNAL Frame Meranti timber Cladding Aluminium high profile, white Chassis Road Runner 100 x 50mm (4 x 2in) rails and drawbar Suspension Load sharing leaf spring Coupling Ball Brakes 10in electric Wheels 15in alloys Water 2 x 95 litre Battery 2 x 100Ah deep cycle Solar 2 x 150W Air-conditioner Dometic Ibis 3 Gas 2 x 9kg Sway control No INTERNAL Cooking Mobicool 4 burner & grill Fridge Dometic RM4606 186 litre 3 way Bathroom Dometic cassette and separate shower cubicle Hot water Swift 28 litre LPG/electric OPTIONS FITTED BMPRO Battery Plus35 HA Trek battery and water gauge…

With a beautiful Queensland summer day upon us, it was time to head to one of my favourite places. Making it even better was the fact I was going to be putting the brand new Titan Caravans Blackhawk Hybrid through its paces. Along with me for the ride was James Creswick, the owner of Titan Caravans. Before we set off, James took me on a tour of the Titan facility at Eagle Farm, Brisbane. This facility looks after the final plumbing and electrical fit outs, as well as suspension installation on the imported vans, hybrids and camper trailers. The Titan Caravan crew will even service other manufacturer's vans as well. With formalities taken care of, it was time to reverse the Colorado up to the Blackhawk 480H, lower the DO35…

Whether you’re just getting started or want to declutter your rig after long years on the road, this list could change the way you travel. Pack better, shop smarter and keep your travel kit full with these top travel tips for 2020. 1. RIP YOUR RIG APART If you’ve owned a caravan for more than a few seasons, you’ve probably got it all set up, ready to go at a whim. Add food and clothes, hitch it up and hit the road, right? But consider this: how much stuff are you regularly hauling that you won’t touch on every trip? Unless you are setting off on a Big Lap (or continuing on one), each trip is different, from wintertime escapes to summer beach flings, offroad adventures to town-to-town road tripping.…

Driving the KEA Navigator T555 around the north-west region of Victoria for a review made for an easy transition from my usual towing caravans into driving a motorhome, especially since the Navigator is set up for touring and ease of driving — it was pretty much a matter of get in and go. As much as it’s top heavy, it’s still got a solid grip on the road, and I felt like if I’d put the pedal to the medal, it may have a bit of grunt too. However, the purpose of this review was to see just how comfortably it would fit a family of four (or a couple) and how well it would drive with this in mind. FIT FOR FOUR “The purpose of this review was to…

Travel distance from Perth to Broome: approximately 2,200km all fully sealed roads, suitable for all vehicles Best time to travel: May to September — usually hot and humid in summer wet season Fuel prices at most north-west centres and roadhouses are 20c to 30c dearer than city prices Staircase to the Moon dates and times are available at local visitor centres As you pass through townships along the way contact local visitor centres for details of nearby attractions Visit: www.australianorthwest.org.au or www.pilbara.com or www.australiascoralcoast.com…

• Routinely reverse the chain bar, top to bottom, to avoid wear on one side • Don’t operate the chainsaw with the air intake on the ground as this will draw foreign particles into the motor area and damage the motor • If you notice that you’ve inadvertently knocked dirt or other crud into the oil reservoir while re-fuelling, drain the contaminated oil into an approved container and let the oil drain by gravity overnight, then rinse the reservoir with fuel, let it air dry, before blowing-out with air.…

You may remember back in Issue 595 when we shared our plans to return to the Kimberley later this year. Well, our plans are progressing well, research is in full swing and the itinerary is looking full. With trip planning, we like to map out our itinerary on an Excel spreadsheet with additional tabs for accommodation, permits, budget and fuel range. As we research and find good references, we download them and put them in our computer trip folder, and save the links to key information, such as the online booking sites. Some of the information on the itinerary includes overnight stops, refuelling locations, distances and fuel prices, plus any other relevant notes. All our research is downloaded onto a laptop so we don’t need the internet for access and…

NATIONAL Tourism Australia Travel Alerts https://www.australia.com/en/travel-alerts. html NEW SOUTH WALES NSW Fires Near Me website and app https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-meTraffic Updates via Live Traffic NSW https://www.livetraffic.com/desktop.html QUEENSLAND Visit the Queensland Government Rural Fire Service website https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/ default.aspx Traffic Updates via the QldTraffic website https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/ SOUTH AUSTRALIA Check the South Australian Country Fire Service https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/home.jsp Traffic Updates at the Traffic SA website https://traffic.sa.gov.au/#mapo TASMANIA Visit the Tasmanian Fire Service website http://www.fire.tas.gov.au/Show?pageId=colGMapBushfires Traffic Updates via TasAlert website http://www.alert.tas.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx VICTORIA Visit the Country Fire Authority website https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/home and download the VicEmergency App: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/vicemergency-app Traffic Updates via the VicTraffic app available https://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/ WESTERN AUSTRALIA Visit Emergency WA https://www.emergency.wa.gov.au/…

Coronet RV is a boutique builder in Melbourne’s east that has been owned by Andrew Phillips since 1991, making it one of our most enduring brands and one of the longest for a builder under one ownership. Additionally, Andrew is also the director of the RV Repair Centre located within the same Bayswater, Victoria complex. Both the company’s and Andrew’s history with caravans go back even further. Coronet began making vans in 1959 in Ballarat and Andrew built his first caravan from plans he drew himself at 15 as an addition to his family’s caravan hire fleet — CJ Phillips Caravan Hire. That initial build was a timber framed aluminium clad thirteen-footer, most likely towed by a VH Commodore of the day and headed to a campground on the Mornington…

It was with a little bit of surprise that I noticed a 6.56m (21ft 6in) River Dreamliner van complete with a slide-out fitted to the mid-offside wall when wandering the dealership of Parravans Caravan World, based in Windsor, NSW. There were a number of River caravans on display, both single and tandem axle in on-road and offroad configurations with many layouts, but the Dreamliner was the lone slide-out model, making it the flagship in the Dreamliner range. It’s often underestimated just how much difference a slide-out, even a small one, can make in a relatively confined interior space. In this case, the slide-out has a length of 2.26m (7ft 5in) so it’s larger than most. EXTRA SPACE The layout of the Dreamliner is the familiar front island bed, full-width rear…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Length 4.8m (15ft 9in) Length (Overall) 6.9m (22ft 8in) Width 2.16m (7ft 1in) Travel Height 2.93m (9ft 7in) Internal Height 1.9m (6ft 3in) Tare 2180kg ATM 2680kg Payload 500kg Ball Weight 220kg Bed Size 1.95m x 1.5m (6ft 5in x 4ft 11in) EXTERNAL Wall construction Heat laminated fibreglass composite panel with structural foam core and aluminium subframe Chassis 150 x 50 x 3.5mm Galvanised Steel (hot dipped galvanised) Suspension Cruisemaster XT (coils) fully independent suspension system with twin hocks on each wheel. Coupling DO35 Off road hitch Brakes 12” electric brakes Wheels 265/75R16 Mud Terrains on 16” black alloy rims with 1 x spare Water 2 x 100L general/65L grey Battery 2 x 120Ah AGM Solar 2 x 160W panel Air-conditioner 2.5kW IBIS 4 A/C system Gas…

If you wait in Melbourne for a nice day to take photos, you could be in for a long wait. This was my thinking when wind and rain were forecast for our review of the new Wonderland Hornet, a day after it wowed show-goers at the Geelong Camping and Caravan Show. The big brash bronze behemoth stood out in a sea of white vans at the show, and while we would have loved some sunny skies to show it at its best, time was short so we hit the road hoping for better conditions. The weather wasn't the only thing not on our side. When we pulled over in a quiet street near Lorne to reconnoitre with our photographer, Marcus, who was travelling behind, an irate resident accosted us with…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES External length 5.55m (18ft 21in) External width 1.93m (6ft 4in) Internal height 1.98m (6ft 5in) Travel height 3m (9ft 8in) Tare 2440kg GVM 3200kg ENGINE Base vehicle Toyota HiAce Super Long Wheelbase Engine 3L unleaded petrol or diesel Gearbox Automatic Max power 111kW Max torque 241Nm EXTERNAL Fresh water 39L Grey water 44L Batteries 240V Solar No Air-conditioner Cab only Gas Yes INTERNAL Cooking Dometic 2-burner Fridge Engel 85L Microwave Nero Bathroom No Lighting Vehicle only Hot water No OPTIONS FITTED N/A PRICE AS SHOWN From $59,990 MORE INFORMATION KEA Motorhomes 1300 720 020 www.keamotorhomes.com…

Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s (CIAA) new initiative ‘Keep on Camping’ is urging travellers to consider visiting an affected area on their next caravan or camping trip. According to Tourism Research Australia, caravan parks in the South Coast of NSW and Gippsland, Vic, account for 38% and 42% of the market share of all commercial accommodation in the regions respectively, while caravan and camping trips make up 30% of all trips in regional Australia. With this in mind, the Keep on Camping website launched by CIAA helps travellers make informed decisions so that when it is safe, they can get back to those areas to spend money and help communities reliant on tourism. Stuart Lamont, CIAA CEO, reinforced the prevailing message that long-term sustainability in these regions will be reliant…

Q Hi Dave, Hi 12V Guru! I hear all this hype for Lithium batteries these days, but do we really need such technology for camping and when trying to get away from everything? Surely this just encourages us to charge more distractions or carry more unnecessary gear? Typically, fridges in the vehicle and van are the main power users. Appreciate your advice. Callum Smith, Phillip Island, VIC A Thanks Callum, this is a very pertinent question when considering new caravans coming onto the market. It seems that many RV manufacturers are trying to add the latest functionality just for the sake of it or to outdo their competitor — is it really adding value to our camping experience? Do we all really need the same modern conveniences as…

Innovation is a key criteria when Caravan World reviewers rate vans at the end of the test, and also features strongly in the Best Aussie Vans event every year. We consider it because it's an important element for prospective buyers looking at a van. After all, we all like fresh ideas and better ways of doing things if they make sense and make our lives more enjoyable. Because things are so competitive locally, the Australian caravan industry strives for new ideas on a daily basis. But in reality, change is limited by size and layouts in a moving structure somewhere around six metres long. The latest design from Coronet RV delivers an aerodynamic bullnose shape at the front, which adds extra internal space. The van on review is the first…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Length 5340mm Width (excluding mirrors) 1916mm Height 1839mm Wheelbase 3150mm Ground clearance (unladen) 222mm Kerb mass 2190kg Gross Vehicle Mass 3250kg Gross Combined Mass 6180kg Towing capacity unbraked/braked 750kg/3500kg Towball (max) 350kg DRIVETRAIN Engine 3.0L intercooled turbodiesel V6, DOHC Transmission Seven-speed automatic Power 190kW at 3400rpm Torque 550Nm at 1400-3200rpm Gear ratios 1st 4.377, 2nd 2.859, 3rd 1.921, 4th 1.368, 5th 1.000, 6th 0.820, 7th 0.728 Reverse 4.041 Final drive 3.357 High/low 1.000/2.900 GENERAL Fuel capacity 80L Suspension Independent, double wishbones, coil springs (fr); live axle, coil springs, multi-link (rr) Brakes Ventilated discs (fr); ventilated discs drums (rr) Wheels 19in alloy Warranty Three years/200,000km including 24/7 roadside assist. Roof load 100kg OPTIONS FITTED Style Pack including privacy glass on rear windows, electric sliding rear window, side-steps, roof…

Atlantic caravans is a manufacturer that has been around for just on 10 years. Based in Campbellfield, aka the caravan manufacturing capital of Australia, Atlantic might get a bit lost among the larger players, but it produces a good range of caravans — road tourers, family vans and those suitable for off-road travel — or in other words, something for everyone. Among that category comes the E-Series, a range of caravans aimed particularly at entry level buyers. My review van, an ES190-1MD, or E19 for short, came from Parravans Caravan World at Windsor, NSW. It’s a mid-door entry van with an external length of 5.9m (19ft 4in). “Front bedroom, rear bathroom (FBRB) layouts are very much in vogue these days” ON THE ROAD Towing the E19 is my sort of…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Body length 6.56m (21ft 6in) Overall length 8.83m (29ft) Width (incl awn) 2.49m (8ft 2in) Height (incl ac) 2.93 (9ft 7in) Tare 2800kg ATM 3500kg Payload 700kg Ball weight 300kg EXTERNAL Frame Meranti timber Cladding Aluminium composite Chassis C & R SupaGal box section Suspension Roller rocker leaf spring Coupling Ball Brakes 10in elec Wheels 16in alloy Water 2 x 95 litre Grey water 1 x 95 litre Battery 2 x 120Ah AGM Solar 2 x 150W Air-conditioner Dometic Ibis 4 Gas 2 x 9kg Sway control Dexter INTERNAL Cooking Swift 500 4 burner, grill & oven Fridge Dometic RU8408X 216 litre Microwave oven dLuxx Bathroom Thetford cassette & separate shower cubicle Hot water Swift 28 litre gas/elec OPTIONS FITTED Fusion stereo system 2 x Sirocco fans…

If you were to define ‘The Big Lap’ in the dictionary, you’d do alright to say ‘Australian for a bloody long drive best undertaken over 12 months or more’. Why? Well, you’ll cover over 15,000km if you travel National Highway 1 — throw in a ferry trip and you can circumnavigate Tassie for another 800km or so. This distance could be covered in around 25 days with fuel stops, but that assumes you’d drive an average of 80km/h eight hours a day — you’d be mad as a cut snake to try. Firstly, you wouldn’t see much more than the roadside and your campsite. Secondly, and most importantly, you’d be operating in the Red Zone for driver fatigue management, putting us all at risk. Besides, who sticks to the highways…

Buying a recreational vehicle, whether that’s a camper trailer, pop-top, caravan or luxury motorhome, is a thrilling experience. Soon you’ll be living your best life out on the road, exploring new places and having adventure after adventure. But it can also be a confusing process. With so many Australian and overseas manufacturers vying for your attention — and your hard-earned cash — it’s easy to be seduced by a unit that may look slick, but also be completely impractical for the type of travel you want to do. Wayne Park is a relationship manager with finance broker Credit One and works with customers every day who are considering buying their first RV, or trading up to a different model. His job is to give owners confidence in the decision they…

Black Mountain is on the Cooktown Development Road approximately 25km south of Cooktown. There are no facilities, camping or otherwise, here. For obvious reasons, unless you are a serious rock climber or brave and well prepared caver with all the necessary gear (special authorisation required) this is not an ideal spot to spend much time, but do stop awhile and ‘take in’ a little of this Black Mountain mystique, before calling in to the nearby Lions Den Hotel where you can settle any nerves that may still be on edge!…

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Length 6.45m (21ft 2in) Length overall 8.8m (28ft 10in) External width 2.4m (8ft) Internal height 1.98 m (6t 6in) Travel height 3.05m–3.13m (height adjustable air bags) Tare 2900 kg ATM 3500 kg (can be rated to 4000kg with coupling upgrade) Payload 600kg Ball weight 200kg EXTERNAL Frame Structural ply interlocking Cladding Dibond /Alcuabond (German made) Chassis Roadking AllGall Suspension Tandem Cruisemaster Level 3 wireless Airbag Brakes 12” drum Wheels 18” Allied alloy Water 2 x 100L plus 1 x 50L filtered drinking water Grey Water 1 x 100L Battery 200Ah Lithium Solar 3 x 160w Air-conditioner Ibis 4 Gas 2 x 9kg Sway control Dexter ESC INTERNAL Cooking Swift Minigrill cooktop Fridge Dometic 188L Compressor Microwave Yes Toilet Yes, composting Shower Yes, no external Lighting LED Hot…