2023 Queensland Caravan Supershow highlights

The last big caravan 'Supershow' of the year ran from June 6-11 at the Brisbane Showgrounds, completing a trifecta that included the Sydney Supershow in April and the Melbourne Supershow in February.

Like the other two Supershows, the six-day Queensland event required at least a full day to get through all the indoor and outdoor exhibits, as well as enjoy a beer and burger from one of the food vans and take in a couple of free Masterclasses.

There were quite a few new-model releases, as well as a noticeable increase in show-special pricing as demand for RVs starts to drop off after the COVID boom and dealers are forced to discount to offload surplus floor stock.

In fact, this year's Queensland Supershow was in stark contrast to last year's event where some brands were advertising price rises, rather than special deals or discounts as part of EOFY clearance sales.

So without further ado, here are some of the highlights of this year's event...

There was a real buzz on Day 1 of the Brisbane Supershow at the indoor stand of Queensland's Zone RV, with many punters keen to take a look for the first time at the interior layout of Zone's new 19ft 9in Expedition hybrid pop-top off-grid caravan.

They weren't disappointed, with a comfy front bed, plenty of storage, a cafe dinette, indoor-outdoor kitchen and a classy ensuite with separate shower and toilet in the cosy floorplan. It's believed a couple of other layouts will also be offered for the final production version.

Zone also had on display its just released Mode 4x4 lightweight ute canopy, as well as the latest versions of its full composite Peregrine and Sojourn full-size off-road caravans.

Melbourne's On The Move Caravans has taken inspiration from the discontinued Coromal Pioneer Evolution with the release of its new, imported OTM Adventure off-road caravan range at the Brisbane Supershow.

The stylish off-grid vans really stood out with their full composite body construction on a radical, bolted steel chassis and independent airbag 'wishbone' suspension, and sharply priced from under $80,000 should appeal to many buyers.

Related: Bold new OTM vans break the mould

It's hard to stand out among the hundreds of RV brands displayed at the Brisbane Showgrounds, but Coomera, Queensland based Bushwakka Adventure Gear managed to do it with some bold yellow signage; not to mention tongue-in-cheek model names like the Fakawi which is part of its Extreme Hybrid imported camper range.

Bushwakka also had a very impressive expedition touring ute on display -- a highly modified Chevrolet Silverado 2500 pick-up complete with canopy, kitchen and rooftop tent -- that could be bought for $350,000.

A new three-model range of South African-built hybrid off-road campers is expected to join the local Bushwakka line-up in late-2023.

Lifestyle Campers is best known for its range of top-quality Aussie built off-road pop-top campers, but the Queensland manufacturer had something a bit different on display at the Queensland Supershow: an off-road truck motorhome.

Based on a modified Isuzu off-road truck supplied by Queensland's All Terrain Warriors, the custom-built Lifestyle motorhome on display featured a slide-out queen bed, together with a kitchenette, dinette, and separate shower and toilet, as well as a number of appliances including an air-conditioner, induction cooktop and water heater.

As well as production versions of the Multi Terrain caravan that debuted at last year's Supershow, big-selling imported brand Snowy River had on display its latest 2024 SRC touring vans which feature a number of improvements across the range including a restyled front nose and new fibreglass front window cover, new aluminium framed windows and entry door, redesigned wheels and a spare wheel now mounted directly on the rear wall.

Other new standard features include a 100Ah lithium battery and twin 180W flexible solar panels, instant hot water, a 174L Thetford compressor fridge, and wireless phone chargers.

Also making their debut at the Queensland Supershow was the latest range of South African built fibreglass hybrid caravans from Perth based Mobi Nomad.

Mobi Nomad displayed both of its latest off-road fibreglass campers -- the 15ft 6in Mobi Nomad Continental and the just-arrived Mobi Nomad XL compact camper -- and the sleek and unique campers attracted quite a bit of attention at the show.

Related: Supershow debut for South African campers

Fledgling Gold Coast retro van builder Goldy had two eye-catching vintage-style creations on display, including its latest Navy coloured model complete with a striking ensuite wave splashback and custom felt diner-inspired seats.

Goldy was also offering a tempting EOFY deal of a $10,000 discount on any 16ft or 19ft model, bringing the price down to $69,950 depending on the model.

There were plenty of interesting side-shows at the Queensland event including daily 'master classes' from towing experts as well as full-time travellers like the Feel Good Family whose latest home-away-from-home rig is a Zone RV caravan.

One lucky show visitor also walked away with the major Supershow prize of an MDC Explorer Forward Fold off-road camper trailer valued at $22,990.

Another Queensland Supershow 'first timer' was Offline Campers which brought four campers over from its Adelaide manufacturing base including examples of its latest Ryder compact toy hauler priced from $53,300 and its cleverly designed Domino hybrid couple's camper from $68,400.

The biggest attraction on the Jayco stand was the latest production version of the top-spec Silverline caravan, complete with a Euro style interior including a very inviting front club lounge.

In a sign of the times the top-selling RV manufacturer was also offering quite a few show specials including a $3000 discount on an optioned up 21ft Silverline display model

Queensland dealer Sunrise Caravans displayed a Super-showstopper in the form of its latest $154,90 (show pricing) 21ft Wild Warrior off-grid caravan, complete with its latest aluminium-framed composite body, 9.8kWh 48V lithium battery system and RV industry first 'appliance' picnic table with built-in air fryer, coffee machine and icemaker!

Related: Sunrise displays Super-showstopper

Melbourne's Trailblazers RV had some interesting vehicles on display including a slide-on camper fitted to a Mazda BT-50 'six-wheeler' ute and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 cab-chassis complete with Trailblazers' first full electric Overland XP slide-out off-grid motorhome module, priced at $200,000.

Many RV travellers are now carrying or fitting the Starlink satellite internet dish, so it's little surprise to see some local brands starting to offer accessories for mobile Starlink users.

The makers of the BBQArm caravan accessories displayed their new telescopic Starlink RV pole which clamps onto the drawbar or rear bar of the RV and is adjustable so the dish can be set at the optimum height for reception.

The Australian-made product is manufactured from marine grade aluminium and extends out to three metres. It's priced from $199 (not including the clamp) from the BBQ Arm website.

New Age caravans marked its return to the Queensland Supershow with the display of its latest Walkinshaw Edition camper, along with the just released MY2024 19ft Road Owl family caravan.

The Walkinshaw camper comes with a few extras including an outdoor shower, Cruisemaster XT suspension, hot water and 15in wheels for its $57,990 price tag.

Fresh from the factory on the Patriot Campers stand was the Queensland manufacturer's latest GEN2 X1 and X3 campers, complete with their new look, tougher weld-free body construction, among many other improvements.

Patriot also had a few deals at the Supershow including $62,990 driveaway pricing for the GEN2 X1 camper and $49,990 driveaway for the X1-N camper.

Related: Patriot adopts world-first camper construction

One of the biggest displays at the Supershow was put on by Sunseeker Caravans which had a massive range of off-road caravan models from the latest Vision RV, Marvel, and Titanium line-ups.

Showgoers could also check out any wear and tear on the two and a half tonne Vision V16 hybrid family van that completed a jaw-dropping ascent and descent of the Blue Rag Range track...

Related: Caravan rig conquers Blue Rag track

Taking up plenty of real estate on the Kokoda Caravans' outdoor display area was the latest Melbourne-built 22ft 6in Commando F226 off-grid family caravan which comes with a unique king bed family layout and slide-out rooftop solar panels, to mention just a couple of its many off-grid 'glamping' features...

Related: Kokoda Commando 2023 Review

Located in the upper-level Motorhome Hall was the new entry-level Weekender from Sydney's Frontline Campers -- a bare boned camper van based on the Volkwagen Transporter and priced from $89,990.

Melbourne's Sunliner had a nicely-equipped Olantas motorhome at the Supershow with a discounted $169,990 price tag. It was based on a similar Chinese-built LDV Deliver 9 cab-chassis as the Switch motorhome we reviewed a few months ago.

Other Sunliner motorhomes on display had discounted pricing, suggesting a softening off in buyer demand for mid-size motorhome tourers.

Back in its usual spot at the Queensland Supershow but under new ownership, Paradise Motorhomes had an entry-level Spark and an up-spec Liberation motorhome on display to tempt buyers shopping in the top-tier luxury motorhome segment, with prices starting at $272,000.

For those in the market for a top-notch Aussie-built hybrid camper or caravan, Queensland's AOR had almost every one of its 10-model range on display at the Brisbane Supershow, including the latest Quantum pop-top, tandem-axle Sinergi caravan, and the just-announced 11ft Odyssey Series 3 camper priced from $91,900.