Australia's best off-road van hits the road

Kimberley Kampers boss Bruce Loxton has kicked off an East coast roadshow of his most advanced off-road caravan yet, the Kimberley Kruiser T3.

Sporting a new, eye-catching livery including new Rhino-coat colours on the front nosecone and sides, this latest, hi-tech model is packed with innovative features not found on other Aussie caravans, from a whisper-quiet generator box to lithium-battery powered, split system air-conditioning.

Kicking off in Ballina, NSW, the top-spec Kruiser towed by a V8 Range Rover is visiting a number of locations and shows in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland over the next month, before ending up at the Penrith Caravan and Camping Expo in early-September. 

Based on the already impressively built and equipped, 7.0m-long Kruiser Black Caviar, the latest T3 takes the streamlined concept to a new level with additional features such as 320 litre water storage, 12V powered split-system air-conditioner, ‘world-first’ tropical roof and digital photography 'hub'.

At $148,500, the two-berth T3 Kruiser is priced almost $20,000 more than the mid-spec Black Caviar model, introduced in mid-2012.

To tackle the problem of noisy generators and air-conditioners, both the generator and condenser for the air-con unit are housed in a sealed, ventilated pod on the front drawbar, to keep noise levels inside the van to a claimed (and reasonably quiet) 50dB.

The unique, split-system air-con can also be powered by the specially-developed 480Ahr Lithium battery pack.

The NSW-based manufacturer says the permanent hard skin solar roof is a 'world first'. Mounted on top with 720W super-thin solar panels, it reduces heat into the van by a claimed 70 per cent.

The T3 Kruiser is also a digital photographer’s dream, thanks to a 12V powered ‘Hub’ that allows high-speed wireless back-up of photos to a computer drive. There’s also tripod storage and a collapsible ladder for taking elevated photos.

And to make sure you never miss your favourite show (or have to move far from your lounge chair!), the van is fitted with a satellite TV system with Vast Decoder, NextG modem/router with integrated wi-fi and 6.5dB high range antenna, satellite phone and iPad Mini to control everything wirelessly.

An AppleTV is also fitted so movies can be played wirelessly to the two, flip-down TV screens.

Interestingly, the Range Rover hasn’t been fitted with towing mirrors for the trip, thanks to the relatively narrow 2.28m width of the caravan, although load levellers are installed.

The Kimberley boss is providing daily insights into his trip and the van's innovative features via a blog on the Kimberly website, or those interested in having a closer look at what Kimberley boasts is “the best off-road caravan in Australia”, should check the itinerary by clicking here.