Australia's first Sri Lankan-built off-road hybrid caravan arrives

Just about all caravans and camper trailers that arrive in Australia these days from overseas are built in China, but now there's another Asian manufacturing hub seeking to make inroads into the booming off-road RV market down under.

Borrowing a few design cues from Bruder's Queensland built hardcore off-road range, a new three-model line-up of off-road camper trailers and hybrid caravans has been launched in Australia under the new Wurkai Caravans brand, which is owned by Sri Lanka-based corporate giant DIMO.

According to the DIMO Lanka website, DIMO started out in 1939 in automotive sales and repairs but has since grown to become one of the biggest publicly listed companies in Sri Lanka. Based in Colombo, it now operates in 10 industry sectors including automotive, agriculture, building and construction, education, digital and healthcare, with more than 1800 staff and an annual turnover of around Rs.37 billion (approx. AUD$193 million).

As well as dipping its toes in the Australian RV market with Wurkai Caravans, DIMO runs a number of international operations in other regions outside Sri Lanka including Bangladesh, Uganda and the Maldives.

According to the Wurkai Caravans Australia website, the new off-road models available include the compact, single axle Outback 10 and Outback 14 hard-body camper trailers, as well as a large, family-friendly, tandem-axle Outback 21 hybrid off-road caravan.

Full specifications and pricing are yet to be listed on the website, but the entry-level Outback 10 camper is said to measure 4870mm long x 2110mm wide by 2350mm high and includes an east-west double bed, A-frame toolbox, pantry-level external kitchen, internal space heater, external shower and a roll-out awning, among its equipment list.

The slightly larger (6350mm long x 2060mm wide) Outback 14 two-berth camper gets a pop-top roof for more interior headroom, along with a queen bed and bathroom, while the range-topping (8176mm long x 2150mm wide x 3200mm high) Outback 21 model presents as a large luxury, fixed-roof, narrow-body off-road caravan with Cruisemaster airbag suspension, internal and external kitchens, an internal ensuite, TV and audio entertainment, microwave and rooftop air conditioner, among its list of standard features.

The Outback 21 sleeps up to four people on a north-south queen size bed, and a bench seat that converts to two bunk beds, while the top-spec model also boasts a "well insulated" aluminum composite body mounted on a sand-blasted marine-grade chassis.

Chamara Perera from Wurkai Caravans told Camperdeals.com.au that all three models have been designed and constructed with the "Australian consumer in mind".

"It all started a little over three years ago when we had the idea of building a tough off-road caravan," he said. "We put a team of engineers together and people from all backgrounds including designers, and we thought about what the Australian consumer wants and this is what we came up with."

To further reassure buyers the new Wurkai models also come fitted with recognised brand-name appliances and components including Cruisemaster off-road suspension, Redarc electricals, Dometic air-conditioners, cooktops and fridges, and ARK off-road jockey wheels.

"The (Outback 21) comes with an 800Ah battery pack as standard, and can go all the way up to about 1600 (Ah)," he said. "We have tested these caravans in some of the toughest places in Sri Lanka and they are tough."

The new Australian business currently has a base in Melbourne's inner-eastern suburbs. For further information visit the Wurkai Caravans website.

caravancampingsales has reached out to Wurkai Caravans for further information and will update this article with any responses we receive.