Dreamtime Fairhaven

A favourable affair

When I received the call from Bellarine Caravans, my interest was immediately raised. An 8.2m (overall length) caravan with a bathroom for under $47,000? It was enough to send me straight to the car, stopping only to grab the camera bag.

Heading west towards Corio on the outskirts of Geelong, Vic, I wondered how the Dreamtime Fairhaven would stack up against its competitors. Considering the price, would it have enough standard kit for instant touring? Or would it be a case of "add this, add that"?

Bellarine Caravans was established in 1998. It's in a prime location, too: Geelong is the last major city before you hit the Great Ocean Road - one of the state's premier touring spots.

The Dreamtime range starts from a 4.75m (15ft 6in) pop-top, with up to 14 different layouts available overall. Paul Dean - the business partner of the company's founder, Roger Wickens, says there's also a lot of scope for customisation.

INSIDE
The layout of the Dreamtime Fairhaven, which is built especially for Bellarine Caravans, is reasonably conventional, incorporating a full-width rear bathroom, amidships dinette and kitchen, and forward bedroom. But I was immediately struck by the presentation. The timberwork throughout was well finished and some thought had obviously gone into creating a sense of durability. One example is the door of each overhead locker lifts on piano hinges with the assistance of small gas struts. It's definitely rigid.

The bathroom, separated from the living area by a timber door, contains a Thetford swivel toilet on the offside beside a tapered shelf in the corner with a cupboard above. A hatch with fan above the loo provides ventilation here. General bathroom storage is very reasonable - besides the aforementioned shelf and cupboard, there's a slimline cupboard between the vanity mirror and fully moulded shower, which has an adjustable-height rose and fan hatch, and enough space in the area beneath the vanity sink to store everything from an electric razor to a hair dryer.

The 120L three-way Thetford fridge, on the offside, is recessed into the timberwork, with a Daewoo microwave above - also recessed and neatly finished with some beading around the edges. If you feel 120L won't quite cut it, you can option up to a 150L fridge and elect to have the microwave positioned elsewhere to accommodate. But if you decide to keep it above the fridge, you'll lose the large storage space above. As we're fond of saying around here, van design is all about compromise.

The cupboard beneath the fridge is home to a Shurflo water pump, although you should find there's enough room left over for smaller items.

The four-person dinette on the mid offside caught my eye. The section of the tri-fold table closest to the wall is supported by a storage compartment that sits on a timber box covering the wheel arch. So something that sometimes intrudes into a van's design is made practical use of.

Standard dinette upholstery is leather (to lower the overall cost, customers can opt for fabric) and the seats lift for access to the generous internal storage; however, you can also access the storage compartments of both seats via doors facing the kitchen. These compartments contain wire baskets for agreeable access to items in the darkest corner.

The kitchen is home to a Swift cooktop (three gas burners, one electric) and griller, a deep stainless steel sink with drainer and flick mixer tap, and a Swift rangehood. There isn't an oven in this kitchen - to option one in would increase the overall cost by $750, and you'd lose one cupboard out of two below - but it's nonetheless an appealing space. The cooktop/griller is recessed into the laminated benchtop - a section of bench hinges up and acts as a splashback (a popular arrangement).

Also in the kitchen area is a CD/DVD player with AM/FM radio, mounted next to the water level indicator in the timberwork above the sink. It's connected to two internal speakers and a swivel-arm-mounted flatscreen TV.

Moving forward, the bedroom consists of a queen-size north-south bed, and I have to give the Fairhaven a tick for the compartmentalised underbed storage, especially the access door to the nearside smaller compartment - no need to lift the mattress.

The bedhead consists of three overhead lockers and a shelf below the front window, which compensates for the minimal bedside shelf space. The bedside wardrobes provide a decent amount of room for hanging clothes, and there is a drawer and cupboard below each. The standard leather padding surrounding the head of the bed adds a small touch of refinement.

There are no dramas in the lighting department. You get multidirectional halogens on either side of the bed and two in the dinette, which also has two downlights built into the fretwork above. There's a downlight above the rangehood and one in the rangehood itself, a strip florescent in the kitchen, and two dome lights.

Dometic air-conditioner, Winegard TV antenna, pressure hatch… they're all there, as is a 'pocket' fixed to the wall in the entryway - brilliant for stashing wallets, keys, torches, etc. In terms of general ventilation, there's a Four Seasons hatch above the bed, and a screened hatch in the ceiling between the fridge and entrance.

OUTSIDE
Outside, things are just what they seem: straightforward. The door is the popular Camec triple-locker, while windows are tinted Camec wind-outs.

When it comes to the structure, Paul Dean says the vertical struts of the frame are an average of 280mm apart. "Having the struts spaced this way adds to the overall structural strength," he says.

The cabin sits on a 4in SupaGal chassis, to which the 12mm ply floor is glued and screwed, but customers can elect for a 6in chassis for an extra $400. This could add about 60kg to the overall weight, Paul says, so check the towing capacity of your tow vehicle before taking this option.

Protection from road debris hasn't been overlooked. The Fairhaven comes with steel mesh on the A-frame, checkerplate up to the top of the front boot, while the sides have a 300mm-high checkerplate skirt running to the rear. The two 65L water tanks are protected by an aluminium stoneguard.

The A-frame is a clean-looking affair: centre-mounted jockey wheel, two 9kg gas cylinders, tap, and a breakaway switch.

The corner stabilisers are the drop-down variety, and the spare wheel is mounted on the looped-end rear bumper.

If outdoor entertaining is your thing, you'll need to travel equipped: the Fairhaven has a full-length Dometic awning, but external speakers, a fold-down picnic table, and another light - a single halogen is standard fitment - can be optioned in.

Also, if your travel plans include a stretch away from civilisation, keep in mind that the Fairhaven doesn't come with a battery pack - that's an option you'll need to budget an additional $1000 for, if free-camping is in on the cards.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The Dreamtime Fairhaven is the product of two years' research and development, and the price is very competitive for what you get: a solid dual-axle touring van - with a bathroom - most suited to Australia's coastal roads and hinterlands, and perhaps some national park travels.

As mentioned, I headed to Bellarine Caravans wondering if the Dreamtime Fairhaven would require the buyer to add anything before they could take off on their land-based adventure. But as I discovered, it's all there for immediate comfortable caravanning, and the overall finish is very good. And given its ATM of 2320kg, the Dreamtime Fairhaven is suitable for a range of tow vehicles.

Overall, think: affordable comfort.

Bellarine Caravans
290 Princess Highway
Corio, Vic 3214
(03) 5274 9670
bellarinecaravans.com.au