Horizon camper conquers Outback

It’s mission completed for Horizon Motorhomes’ owner Clayton Kearney, who has just returned in one piece from a challenging, four-week off-road family adventure in one of his company’s latest 4WD campervans.

Travelling with his wife and two teenage children, Kearney set off from Ballina in northern NSW on June 22, driving via Alice Springs to the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia and back, including sections of the bone-rattling Tanami Track and Gibb River Road.

Before the trip, Kearney said: “I want to personally test this vehicle and prove it can go anywhere a LandCruiser towing a van can go, and further.”

Despite a few minor issues expected of any off-road adventure, Kearney said he was pleased with the performance of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based Waratah 4WD motorhome, which clocked an impressive 12,661km in total.

Along with a special, attention-grabbing exterior promoting the 4WD Challenge, the Horizon Waratah which normally retails from $153,000 featured a unique layout including two bunk beds for the children.

The 3500kg motorhome was also beefed up for the trip, incorporating a dual rear wheel set-up, bash plate underbody protection, heavy-duty winch and bulbar and improved road clearance thanks to the removal of some ‘luxury’ items like the electric step.

Although conditions remained dry throughout the trip, the motorhome still managed some challenging creek crossings and soft sand sections, which required reducing the tyre pressures to improve traction.

It also survived the constant hammering of endless corrugations along the Tanami Track from Northern Territory to West Australia.

“We had the pantry door pop open on one rough bit, and all the stuff flew out,” he said. “A few eggs smashed on the floor, but other than that it was all good.”

Over the legendary Gibb River Road, coasting at speeds just over 100km/h helped smooth out the ride.

“She’s rough up there, rocky and shaley and plenty of corrugations, just about everything really,” he said. “We were able to hold a really good speed over the corrugations because we weren’t towing anything so we were flying past caravans."

Overnight stops included the well-known haunts of Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Broome and Wolf Creek, made famous by the unforgettable 2005 Australian horror film of the same name.

“We actually camped on the side of the road about 200km south-east of Wolf Creek, so certainly the movie was in the back of my mind... I made sure when we got in the camper we locked the doors that night,” he laughed.

“Intentionally we didn’t tell the kids about the story until next day when we were travelling!”

With all the red dust now washed off after its Outback adventures, the Waratah motorhome is currently on display at the Queensland Outdoor Adventure and Motoring Expo in Toowoomba, until August 4.  

For a full rundown of the trip visit the Horizon Motorhomes website.