Outback RVs Overlander

WE LIKED

General workmanship
Split kitchen design
Relaxing club lounge/dining area
Different layout
Good external storage facilities

NOT SO MUCH

Solar panels not standard
No 12V sockets inside
No grill with the cooktop

Psst, want to know a little secret? In Queensland, up Noosa way, there’s a small but well-established manufacturer of custom-built caravans.

Want more? On the northern side of the Noosa River, away from the hurly burly of Noosa Heads, there’s a pleasant little area known as the Noosa North Shore, which includes a beachfront campground, and vehicle access to the beach itself.

Outback RVs is the aforementioned caravan manufacturer and is run by Max and Janelle Freeman. As the name suggests, they specialise in designing vans for the Australian outback and when one of their latest Overlander models became available, I decided it was time for a trip to the Noosa North Shore.

SERIOUS OFFROADER

There’s no doubt that the Overlander is geared for some serious offroad work and that starts with the tandem axles fitted with Cruisemaster leaf spring, trailing arm and shock absorber independent suspension.

It’s built on a two tier, hot-dipped galvanized chassis: the lower half 6in x 2in rails, from the Hitchmaster DO35 hitch to behind the rear suspension mounts; the upper half a 4in x 2in box section frame that forms the base for the main body.

Galvanised sheeting above the chassis gives protection from rock damage, dust and water.

Located high up between the rails, the three 85 litre polyethylene water tanks are out of the way but don’t require any mechanical protection. 

Up front, two 9kg gas cylinders, stoneguard, Trail-A-Mate jack and a mesh rack adorn the drawbar. Two spare wheels are mounted on the bumper at the rear.

Above the chassis, the fully-welded aluminium frame supports insulated walls and roof that are covered by aluminium cladding.

A lower waist of aluminium propeller plate all-round not only looks good, but also provides stone protection.

Also included in the body design is a front boot with a tunnel boot right behind, along with a chamfered rear end to give a good departure angle. Running lights are all LEDs.

DIFFERENT LAYOUT

In a nice change from the ubiquitous front bedroom/rear bathroom layout, my Overlander came with a front lounge/kitchen and rear bedroom with split bathroom in between.

The downside of this layout is that the bulky bathroom items are in the middle of the van – but there are many who don’t have space inhibition problems, and they will find this a very workable arrangement.

Tasmanian Oak is used for all timber cabinetry work and some of the wall covering as well, so the timber look is quite predominant, but the day is saved by good window area and large marine style hatches both back and front.

RELAXING AND EATING

Taking up all the front area, the leather upholstered club lounge has been designed with both eating and relaxing in mind.

The gloss-finished table isn’t particularly large but certainly adequate for two people, and the drawer underneath the nearside seat is a handy feature.

A nice touch is the wide shelf along the front wall, but scenery watchers might miss a front window.

In this layout, not only is the bathroom split but the kitchen, too – with benches on both sides, offset from each other because of the front entry door. It’s an arrangement that meshes in quite well with the dining area.

Fitted into the nearside kitchen is a three burner cooktop which leaves room for adjoining bench top area and six drawers underneath. All have 30kg runners fitted.

Two overhead lockers fit above and a flat screen TV, visible from the front lounge, is mounted on the adjacent shower cubicle wall.

Making up the rest of the kitchen, the bench on the opposite side comes with a stainless steel sink with drainer but with just three drawers underneath and a two-shelf cupboard.

The wine glass rack under the overhead lockers is a nice touch.

Alongside the kitchen bench, the cabinet contains a 240 litre Vitrifrigo fridge with a Sanyo microwave oven above.

A water tank gauge, AM/FM radio/CD player and battery voltmeter are fitted into the panel above the microwave oven.

A slight problem with the radio is that MP3 type devices have to be located a fair way from the 3.5mm socket.

COMING CLEAN

Not everybody likes them but I don’t mind a split bathroom arrangement. It can be a small space-saver but certainly gives flexibility of use.

The nearside shower cubicle comes with a flexible hose shower and fan vent hatch plus a towel rail on the door.

Opposite, the other cubicle comes with a Dometic cassette toilet, corner wash basin, shaving cabinet with separate light and fan vent hatch. Neither cubicle feels cramped.

GETTING SLEEPY?

Bringing up the rear, the bedroom is quite conventional in most respects. The 1.9 x 1.54m (6ft3in x 5ft) innerspring mattress bed has the usual surround of side wardrobes, overhead lockers and bedside cabinets.

The mattress can be lifted to reveal an unusual aluminium framed bed base, as well as a good-sized storage area underneath.

There are plenty of 240V power points scattered through the van although, surprisingly for an offroad style van, no 12V sockets.

Lighting throughout is generally well-placed LED fittings and the Overlander is wired for solar panels.

VERDICT

I mentioned earlier that Outback RVs is a relatively small company. That’s not because the Freemans can’t sell caravans, rather because it allows them a hands-on approach to their caravans and that was certainly evident in the Overlander I looked at.

There was nothing wrong with the workmanship at all. The other advantage for the buyer is that within reason and design constraints, it is possible to get the layout of choice, along with the desired fittings and appliances.

In the towing department, the Overlander has a length of just under 7m and a Tare of 2360kg. The ATM of 3200kg gives a very generous load capacity of 850kg which does push the Overlander into large 4WD tow vehicle territory.

BIG RIG SAND DRIVING

One of the little experiences I had with this review was a bit of sand driving. Here are a few tips:

1. If towing a large (and probably expensive) van on the sand for the first time, make sure you have a recovery vehicle and an experienced 4WDer along with you.

2. Before hitting the soft sand, lower all tyre pressures. It does make a difference. Once on sealed roads again, don’t drive at normal speeds until the tyres are re-inflated.

3. Note tide times – a miscalculation could be expensive.

4. For short distances over soft sand, good momentum is often essential.

OUTBACK RVs OVERLANDER

Overall length: 8.4m (27ft 7in)
External length: 6.43m (21ft)
External width: 2.33m (7ft 7in) 
External height: 3.15m (10ft 4in)
Interior height: 2.05m (6ft 9in)
Nameplate ATM: 3200kg
Nameplate Tare: 2360kg
Ball weight: 220kg
Frame: Aluminium
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised
Suspension:  Independent trailing arm
Cooktop: Cramer three burner
Fridge: Vitrifrigo 240 litre
Microwave: Sanyo
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Lighting: 12V LED
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Fresh water: 3 x 85L
Grey water: Optional
Price: $92,000 (on road, Qld)
Supplied by: Outback RVs, Noosaville, Qld