Retro Rockets Down Under

Fans of bullet-shaped, polished aluminium caravans now have another brand to choose from with the recent arrival in Australia of Retro Rocket.

Inspired by US-built Airstream travel trailers, which officially arrived Down Under in late-2012, the UK built Retro Rocket caravans share similar old-school styling and construction with the iconic Airstreams, including polished and riveted aluminium body panels, curved metal frame and steel chassis.

Rocket Caravans Australia director Mike Cattermole said unlike the imported Airstream caravans, all Rocket vans sold so far in Australia have been for commercial use such as mobile food and coffee vans, rather than recreational purposes.

“The most demand at the moment is for commercial vans, we haven’t actually sold a touring van in Australia yet, but in England they do a few,” he said.

“We import them as a bare shell and they get fitted out here, so they can get fitted out in whatever spec the customer wants.”

Four models are available in Australia, from the tiny 14ft Mini Rocket, which weighs around 600kg unladen, to the 23ft tandem axle Rocket 23 which has an uprated, heavy-duty chassis for an ATM of 3500kg.

Featuring a combination of lambswool and recycled bottle insulation, the Rocket caravans arrive in Australia with a very basic fit-out including satin-finish aluminium interior cladding, slip resistant flooring and 12V LED lighting.

Up until now the bare body and chassis has been imported from the UK, but from next month only the bodyshell will arrive and be fitted to an Australian-made chassis and Al-Ko or Dexter running gear.

Pricing for the “fully lined and finished” vans start at $39,990 for the Mini Rocket, rising to $69,990 for the range-topping Rocket 23.

For additional cost, Rocket Caravans Australia is also offering a fully kitted out touring van with a standard or custom layout completed by a local caravan specialist.

“To fit them out for touring, it could cost roughly another $20,000, plus or minus depending on what you want,” Cattermole said.

“We just quoted a lady in Byron Bay for $12,000, which was a basic fit-out including bedding, cooktop and fridge. She wanted to use it as a family camper.”

Alternatively, a ‘turn-key’ touring van could be delivered from the UK, with gas and electrical appliances installed in Australia.

He said the Rockets compare favourably in terms of weight and pricing to locally sold Airstreams, which start at $89,990 for fully finished touring models.

For more information visit the Rocket Caravans Australia website.