Southern Cross Australis 6700

Many manufacturers adhere to a traditional way of producing a caravan - box section chassis using rectangular hollow section (RHS) steel with either a timber or aluminium frame above and aluminium or fibreglass cladding. Generally speaking, it works well, but a side-effect of this method is the amount of weight in the final product - a factor to keep in mind if touring offroad and considering fuel prices are again on the rise.

Some in the caravan industry are starting to give this matter some thought, two being Alan Madden and Darrell McKie from Southern Cross Caravans. Both have worked in the caravan industry in years gone by and are now back with a range of custom-built caravans and fifth wheelers.

LIGHT AND STRONG
"We've spent a considerable amount of time and energy on general caravan design," Alan told us, "and we reckon we have come up with a package for our Australis 6700 van that offers the strength needed while still keeping the weight down. Our chassis, built from SupaGal steel, has been designed to an engineer's specifications and we have used a suspension system on the tandem axles that can be taken anywhere."

Indeed they have. Airbags, considered by many to be the Rolls-Royce of suspension systems, are used. Fully adjustable, with the controls located in the boot, they have lockouts on all four wheels in the rare event of failure, and double-acting shock absorbers.

The brakes, too, deserve some attention. Instead of the conventional drum brakes, controlled electrically, the Australis is fitted with hydraulically operated stainless steel disc brakes. This isn't a first (we've seen them before), but they aren't used by many and we sometimes ponder why that is.

Above the chassis, things are a little different because there isn't a conventional frame. The walls and roof are formed from a fibreglass compound that, in addition to a good strength to weight ratio, has hail-resistant properties and good thermal and soundproofing qualities. The body is attached to the chassis by a very strong adhesive - so strong, according to Alan Madden, that if the wall position had to be changed, it's very difficult to remove. The end result is a very streamlined van complemented by a clean drawbar - the two 4kg gas cylinders are hidden in the front boot.

Despite the non-standard approach, some items are typical, like the Camec security door, Seitz hopper windows and the front boot, which is lined with marine carpet. However, there are a few extra features, too, like the Hyland hitch and front tunnel storage.

INTERIOR
Stepping inside the Australis reveals a variation of the timber-look fitout that's dominated van interiors in the last few years. Made from lightweight materials, including aluminium, the white and light grey or beige cabinetry provides a very spacious feel to the interior helped along by big Seitz hatches back and front. Of course, if you would like timber, then it's still available.

The cabinetry left the interior with a slightly 'square' look, but if you can live with that, then there's no problem. From a photographic point of view, we like the light colours - they provide a much more even light.

On that same subject, the electric lighting throughout the Australis is a mixture of fluorescents, both round and strip lights, plus LED reading lights - all very energy efficient.

Custom design is very much the order
of the day at Southern Cross. Our Australis, a respectable 22ft (6.7m), came with a full width rear bathroom, a bedroom containing an east-west bed attached to the nearside wall, mid-van kitchen and a front club lounge-style dinette.

Up front, the club lounge stands out (at least ours did as it was red). It has a wraparound feel, with no square corners. The table is a wedge shape, which suits the unequal side seat lengths, though cuts down on the dining space.

Due to their size, caravan kitchen layouts often have a compromise or two. Southern Cross minimises this by splitting the kitchen setup.

The offside L-shaped bench provides more food preparation area and extra general storage. There are six drawers and a cupboard, along with overhead lockers above. Fitted into the top of the bench are a three-burner cooktop and adjacent sink and drainer. There's no grill, and when two people are washing and drying up, the designated drier will need long arms.

On the opposite side, the cabinet work contains a Waeco 190L fridge with a large cupboard above. Between that and the entry door is a dresser unit with more drawers, a mounting for the flatscreen TV and an overhead locker that contains most of the electrical controls plus an AM/FM radio/DVD player.

Like many caravans these days, the Australis has an extendable bed - either 5ft 11in (2.4m) or 6ft 8in (2m) - with the latter, of course, leaving less walkaround space. On either side of the bed, the cabinets have a small wardrobe above and two drawers below. In between, the bedside shelf sits under the wardrobe, thus giving more shelf space than is often the case.

The righthand cabinet has a powerpoint, and each side of the bed has a LED reading light. In addition to the overhead lockers above the bed, there are two diagonal cupboards in the rear offside corner - not particularly large but handy for small items.

JUST A BIT MORE
It's hard to get away from the standard design in full width bathrooms - shower cubicle to the right, toilet (in this case a Thetford cassette) to the left (or vice versa) and vanity cabinet in the middle. This design is slightly deeper than usual and has, in addition to the cupboard under the sink, a cupboard and shelves beside the loo.

We only had time for a brief tow test, but the Australis certainly behaved itself, even if our slightly odd-looking Navara tow vehicle is designed more for towing the fifth wheelers that Southern Cross also builds.

THE BOTTOM LINE
There's little doubt that a major advantage of the Australis van is the weight - at 22ft (6.7m) long, the Tare of 2200kg makes it a good towing proposition for a van of its size - it also has a good load capacity with an ATM of 2800kg, too, though the temptation to overload might be strong.

The van looks a little different as well, both inside and out, making it a good addition to the custom-built caravan market.

I WOULD HAVE LIKED:

Southern Cross Caravans
19 Nestor Drive
Meadowbrook Qld 4131

For more information, email sales@southerncrosscaravans.com.au, visit southerncrosscaravans.com.au or phone (07) 3200 6924.