By Malcolm Street
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Greg and Jackie Kowplus have taken to the motorhome lifestyle in a big way. Many years ago, they took their young family camping with a tent and a station wagon. A builder by profession, Greg’s career meant that the family camping holidays became scarce after a few years.
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However camping (in a slightly different form) was not forgotten and it was on a trip to Florida, USA, some years later that Greg and Jackie looked at the big US motorhomes with interest. On their return to Australia, they checked out the local motorhome industry and a 36ft (11m) Swagman Australian Dream became theirs. 
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After enjoying their Dream for about 18 months, Greg and Jackie decided there were a few extra things they wanted in their motorhome, mainly about two more feet of length! Among other things, this would give them a larger bathroom. So they traded their 36ft unit for a 38ft (11.5m) Dream with a few extra items that the couple wanted on board. 
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Not long after Greg and Jackie purchased their new Dream, CW went along to the Kowplus property for a look at their new toy. Among other things, we were a little intrigued about one of Greg’s more unusual hobbies... but more of that later.
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Swagman’s Dream motorhome is aptly named; it is very much an aspirational item. On the road, the 224kW (300bhp) turbo motor powers the Dream along very easily. In tandem with the Allison six-speed auto gearbox, it is a very smooth cruiser indeed, especially with assistance from the full airbag suspension and sitting in the very classy captain’s chair seats. 
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There is no fear of getting lost with the onboard satellite navigation system. Once at the destination, two rear and one front hydraulic leg get things level very quickly. 
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At 38ft (11.7m) long, the Dream is a very impressive machine. Swagman’s paintwork is quite impressive but Greg has added a few stripes and whirls of his own, as well as many polished stainless steel fittings to make it a real standout rig. At the rear, an additional set of LED tail lights and a full mudflap has been added. CW certainly liked the impressive sounding air horns.
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With such generous length, there is plenty of room for storage lockers. Some of those are already occupied of course, with items like the four gas cylinders, 3kg washing machine, 3kg dryer, 60 litre external fridge, generator, polished slide-out stainless steel sink and barbecue. 
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The interior of this Dream well and truly matches the exterior. Stepping inside reveals a very plush and spacious home, made even more so with the offside slideout open. 
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Umpteen square metres of glossy Victorian ash set the ambience of the Dream, as do the dark brown curtains, fabric covered pelmets and captain’s chair leather seats. If it looks a little dark inside, that’s because the windows are tinted (ambulance-grade), to assist the two rooftop air-conditioners keep it cool. 
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An opulent lounge area occupies the front area of the Dream. Going backwards in order is the well appointed kitchen and dinette area, followed by a capacious bathroom and at the rear, the grand bedroom.
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Luxury appointments
It’s difficult not to relax in the front area. You can stretch out on the lounge or recline in any of the three leather swivel seats. They have eight different selections for comfort, including the electrically controlled footrests.&nbsp; 
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Moving right along, in addition to the dinette there is also a very convenient lift-up and fold-out table between the front and rear passenger seats – good for a quick meal or to rest the G&amp;T on, or the laptop, or both. 
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In the kitchen there is just about everything a cook might want – four-burner cooktop, convection microwave oven, Silestone benchtops, full-height slide-out pantry and to keep all the essentials, a 220 litre fridge/freezer, the timbered door of which matches the rest of the kitchen. 
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A few extra features not normally seen in Swagman motorhomes are the glass tile splashbacks behind the kitchen bench, the full height bevelled mirrors and LED ‘mood lighting’ that runs around the floor in the lounge and kitchen. If you are having guests over for dinner, four people can sit quite comfortably around the dinette – both it and the lounge fit snugly in to the slideout.
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The bathroom is a thing of beauty, with its polished timberwork and lavish appointments. Bevelled mirrors and glass shower screens everywhere made things hazardous for CW photographers, but the shower cubicle, toilet and vanity sink all come with a certain amount of class. 
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Two things a bathroom this size offers are room to spin a cat around (should you so desire) and a goodly amount of storage area – both drawers and cupboards. Hot water is supplied by an instantaneous gas heater and the toilet is a vacuum flush model, aeroplane-style. 
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Sitting in all its majesty in the rear bedroom is the queen bed. At the bedhead, it is surrounded by timber cupboards and a recessed mirror. There’s no problem with storage: four-drawer bedside cabinets and two large wardrobes at the foot of the bed offer plenty of space. One of the two roof-mounted air-conditioners is in the bedroom, so comfort on hot summer nights is assured.
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As you might expect in a motorhome of this calibre, the onboard technology is quite extensive. Four 130 amp hour deep-cycle batteries are at the heart of the 12V electrical systems, these are charged by an integral 60A inverter/charger or five 80W solar panels and if all else fails, a 5.5kVA Onan diesel generator. 
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When freestanding 240V is required, the inverter can deliver 1500W of pure sine wave power.
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Lighting is all 12V and mostly halogen down or reading lights. It’s worth pointing out that two-way lighting is used on the bed reading lights, so you don’t have to stretch too far when falling asleep. 
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In addition to the normal places, lights are just about everywhere else too – in cupboards and storage bins, as well as sensor-controlled outside lights. 
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For the TV mounted above the passenger seat, there is the usual Winegard antenna but there is also a fully automatic satellite dish as well. Entertainment is supplied by an AM/FM radio/CD player, as well as a VHS/DVD player. 
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What are Greg and Jackie going to use their luxury motorhome for? Apart from travelling, Greg is a fan of the V8 Supercar races and he is planning on watching them in comfort – close to the sights and sounds of the race but in the Dream’s relaxing opulence.
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I mentioned earlier that Greg had a slightly unusual hobby: he collects old petrol bowsers – the problem being how to display them. 
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It is quite simple really, you build a replica of a 1950s US service station, stock it with all the appropriate memorabilia you can find, call it Billy’s Service Station after a place of the same name in Anaheim, California, and you have a display area for your bowser collection! It looks very impressive, to say the least.
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The bottom line 
Getting back to the subject at hand, Greg and Jackie are planning on some extensive travel in their new Dream – right across 
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the top of northern Australia to start with – and they are going to do it in the most stylish way!
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There’s absolutely no doubt that this is one classy motorhome – expensive for sure, but fabulous. I think that says something about the motorhome industry: there is something here for everyone. Greg and Jackie’s travelling dream came to fruition in a luxury Australian Dream. 
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They could have chosen a totally different style of retirement travel but they opted to enjoy the motorhome style of great outdoors travel, and we reckon that is just great. 
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Swagman Motorhomes, 245 Brisbane Rd, Labrador, Qld 4216, freecall 1800 177 566, email: info@swagman.com.au, website: www.swagman.com.au
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We liked:
• The Victorian ash timberwork – it forms much of the interior décor and looks great
• Multiple choice of seats and space to spread out in the lounge
• Nicely laid-out bathroom
• Full height slide-out pantry – very efficient use of space
• External fridge, slide-out sink and barbecue. You could spend most of the day under the awning without having to move far
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We would have liked:
• One of our own!
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Swagman Australian Dream

Base vehicle: Roadmaster chassis

Engine: Cummins ISB 300hp (224kW) intercooled 5.9 litre turbodiesel

Max power: 224kW@2600rpm

Max torque: 814Nm@2600rpm

Transmission: Six-speed Allison auto gearbox

Brakes: Air, including ABS and PAC exhaust brake

Overall length: 38ft 5in (11.7m)

Overall width: 8ft 3in (2.5m)

External height: 11ft 10in (3.6m)

Internal height: 6ft 5in (1.95m)

GVM: 13378kg

Cooktop: Four burner

Fridge: 220 litre two door fridge/freezer 12V compressor

Microwave oven: Convection

Batteries: Four x 130 amp hour deep-cycle

Generator: Onan 5.5kVA diesel

Solar panels: Five x 80W

Gas: Three x 9kg, one x 4kg

Fresh water: 534 litre, 60 litre drinking

Grey water: 486 litre

Black water: 100 litre

Licence: MR 
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Swagman Australian Dream

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