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ADVICE
Tested: Caravan Relocation Services
Moving a caravan around the country is made easy with this friendly and efficient serviceUnless you’re a retired grey nomad, there’s a major disadvantage to being a caravanner in this great big country of ours: the vast driving distances required to get to interesting places.
If you have months up your sleeve, doing a leisurely lap or cruising across the Nullarbor, stopping off wherever takes your fancy, is one of the great joys of owning an RV.
But if you’re time-poor or on a tighter schedule due to work or family commitments, squeezing in all the sights along the way becomes difficult.
That’s the situation I faced recently. I had less than a month to tow a caravan from Melbourne to Darwin, while allowing enough time to see the sights before returning the rig to meet a deadline.
Driving there and back alone with few breaks would take up at least half the time, making it a rush to see Kakadu and other Top End attractions. To free up time, I investigated booking a truck transporter to return the rig to Melbourne while I flew back with the family later, but was put off by quotes of around $5000 or more.
Then I remembered the story I wrote on Caravan Relocation Services, and gave Tony a call. Yep, he could do it on those dates and for a lot less (and presumably less risk of damage) than putting it on the back of a truck.
One-man band
Being essentially a one-man band, Tony takes great pride in offering a personalized, friendly and flexible service, and that’s what we got.
The first thing was to sign the paperwork and pay upfront fees (you cover all his expanses plus a daily fee of $200-250). In our case, Tony was booked to fly from his home in Brisbane, and back to Brisbane from Melbourne at the end of the relocation.
At the end of our caravan trip we met Tony at Darwin airport, after which he dropped us at a Darwin CBD hotel before heading to the holiday park to pick up the van. Carrying a suitcase with bedding and other items, he’s mostly self-sufficient; just using one of the beds in the van at night.
Without rushing, he took six days to get to Melbourne: aiming for a sensible 600km a day and never driving in low-light to avoid animal strikes.
It’s a safety philosophy he’s maintained throughout 50 years’ working in the transport industry, in which he claims to have never had an accident or driving fine.
Downsides
So what’s the catch? While cheaper than using a flat-bed truck it still adds up; budget around $3000 for a similar-length, fly-in, fly-out relocation as ours. However, Tony does try to keep costs down wherever possible by choosing cheaper flights and minimizing food and accommodation expenses.
He’s also more flexible in offering a 'door-to-door' service, unlike some transport companies which only drop off in main towns or depots. He’ll even wash your van and set it up as part of the deal. In our case he happily agreed to a last-minute request for a minor detour to pick up our family dog from the kennel.
It’s worth noting that CRS’s insurance doesn’t always provide full cover for the rig in case of an accident, so in most cases the owner will need to provide additional third party or comprehensive cover.
Other services
If you just want your caravan relocated, Tony owns a well set up LandCruiser 200 Series that he also uses to tow his own caravan. He also relocates trailer boats, horse floats and other trailers and specializes in last-minute jobs, whether due to emergencies like injury or sickness or if you need a van moved interstate after buying it at auction or online.
He’s also a great communicator. Nervous owners will appreciate the lengthy text updates each night (when in mobile phone range) and he’s always up for a chat or keen to answer questions.
Flying back to Melbourne Airport after our extended Darwin stay, he was patiently waiting at the pre-arranged, nearby location to hand over the keys (and the dog) before hopping in the taxi for a ride back to the airport.
Smiles all round!
More info: Caravan Relocation Services
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Written byChris Fincham
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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