Trailcraft 750 Panorama 2007 Review

By Rod Chapman

Perth-based Trailcraft may only have been making caravans for a couple of years, but the knowledge the company has gained through 24 years of boat building and four years of trailer building, is plainly evident.

Now the company’s 540 Panorama and 640 Panorama, measuring in at 18ft (5.5m) and 21ft (6.4m) respectively, have been joined by a 25ft (7.6m) big brother – the 750 Panorama – and the model is proof in itself that Trailcraft’s boat building experience is paying dividends.

Trailcraft’s marketing manager, Chris Marris, said the company did its homework before it dived in. “We held a huge number of focus groups with caravan owners to find out their likes and dislikes,” said Chris. “They helped shape a range of vans that have a distinct marine feel and a European design – all made right here in Australia,” he added.

The 750 Panorama came about after Melbourne’s Jack Farmilo decided he wanted to get back into the caravan lifestyle after a 20-year break. After 12 months of research, Jack settled on Trailcraft to build the van of his and his wife’s dreams.

“Carol wanted a five-star van with all the appointments, while I wanted something with smooth cladding. We both liked the look of the Trailcraft vans, so we made our decision, sent Trailcraft some sketches of what we wanted and took it from there,” he said.

The end result is spectacular. The extensive use of fibreglass and the smooth aluminium cladding gives the 750 Panorama a sleek, stylish and modern appearance, but there’s function behind the form.

“The two ends and the roof all fit together as a lid, which goes some way to eliminating leaks and the penetration of dust,” says Chris.

After Trailcraft’s dealer network began asking for a bigger van, Jack’s custom-build essentially became a prototype for a new model, so the 750 Panorama production model – with a reversed floorplan to Jack’s own van – began rolling out of the factory.

Chic and sleek

The van sits on a 6in hot dipped galvanised chassis, with 10in electric brakes fitted to the 15in alloys, the latter riding on Al-Ko leaf-spring suspension. Chris says the chassis is over-engineered, and the weight is carried low and tows well. With 1200 trailers being produced annually by Trailcraft, they know what’s required here.

Outside there’s a long awning, with a slide-out barbecue behind the front boot, the latter being long and skinny but quite deep.

That boot also houses two deep cycle Trojan batteries, while a further two are housed on an offside slide-out tray.

The exceptionally clean drawbar sees two 9kg LPG cylinders housed under more fibreglass near a mains tap, and the Hayman Reese weight distribution hitch.

Interestingly, there’s no frame as such. Instead, compressed polystyrene foam has been sandwiched between two thin sheets of marine-grade aluminium, creating strong, well-insulated but exceptionally light walls, which together with the fibreglass ends and roof create a strong shell – even before any furniture or cabinetry has been fitted.

Stepping inside you’re immediately struck by how thoughtfully planned out this caravan is. The finish is superb, with rounded aluminium frames on the cupboards and rich timber-look panelling adding to that nautical feel, as does the bottom lip on the door – although you’ll need to watch you don’t catch your foot on it when you’re stepping outside.

The warm timber tones are enhanced by a white ceiling and walls, and a pine-look floor. The front nearside door opens into a spacious C-shaped dinette that could comfortably seat six, with a mid offside fridge and head-height microwave above separating the dinette from the kitchen.

A Smev four-burner cooktop with grill and oven is fitted, along with a sink, tap and water filter alongside. Opposite is a good sized bench, with a Dometic washing machine and fold-out ironing board underneath, just next to the door.

There’s a lot of bench space here, especially when you add in the huge dinette table, and there’s a stack of storage and cupboard space too, accessed by pushbutton doors.

Between the kitchen and the bedroom lies the bathroom, with a separate Thetford loo on the offside complemented by a shower cubicle on the nearside. Some won’t like having the toilet so near to the kitchen area, but it does mean that the bedroom really does feel private, being well away from the dinette.

The queen sized island bed reveals a huge storage space below. There is plenty of storage in general in the bedroom, not least of which is provided by massive hanging wardrobes either side of the bed.

Other nice touches include a mid mounted AirCommand Wren air-conditioner; two solar panels on the roof; large Dometic windows with flyscreens, Holland blinds and pelmets; two flatscreen TVs (one in the dinette, one in the bedroom); a reversing camera and a number of skylights, which add to an already light and spacious feel.

The Bottom Line

Chris Marris says that Trailcraft is working overtime to keep up with customer demand and, with the excellent all-round build and finish of its caravans, it’s easy to see why.

The 750 Panorama is the top of the range with a price tag to match, and it’s a very nice caravan that’s as stylish and modern as it is comfortable and practical – and it’s Aussie-made. Its ATM of 2820kg means a tow vehicle with 3 tonnes towing capacity.

Trailcraft has the runs on the board in the boating world, and through careful application of its knowledge, manufacturing skills and management expertise, I can see it making more waves in the caravan arena too.

For more details and dealers contact Trailcraft Australia, 99 Quill Way, Henderson, WA 6166, (08) 9437 8000, email: caravans@trailcraft.com.au, web:

We liked

• Sleek, Euro style design

• High quality interior finish

• Abundance of bench and storage space

We would have liked

• No bottom lip on the door to reduce the chance of tripping