By Malcolm Street
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If there is one thing to be said about Ron Warden and his team at Newcastle (NSW)-based Australian Motor Homes, it is that they are always on the lookout for another market niche. 
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The introduction a year or so ago of the Travelhome fifth wheeler range was an indication of that and it has proved to be a good niche. 
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Under the eagle eyes of manufacturer Geoff Dutch the Travelhome range has now been refined to three lengths, 30ft (9.1m), 25ft (7.6m) and 23ft (7m) with a couple of standard layouts for each. 
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Just recently, the new 23 footer is just coming off the production line. Jason Dutch, son of Geoff and General Manager at Australian Motor Homes was keen to point out that their new model is very much aimed at the ute market and was disappointed it wasn’t going to make the deadline for this magazine.
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That does not mean the subject of our review, the 25 foot Macquarie, cannot be towed by a ute – it certainly can and future models are being lifted slightly so they can be towed by a conventional Ford Falcon ute, as well as the traytop one tonners. 
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Holden out
For our review, a Holden one tonner traytop was used to tow the Macquarie 25 and it proved to be an excellent combination. Some people prefer the extra cubes and grunt of a V8 motor but the Holden six proved to be up to the task of handling the Macquarie quite well.
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Like most of its contemporaries, the Macquarie is an excellent tow-er. With all of the pin weight above the rear axle there is none of the snatching and jerking of a conventional caravan under tow and reversing is a breeze.
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Unhitching and hitching is quite simple and power jacks on the fifth wheeler mean no manual winding up or down. Our traytop truck had a towball mounted mid-tray but utes will have a different arrangement with a removable hitch mount and quick-release hitch. 
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Travelhome employs both conventional constructional techniques and non-conventional ones in the building of its fifth wheelers. Box section zinc-coated steel is used for the construction of the chassis. 
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In order to save weight in the chassis, large holes are drilled in non weight-bearing components. 
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The chassis rides on Al-Ko torsion suspension and axles, with a decorative item being the mag wheels. 
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For the walls, a fibreglass/ply timber/fibreglass ‘sandwich’ is used but for the roof, nose cone and rear panel, moulded fibreglass is utilised; 17mm water-resistant timber is used for the floor. 
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It’s inside where a few things are different. For much of the cabinetwork, including the shower cubicle, powder-coated aluminium is used – it’s not only light but also strong. 
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View from the outside
The Macquarie 25 is a very smooth looking fifth wheeler indeed. It has an almost bullet-like feel at the front and even the rear avoids the boxy look that plagues many a RV derriere, instead having quite stylish lines. 
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Seitz hopper double-glazed windows are used all round and the door is the more traditional Camec triple locker. 
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Nearside features include one external locker beside the door, the gas compartment (containing two 9kg gas cylinders), centre mounted external light and a decent grab handle by the door. 
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Around at the rear is a reasonable-size boot to take a decent amount of gear; its door lifts up aeroplane-style. The house batteries and battery charge hide in the boot as well. 
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Under the overhang is where the spare wheel is located along with two small lockers, one containing the switches for the front jacks. 
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There’s another locker at the front of the offside, with the Thetford cassette door further along and the Suburban hot water heater at the rear.
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Step inside
With an interior height of 6ft 5in (2.1m), the Macquarie 25 has a relatively roomy feel about it. Large windows, the big Seitz hatch in the rear and a smaller hatch above the bed all give plenty of natural light. Aiding this is the beige/grey/floral upholstery colour scheme.
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Being consistent with most other fifth wheeler designs, the main bed is situated in the overhang and the bathroom sits on the offside behind the overhang. It’s a tried and trusted set up. Mid-station of the fifth wheeler are all the kitchen components.
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Fitting nicely in the rear is the aptly described “J-lounge” with a dinette at one end. It’s usual to have a club-style lounge in a rear setup like this but Travelhome has opted for this interesting variation. 
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Not to be confused with the economic J curve of some political years ago, the J-lounge, with its contoured foam cushions, is a neat way of combining a dinette with a lounge 
so that there is room to relax without having to move the table around. 
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Storage under the seats is plentiful and instead of the usual ply timber lids, they are aluminium. In a rig this size, I prefer to see drawers – although they reduce the usable space, they are more convenient to use. Above the dinette is a good sized overhead locker with a roller shutter instead of the more conventional doors. 
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The dinette/lounge can be folded down into a double bed. The bed base is formed from the table, which is really a two-piece item, the second layer just being a plain piece of ply timber – it’s a neat little idea that does not take up space.
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Lighting for the dinette/lounge area comes from an overhead fluorescent lamp and two halogen reading lights. At the end of the kitchen bench is a 240V power point and 12V socket but for laptop users the power point might be better beside the table, where there is already a TV antenna connection (for a flat screen TV) and a second 12V socket.
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The major components of any kitchen, a three burner Smev cooktop, grill/oven and stainless steel sink with drainer are where they should be. The latter is of a decent size but still leaves room for benchtop working area. 
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Underneath the benchtop Travelhome has fitted two cutlery sized and two larger wire basket drawers. A large cupboard under the sink includes a fixed wire basket. Above the kitchen bench is a large overhead locker similar to the one above the dinette. 
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The second half of the kitchen sits opposite and consists of the Dometic 150 litre fridge, microwave oven above and large slide-out pantry. There’s even room for some shelf space.
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‘Big’ is the comment on the bathroom, especially as the vanity sink is outside. In the bathroom itself is a full sized shower and Thetford cassette toilet with still room to dry off. There’s both a towel rail and a towel ring on the door.
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Between the bathroom and front bed is the classy looking vanity sink unit. It’s fully fitted out with flick mixer tap, mirrored cabinet, towel ring and soap dish. 
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It is in the main bedroom area that some interesting design thinking has been going on. You get a choice: either two single beds set at a slight angle to each other or a double bed. 
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There’s no need to make a decision when you buy – the two single innerspring mattresses simply zip together to form a queen sized bed and a board underneath fills the gap! 
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Another little innovation are the window pelmets that have been extended into the rear corners thus making ‘bedside shelves’; they really are not in the way at all. There is also a magazine rack at the bed head, which also has two halogen reading lights fitted into it. 
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Not readily noticeable in daylight is the concealed strip that sits in the roof moulding. Take into account extra fittings like the grab handle by the step, and the bedroom area gets our innovative thinking award.
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Between the door and the overhang is a large cupboard which has hanging space, wire baskets and a large shelf area, plus the Winegard TV antenna handle.
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Lighting is all 12V, a mixture of halogen reading/downlights and fluorescent lamps. Our review Travelhome had a roof-mounted air-conditioner but future models will be fitted with a Truma Climatic unit that can be installed within the fifth wheeler, thus keeping the roof height to a minimum. 
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The bottom line
In an industry climate where the expanding fifth wheeler market has seen a veritable flood of US imports, it is good to know that a local manufacturer has decided not only to produce a well engineered product but to make it suitable for the prolific Aussie ute market. 
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There are quite a few innovative ideas in the Travelhome range and it’s obvious that a bit of market research has been going on. 
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If you are a ute owner or even a budding ute owner, then a Travelhome Macquarie might well be for you.
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Australian Motor Homes, 31 Pacific Highway, Bennetts Green, NSW 2290, (02) 4948 0433, website: www.australianmotorhomes.com.au
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We liked:
• Bedroom layout with single/double bed setup and various fittings that made it user-friendly
• Multi-purpose J-lounge which could seat two to four people
• General fit and finish
• Roller shutter doors on lockers.
• Ease of towing
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We would have liked:
• Drawers under the J-lounge
• Power point near table
• At least one light switch near door – only one in the kitchen.
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Travelhome Macquarie 25

External length: 24ft 6in (7.5m)

External width: 7ft 3in (2.22m)

Internal height: 6ft 5in (2.06m)



Bedroom height: 4ft 3in (1.3m)

Nameplate ATM: 3300kg

Nameplate Tare Weight: 2500kg

Pin (ball) weight: 660kg

Cooktop: Three-burner Smev

Fridge: Dometic RM2553 150 litre

Microwave oven: Sharp carousel

Lighting: 12V

Gas: Two x 9kg

Fresh water tank: 150 litres

Grey water tank: 64 litres

Driver’s licence: C class

Price (fifth wheeler only): $94,050 plus o/r 

Travelhome Macquarie 25

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