Weekly Wrap

GET A NEW HOBBY

Melbourne campervan specialist Sunliner has finally come up with a name for its sporty new range of toy hauler vans.

Officially launched at the 2011 Victorian Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow last week, the Sunliner Hobby Hauler is available in five different layouts and two body lengths: 5630mm and 6230mm.

All feature a double bed in the rear that can be electrically raised to various heights in order to store motorbikes, bicycles or other toys while sleeping. The 3-4 berth vans also come with a kitchen, shower/toilet and living areas as well as a number of entertainment and comfort features.

The 'show' price for the three-berth model on display was $49,999.

SURVEY SUPPORTS RV LIFESTYLE

An online survey commissioned by RV giant Jayco has come up with some interesting findings.

Of the 1004 people who responded, 75 per cent said they’d prefer to buy a caravan rather than backpack overseas, while 54 per cent would consider buying a caravan for family holidays, rather than using hotel accommodation.

Of the 313 ‘Generation Y’ respondents aged from 18 to 34, 50 per cent believed a holiday in a caravan is a cheaper option than paying for overseas flights and accommodation. While half of the 493 respondents aged over 45, said they would consider buying an RV instead of a holiday house upon retirement.

The results were also promising for the single traveller, with one in five respondents who have been caravanning in the past finding romance on the road.

DUAL CAB CAMPERS ARRIVE

One of the rising stars in Australia’s new vehicle market at the moment is the dual cab ute, particularly the up-spec variety designed for work duties during the week and family recreational activities on the week-end.

Responding to this trend are a number of RV manufacturers, which have recently released dual cab slide-on or tray top campers, some of which were on display at the Victorian Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow.

Queensland’s Travelander displayed a Toyota HiLux dual cab cab-chassis fitted with its new 'short tray' slide-on camper, while Northstar had a similar style, flip-over tent camper fitted to a Nissan Navara dual cab ute.

South Australia’s Adventure Offroad Campers has also just released a dual cab slide-on camper, although it wasn’t on display at the show.

Meanwhile Queensland's Talvor Motorhomes, which has just signed up two new dealers in Hobart and Townsville, is hard at work designing a dual cab version of its two-berth, off-road Adventure Camper based on a 4x4 HiLux. It’s expected to be released around mid-2011.

DEEP POCKETS REQUIRED

The very swish Aquarius A-class motorhome wasn’t the only big ticket item on display in the undercover motorhome display area at the Victorian Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow.

Manufacturers including Jayco, Talvor, Trakka, Paradise, Suncamper and Paradise rolled out a mouth-watering selection of their latest and greatest campervans and motorhomes to try and tempt show-goers.

But for those with extremely deep pockets it was hard to go past Winnebago’s Classic A4094SL. This massive 12m long motorhome has a GVM of almost 12 tonne, and comes with the interior fit-out of a Double Bay penthouse with two slide-outs and sleeping for up to four people.

Everything about this monster motorhome is big, from the 8.3-litre diesel donk and 379 litre fuel tank, to more-than-ample 18kg gas supply and 226 litre fridge/freezer.

Priced at an eye-watering $635,000, it even caught the attention of TV celeb 'Coxy' who stopped by for a closer look via the elevated viewing platform in front of the huge windscreen.

COSTLY CARAVANS

Motorhomes weren’t the only high-priced items on display at the Victorian Caravan Supershow. As the humble caravan gets bigger, heavier and packed with more and more features, so it seems does the number of  'six figure' examples on offer.

The most expensive van we spotted at the show was from Queensland off-road specialist Bushtracker, which had an amazing 21ft model optioned ‘with the lot’ and priced at $141,250.

With an ATM approaching 3500kg, the robust, two-berth van is built to get you in and out of some of Australia’s most remote 4WD locations, and the show example had enough solar and battery power and purified drinking water capacity to keep you out there for days.

NEVER GET LOST AGAIN IN A KEA

Kea Campers says it’s the first vehicle manufacturer in Australia to offer the latest Polaris satellite navigation device; in Kea’s case available as an option on its Conqueror 4WD camper.

The built-in GPS system comes with all the latest technology including a digital touchscreen display, rear vision camera, Bluetooth and iPod Connectivity, USB port, 8G SD Card and offroad maps.

Kea Camper’s national vehicle sales manager Norman Roe said the Polaris is the "ultimate partner to take on 4WD adventures – not only does the sat nav provide location information and maps, it is a fully integrated system which can be added to any vehicle".

Contact Kea Campers for further details including pricing.

HELPING HANDS

As caravans get bigger and heavier, they also get harder to move around, so it's no surprise more and more devices are hitting the market to save your back (and marriage!) when positioning your big van.

One option is a rubber-track device like the Campertrolley which attaches to the drawbar, but we also spotted a number of other bolt-on options at the Victorian Supershow. These included the Powrtouch remote caravan mover, a recent addition to the Dometic stable, and the just-arrived E-go which was fitted to a Euro-built Adria van at the show.

Not disimilar to the Powrtouch, the E-go bolts to your van and uses a direct drive motor and solid alloy rollers to motivate your van’s tyres, all via remote control.

With prices starting at $1350, the E-go is available in two- and four-wheel drive versions and comes with a five-year warranty. See the Purpleline website for more info.

MADE IN CHINA VANS

First it was camper trailers like GIC’s Outback Rover, then Great Wall utes and Chery cars. Now Chinese-built Exclusive caravans have arrived Down Under.

On display at the recent Townsville Home Show and Caravan, Camping and Boating Expo, the Chinese-built caravans, pop-tops and campers are the brainchild of ex-Boroma Caravans director Peter Russell.

Now general manager of Exclusive Caravans, Russell told the Caravanning News website that the new range which includes a 13ft 6in camper-style van and 21ft caravan with separate shower and toilet, has been designed "for the Australian market from the ground up".

Providing assurance the new range will be up to scratch quality-wise, Russell said the vans are being built by "a very reputable Chinese company" and he "spent seven months living and working with the Chinese to ensure that they knew what they were doing and why".

For more information, visit the Exclusive Caravans website.

GREEN PARK WINS AGAIN

Multi-award winning 'eco retreat', Lane Cove River Tourist Park, has put another feather in its cap, picking up the Ecotourism award at the 2010 Australian Tourism Awards. 

Situated just 10km from Sydney's central business district amongst national park, the park has installed a solar garden feature and participates in a number of ecotourism initiatives including worm farming and indigenous culture education. Lane Cove also picked up the Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.

Another winner at the Tourism Awards, in the Tourism and Caravan Parks category, was the Big 4 Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort. The popular park has its own waterpark facility and is situated on 28 hectares amongst lush tropical gardens.

Now in their 26th year, the Australian Tourism Awards are organised by the tourism lobby group National Tourism Alliance. Click here for the full list of 2010 winners.