Wirr-Away Motorhome 2006 Review

By Malcolm Street

John and June Estreich are old hands in motorhome travel. For the last 15 years, the couple has been travelling and enjoying the motorhome lifestyle, first in a Toyota HiAce pop-top van and then a converted Mazda T3500 bus. When retirement loomed and they started to look for a new Grey Nomad rig, they certainly had plenty of experience behind them and a clue or two about what they were looking for.

Both John and June agree that “there is no substitute for research”. John is a watchmaker by trade and likes things that work with precision (you might note the name of their motorhome, Tic Toc). He also has a couple of brothers who are cabinet makers and he likes to see things fit together properly.

Enter Wirr-Away (as in ‘we’re away’) Motor Homes. Under the direction of Rob Tonkin, Wirr-Away is based in Mildura, Vic, and is not exactly a high volume producer, but what the company does produce is very impressive.

If you are wondering about the name, it’s a derivative of Wirraway, a former RAAF trainer aircraft that once could be seen flying around the skies of Mildura.

Rob Tonkin has a background in both aviation and building houseboats. He actually lives on one at present on the Murray River, so he’s very familiar with the effective use of space. His first venture into the motorhome world was in converting Toyota Coaster buses, but for the past few years he has mainly been building Mercedes-Benz cab chassis conversions.

Mildura is not exactly on the way to most places, but it’s well worth a visit, as John and June Estreich discovered in their motorhome search. They had previously seen a Wirr-Away motorhome at a motorhome rally in Tasmania and thought it “almost too good to be true”.

Upon their return to their home in the NSW Southern Highlands, the Estreichs decided that a visit to the Wirr-Away premises was essential. Shortly thereafter, an order was placed for their new motorhome.

Stepping aboard

Being a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 413CD based vehicle, the Wirr-Away is easy to drive. The apparently small 2.2L turbodiesel gives a good performance and all-round disc brakes do the reverse quite satisfactorily.

Of interest to many people will be the six-speed gearbox that has replaced the previously used Sprintshift semi-auto. It is certainly an improvement and non-manual drivers will be happy. Good to see that a reversing camera is a standard feature.

Construction wise, the Wirr-Away has 19mm plywood flooring that’s protected by galvanised sheeting. Rectangular hollow section (RHS) aluminium is used for the welded frame and that is covered by panel work that consists of composite closed cell urethane foam/fibreglass panel which is vacuum sealed. The end result is a body that is light but strong. It’s all topped with a very striking two-pack epoxy paint finish.

Out of sight in the chassis area are a couple of items worth mentioning. Welded stainless steel is used to manufacture the water tanks and the spare wheel mounting has been moved to make it easier to get at.  

Around the outside, the single hopper windows and door are Seitz items with integrated blinds and flyscreens. The door also comes with an electric step. There are three external storage bins, the rear nearside one being partly occupied by a very important item, a slide-out barbecue. John reckons there’s nothing better than sitting under the awning at Happy Hour time, a glass of chardonnay in hand while turning the sizzling steaks.

Lounging about

Inside the Wirr-Away is a layout that is very much designed for two people to travel comfortably. Up front, the driver and passenger seats both swivel around, and there’s a fold-out table and a bench seat behind the driver’s seat. Behind the dinette is the bathroom and on the opposite side is the kitchen, leaving the space in the rear for a north-south double bed.

In the decor department, John and June really like the Tasmanian myrtle cabinet work: “it oozes quality”, they say, and it’s certainly a dominant feature of the interior. Big windows and a large Seitz marine hatch above the dinette let in plenty of fresh air and light.

When things get too warm, the roof-mounted air-conditioner can be used. All the windows have curtains, as well as the integrated blinds in the window frames.

Full use has been made of the driver’s cab. Both seats, with leather trim and arm rests swivel around to make comfortable lounge seats, as well as forming part of the dinette.

In the area above the cab, a small shelf runs across the front and there is a small cupboard on either side. Each seat has a handy halogen reading light. MHG thought that the centre-mounted railway-style clock had something to do with John’s former occupation, but it’s a standard Wirr-Away feature.

In the ‘lounge area’ behind the passenger seat, but really part of the kitchen, is a large 150L fridge with a microwave oven above. Sitting above that is the entertainment unit – video/CD/DVD/AM/FM radio – which drives the multiple speakers.

The kitchen bench itself is something to behold – a Cramer three-burner cooktop, with grill/oven and stainless steel sink are set in the laminated benchtop, with space to spare. Drawers abound (eight in all) under the benchtop in the Tasmanian myrtle timberwork and there are three overhead lockers as well.

It all fits together very neatly and has that ‘craftsman’ look about it. In addition to the drawer space, there is also a full height slide-out pantry that sits immediately behind the dinette and is therefore convenient for both the table and the kitchen bench.

Bedknobs and bathrooms

As you might expect, the partly timbered bathroom in the Wirr-Away is something quite special. In one corner is the shower, a one-piece moulded fibreglass item that features some swish-looking fittings. In the other corner is the usual swivelling bowl Thetford cassette toilet and in between is a wash basin with a mirrored cabinet above. There’s also a full length mirror on the wall – it all adds up to a very classy bathroom.

On centre stage in the rear is the island double bed complete with innerspring mattress on a timber base. That lifts up to get to the storage area underneath. Large windows give both good ventilation flow and plenty of natural light.

Across the rear of the motorhome is a full bedhead complete with two small hanging wardrobes, two overhead lockers plus bedside cabinets with three drawers each. A feature of the bedroom area is that walk-around room is excellent.

Technology is relatively simple in the Wirr-Away: there are two 115ah 12V batteries that can be charged by either a 240/12V battery charger or the vehicle’s alternator. Optional extras are a solar panels and, or, generator. The 12V lighting is a mixture of fluorescent or halogen fittings and 240V power points are fitted in the obvious places.  

The bottom line

The Wirr-Away is a very impressive motorhome. Everything from the general layout to the superb cabinet work shows careful design and quality workmanship.

John and June Estreich are certainly very happy with their retirement machine. Indeed, when MHG first met up with John, he was listing all the merits of a Wirr-Away motorhome to a potential future owner with great enthusiasm – recommendations don’t come much better than that. 

Contact Wirr-Away Motor Homes, 6B Hynes Court, Mildura, Vic 3500, (03) 5023 0230, 0412 608 692, web: www.wirraway.com.au 

We liked:

This is a very well built custom-made job with many nice touches for its experienced owners.

Timber walls and cupboards look very smart.

The bathroom. 

We would have liked:

Some time on holiday in a unit like this one.