Table of contents for Issue 642 in Caravan World

This month, you will read in our news section that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has once again called out the caravan industry for misleading conduct under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). This follows a well-publicised and damning report into manufacturing and sales of local vans two years ago when they made investigating the industry a priority. The Commission warned that breaches can attract severe penalties and there are fines of up to $50 million for companies or $2.5 million for individuals for various offences, including unconscionable conduct, false or misleading representations and more. Despite this, the latest investigations by the ACCC have only resulted in warnings to two dealers that were caught misleading customers about fair pricing and incorrect caravan weights. The reaction has been scathing of ACCC's…

SEND PICS TO WIN “Camping outback style.” “We pulled up for a cuppa and a look around the Old Carcory Homestead ruin, north of Birdsville, Qld. We spent some of the 10,000km on the bitumen, but planned our trip to include a lot of time offroad.” “We stopped over in Gunnedah, NSW, to see the Dorothea Mackellar Silo Art. Our setup is a New Age Road Owl 16ft Adventurer and a 2016 Ford XLT Tickford Enhanced Ranger.” “We stopped in at Bredbo, NSW, for the best pies ever! On tour are my wife and I in our 2013 Jayco Sterling Outback and 2016 Volkswagen Touareg — for us, a perfect combo only surpassed by the weather that day.” “We have a Toyota Hilux and 2017 Avan Cruiseliner. We just had…

A GUIDE TO POWER MANAGEMENT FEATURE In years gone by, staying in caravan parks was the only real practical option for many caravanners. However, over the past decade or so many variables have come together to make off-grid camping an aspiration for most outdoor adventurers with a van in tow. Social media reveals many beautiful and remote destinations we aspire to experience. Nearly all tow vehicles these days are 4WDs with plenty of pulling power and ground clearance. As a result, vans have grown in size, allowing you to carry more of everything, including water. I would also argue that many vans have fancier offroad suspension systems than the matching tow vehicle. So, we have the ability to get to the coolest of places, but the limiting factor has been…

Maryborough's location just off the Bruce Highway, 255km north of Brisbane, is a good and a bad thing for the city. It's a good thing because that makes it easily accessible from major population centres in southeast Queensland. The bad side is because travellers might be tempted to keep travelling on the highway to wherever they're going, north or south, and not divert to the heart of Maryborough to explore its many beautiful heritage attractions. Maryborough was established on the banks of the Mary River and the city owes much of its character and history to that stately waterway. Aboriginal tribes who lived in the region called the river Moonaboola. Andrew Petrie was the first European to see it when he explored the area in 1842 in search of grazing…

Litchfield National Park is a great starting point to explore the Top End. Or the ideal homecoming. For me, it was the latter. After visiting Nitmiluk and Kakadu national parks, Litchfield would be my last hurrah adventuring in the Northern Territory. Located just over an hour's drive south of Darwin (106km), the park is the territory's best-kept secret. The park is a convenient playground for city folk, perhaps often overlooked by travellers who venture further afield for adventure, sending their odometer into overdrive. But Litchfield is one not to bypass. The smaller park — roughly 1500sq km — packs a punch with similar lures to those previously mentioned parks: paradisal waterfalls veiled by monsoon forest, natural pools, granite escarpment, and spring-fed streams. But Litchfield also has its own drawcards, oneofa-kind…

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS REGULARS NSW Parkes Elvis Festival 10–14 January 2024 Journey to Parkes this January for the biggest tribute to ‘The King’ in the Southern Hemisphere. The 2024 theme is Elvis's 1957 musical drama Jailhouse Rock, and there will be concerts, markets, parades and concerts to enjoy over the five-day event. The event is celebrating its 31st year in 2024, so don't miss out. More information can be found online: parkeselvisfestival.com.au Tamworth Country Music Festival 19–28 January 2024 Held in Tamworth, Australia's country music capital, the Toyota Country Music Festival is recognised as Australia's largest and longest country music festival. The 10-day event will be action packed with ticketed and free shows, buskers lining the streets of Tamworth and of course, the Golden Guitar Awards, which will take place…

SIDETRACKS COLUMNS Betoota is 166km east of Birdsville and 220km west of Windorah. It sits on a vast gibber plain, an unforgiving desert surface covered in loose rock fragments. In the late 1800s Betoota had three hotels, a store and post office. It was a changeover station for coach company, Cobb & Co. In an era when cattle were big business, drovers moved cattle across the country along stock routes. When they crossed the border into South Australia customs agents at Betoota collected a toll from the drovers. Fast forward to 2023, the road signs on the entrance and exit of the ‘ghost’ town declare Betoota's official population as zero. Someone has affixed a temporary sign below with a sloppily painted number ‘five’. Likely erected by one of the seasonal…

GETAWAY GEAR REGULARS During a recent trip to Wappan Station in Victoria alongside three of Legend Caravans’ electric vans, I had the chance to check out the FireChef Leather Knife Roll, made by local company OZ Braai. After trekking our way to a particularly picturesque spot overlooking Lake Eildon, we set ourselves up for a completely candid breakfast photoshoot, which is when this knife roll came in handy. The he leather case is high quality and made from 100 per cent Crazy Horse Leather — a premium quality natural cowhide that has a more rustic appearance, showcasing the bumps and different hues rather than offering a smooth, polished exterior. It gave the roll an authentic feel that fit right in with our impromptu caravan setup in the rolling hills of…

A UHF radio is a very handy thing when you're travelling, but they are particularly important bit of gear for anyone with a van or RV in tow. And if you don't already have one, you're in luck because Uniden Australia has announced its latest model — the UH825 series — which is built for rugged conditions and offers enhanced features to cater for lifestyle enthusiasts, offroad adventurers, and thrill seekers of every kind. An upgrade from its predecessor, the UH820 series, the UH825 series incorporates an impressive 2W maximum TX output power which ensures clear communication over distances of up to 13km. Its long-life 200mAh lithium-ion battery delivers up to 23 hours of usage, meaning users are always able to stay connected throughout their adventures. Uniden has integrated USB-C…

news REGULARS The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is putting the caravan industry on notice that the use of misleading representations in advertising is in breach of the Australian Consumer Law and may result in strong enforcement action being taken against retailers. A recent example identified by the ACCC involved ‘price certainty’ representations in which a small retailer told a number of customers the price of the caravan they ordered was fixed, but subsequently sought to increase the price (while also giving the customer an alternative option to cancel the contract). The fixed price representation had also been made despite the contract allowing the retailer to pass on manufacturers’ price increases. Another example of concern to the ACCC involved allegedly false or misleading representations regarding caravan weights which were…

It has been a full year since the launch of OFF TRACK WINES®. The brazen wine-inacan producer has been dodging the city and living it up at the coolest pubs in the outback. Anna Fisher, one-half of the daring duo behind OFF TRACK WINES, said: “You can find our wines anywhere that our trusty vintage H45 series LandCruiser ‘Borr’ takes us. From Adelaide to Darwin, through the Simpson Desert, and all the way to Kakadu, NT, and Bourke, NSW. “We've sipped and shared stories with outback publicans who've embraced our wines. We're chuffed that these pubs are now our best mates.” OFF TRACK WINES are now being cracked at The Cradock Hotel, Transcontinental Hotel Oodnadatta, Mungerannie Roadhouse, The Innamincka Hotel, Mt Dare Hotel, Larrimah Hotel, Berry Springs Tavern, The Bark…

COLUMNS VAN ROAM'N To be honest, our kids prefer a good oldfashioned park or beach day over a paid activity, and they sure know how to spot a playground. They're also very good at spotting the bunk bed caravans (due to the windows) that promise other kids to play with. On travel days we generally choose which town we'll stop in to break up the drive by checking reviews and images of the local playground. Most towns have a park and a water point with easy enough parking for caravans passing through. We have also found some excellent free or low-cost self-contained campgrounds right beside playgrounds during our travels. Here are our favourites, most of which either have a playground or are conveniently located by the beach. All of them…

ECHUCA–MOAMA, VIC–NSW TRAVEL Just a short walk from the car, it suddenly came into view — a great cappuccino-coloured expanse flowing swiftly between the banks of gnarled river red gums. The mighty Murray River. A tiny flutter of excitement rushed through me as I saw it, like the kind you get when meeting a legend. And the Murray is legendary. For around 40 million years, Australia's longest river has travelled 2508km from the Snowy Mountains in NSW to the river mouth at Goolwa in South Australia. It's seen it all, through changing times and countless droughts and floods. 1 his river is the treasured heartbeat ot Echuca-Moama, twin towns on the VIC-NSW border, a 2.5-hour drive north of Melbourne. The proximity of this particular bend in the river is what…

WARROORA, WA TRAVEL “The road is positioned just above sea level and offers a spectacular first impression of this secluded area in Western Australia's Gascoyne region” Our destination is Sandy Point, one of a dozen coastal camps at Warroora Station (pronounced Warra). It's located about 12 hours drive from Perth, halfway between Carnarvon and Exmouth, on WA'S Coral Coast. It's a two-day, overnight road trip for us from Dunsborough and my husband and I shared the driving. We hitched the Lotus Trooper to our 200 series Toyota LandCruiser, loaded the rooftop tinny, numerous surfboards and three kelpies. The suspension on the Cruiser is fitted with a Lovells GVM and BTC Upgrade, increasing our carrying and towing capacity. It's a bonus for this self-appointed ‘camp princess’ who loves her extra creature…

Ever wondered how a 52-year-old selfconfessed ‘city chick’ could tow a small caravan to every corner of Queensland, tackle 4WD tracks in the night rain and mud, drive 11,000km in two months and still not know how to change a spare tyre? It turns out a lot is possible if you just say “yes” and work it out later. If you've ever held yourself from heading out on a new adventure because you're on your own, then read on! For most of my adult life, I've loved camping. We took our blended family of five kids and two dogs away every school holiday in our camper trailer and swags and loved every minute of it. Camping was family connection time and, because I was lucky enough to be married to…

BOOTS ALL IN COLUMNS When you're a solo woman travelling around Far North Queensland, you're not thinking about getting your hair cut and coloured. But for those who call the remote parts of Queensland home, the fact that the nearest hairdresser is more than 800km away can be less than ideal. For every problem, there is a solution. In my recent travels I met an entrepreneurial hairdresser travelling around the remotest parts of this country with her husband and dalmatian, making a living as they continue their great adventure. When I pulled up in the historic town of Croydon, in the Gulf Country of Far North Queensland, I had no idea that it was going to be such a charming, well-maintained little town. Once a thriving gold mining town, Croydon…

We like a good travel yarn here at Caravan World and this recently released coffee table book from German-born photographer and writer, Don Fuchs, has plenty of well researched destinations. Like many overseas born Australians, Fuchs brings a fresh view of Australia and its people. His travels over the past three decades led him to ideal locations across all states which he has distilled into the 25 journeys of Road Trips Australia: Backroads and Byways. Fuchs learned his craft working on European travel magazines and specialised mountaineering publications before calling Australia home. His work has been published worldwide including regular assignments with Australian Geographic and RM Williams Outback. Road Trips Australia: Backroads and Byways follows 10 previous books with themes as diverse as The Ghan, Australian Islands and an off-track…

The new MY24 New Age Caravans models keep on rolling off the production line, with the all-new ESCAPE now available, alongside a pop-top range in the Road Owl and Manta Ray. Listening to customers as well as market demands, and for a limited time only, the Road Owl and Manta Ray caravans will be available for under $80,000, thanks to the ESCAPE model. The ESCAPE still retains all the product enhancements already found in MY24 Road Owl and Manta Ray, including improved furniture, soft close hinges, extended A-frame, European cupboard and door handles, alcoves in the bedroom with 12V and 240V power, wireless charging pads and LED strip lighting throughout. The Manta Ray and Road Owl ESCAPE are available in the 19ft variants. Also new to the market is the…

With a B.E.S.T. (Bacteria Elimination Silver Treatment) water filter, you can ensure you have clean, safe water – wherever the road may take you. The filter means you can safely draw water from town, tank, creek or bore water sources to fill your caravan's tanks, while the chemicals and sediment will be removed and the bacteria destroyed. The filter is multidirectional, can be used after long periods of non-use and involves a simple, DIY installation. How to win If you're stumped by a technical or towing problem, send your question to submissions@emprisegroup.com.au with ‘Tech Talk’ in the subject line or send a letter to Caravan World Tech Talk, 3 Wyman Place, Braeside, Vic 3195. All entries must include your full address (not for publication).…

LEGEND GROUNDBREAKER ULTIMATE 48V REVIEWS Legend Caravans has been a familyrun builder since 2008. In those 15 years, brothers Zoran and Robert have seen many changes in customer expectations and technological advances. Their Somerton, Vic, business is a vast complex of modern build processes with a fashionable showroom where customers can take their time checking out display vans or taking a tour of the factory. The last few years have been testing on all caravan builders, with staff shortages and supply problems exacerbating unprecedented demand. Recently, the team has reassessed the business with a commitment to quality over quantity. They brought all sales in-house to take command of orders and ensure a timely flow of vans to customers. Cutting back on output and maximising quality control guarantees that the vans…

With more Australians hitting the road with a caravan or hybrid in tow, there has been a rising trend of adventurers wanting the capability to head off-grid for either short or extended periods of time, and potentially without the backup of gas. And with that comes a requirement for adequate and high-quality power management solutions that can withstand Australia's tough conditions. BMPRO is one of Australia's leading power management solution manufacturers, and with its parent company, Setec BMPRO, BMPRO has been designing and producing power-related products for more than 55 years. The large Setec BMPRO facility is based in the Melbourne suburb of Knoxfield and encompasses everything from the customer service team through to the research and development department and manufacturing line. Louise Bayliss, the managing director of Setec BMPRO,…

“Grab a map and divide your time between the southern and northern tablelands, or just go where the roads tempt you and prepare for a feast of the senses” Located around 90km from Cairns, there are a number of ways of getting to the Tablelands, many travel via the Gillies Highway into the mountains, or take the Kuranda Highway from the northside of Cairns. The higher elevation and cooler climate are a welcome respite in the summer when the rainforest and waterfalls come alive, but anytime is a wonderful time to tour with a caravan. We had three weeks to fill before an organised house sit in Cooktown — always a nice break from van life. However, even a week will give you a delicious taste of the Tablelands. There…

RECIPES ON THE ROAD COOKING WHITE WINE MUSSELS TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes SERVES: 4 INGREDIENTS • 2 tbsp butter • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 cup chicken stock • 1 cup dry white wine • 1kg fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded • ½ cup thickened cream • Salt, to taste • Lemon wedges and parsley to garnish METHOD Preheat the campfire for cooking over medium–high heat. In a large pot, heat butter and garlic over the fire cooking until soft. Add the chicken stock and white wine, simmering for a few minutes. Add the mussels, give it a shake and then put the lid on for two minutes. Take the lid off, remove any opened mussels from the pot into a bowl. Put the lid back on the pot…

MSA 4X4 is a familiar name in the pages of Caravan World, and this company's towing mirrors have been particularly celebrated as reliable accessories to any caravanning setup. Not resting on its laurels, MSA 4X4 recently launched the MSA POWER FOLD™ Towing Mirror, an innovative product designed to enhance caravan enthusiasts’ towing experiences, by offering convenience, safety and peace of mind. As the name would suggest, one of the key features of this towing mirror is power fold functionality. At the touch of a button, caravanners can conveniently fold and unfold the mirrors, allowing for effortless manoeuvring through narrow spaces or parking in tight spots. The MSA POWER FOLD Towing Mirror also provides an extended field of view, allowing for fewer blind spots and ensuring excellent visibility on the road.…