24 May, 2021 By: Brendan Batty
A caravan that doubles as a boat, or one that comes with an alfresco deck, or a bathroom with heated towel racks.
In Australia’s incredibly diverse caravan market, your holiday home on wheels now comes in every variation you can possibly get into a trailer-able package, and with plenty of luxury for those who can afford it.
With a growing trend for caravans to embrace more futuristic technologies, shapes and appliances in the pursuit of escapist nirvana, the caravan no longer needs to be just a big white box on wheels.
Now, you can buy caravans that never need to plug into the grid and others that are just as comfortable on a rough remote track as they are on the Indian Ocean Drive. You can buy caravans that tow behind a Mini, or others that cost a quarter of a million dollars.
Here are seven caravans that are challenging that white-box stereotype in a big way.
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CaraBoat - Camp on land and sea
Everyone loves a caravan site with water views, but it's possible to take that experience one step further with a caravan that lets you camp on the water.
The idea of an amphibious caravan isn’t a new one – it's been floating around for decades, the most notable example being the largely unsuccessful Aquavan, which was manufactured in Melbourne through the early 2000s.
Now CaraBoat is the latest Aussie manufacturer to produce a cross between a boat and a caravan.
Essentially a small, trailer-able houseboat, the three CaraBoat models feature roomy floorplans, large kitchens and outboard motors. They sit low on their trailers so they can be used as caravans on land, and when you need a change of scene, they open up new camping options on the water where you can be rocked to sleep.
At the stern, short balconies create a nice outdoor living area for sundowners. For more outdoor living space, traditional caravan awnings can be fitted for use by landlubbers. There’s even access to the roof so you can sunbake at anchor or store kayaks and boards up there for even more on-water fun.
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Kedron TE7 TOPENDER - When money is no concern
This impressive beast is the ultimate in caravan luxury. Kedron’s triple-axle off-road caravan is definitely Australia’s most decadent. So if you’re going off road, why not go in style.
To add some extra comfort to your time on the dusty trail you get two TVs – one for the bedroom and one for the living area plus a Bose sound system, along with wine coolers, a water unit that produces hot and chilled water, heated genuine leather seating and even heated towel racks. And of course, it’s fully climate controlled. But if all that isn’t quite enough, you can up the luxury even more with customised touches.
The standard model also produces plenty of solar power and features 900Ah of lithium batteries (for comparison, that’s almost as much as a Tesla Powerwall). And to ensure it performs even on the roughest of roads, each axle rides on airbag suspension which can be raised or lowered at the press of a button.
This decadent and very large rig will set you back $250,000 but if that’s a little out of your price range, a pared-back version of this hallmark TE-7 is available as a production model for a mere $180,000.
Royal Flair Piazza Skydeck - Camping with a view
Featuring an outdoor deck which, according to the manufacturer takes only minutes to set up, the Skydeck gives this luxury caravan an extra 4.5sqm of undercover living space, so you can enjoy all the benefits of an outdoor alfresco area while you're road-tripping.
The Skydeck utilises the otherwise wasted space over the caravan’s draw bar to extend the living area of the caravan. Accessed through a door in the front of the vehicle, it’s the largest balcony system of any caravan.
But it’s not just the balcony that attracts discerning caravanners. These are Royal Flairs’ most decadent caravans, and the internal features, floorplans and colour schemes shy away from the beige standards of other modern caravans.
For example, the PZ 20’6-1E features an electrically-lifting bed, which is raised to the roof when not in use, revealing a comfortable settee underneath. Whether you’re in bed or lounging around, a breakfast bar at the foot of the bed (opposite the settee) hides a large-screen TV which rises up from under the small bench when movie nights are called for.
HUTrv DEKPOD - Barbeques on the balcony in the outback
There’s no denying caravanning and the outdoorsy lifestyle go hand in hand. But while most of us have been happy to relegate our outdoor living to the grass under an awning, a few inspired builders feel we can do better, adding decks or balconies to their caravans.
The trend goes back decades but has been reignited most recently by HUTrv’s DEKPOD, which is an expanding balcony system that swings out from the front of its campers. The concept was developed by James Knight, who didn’t want to tow a huge caravan, but whose wife wouldn’t camp if she had to live in the dirt.
Functioning as a quasi-foyer, the DEKPOD can be set up as a bathroom or kitchenette. Interestingly, the slatted floor drains into a sump and grey water tank, so you can wash dirty feet instead of traipsing mud into your camper, or shower off the dirt without creating an ever-expanding muddy pit under your campsite.
There's a new model still in concept stages, as COVID-19 has delayed final production, of a simplified version that’s more suited to camper trailers and hybrid caravans.
Smidge Teardrops - Hand-made, old-school charm
The hand-finished Smidge Teardrops are a wood-workers’ dream. Smidge is the passion project of Cameron Harrison, who also runs Suncamper Motorhomes from Sydney’s north. A wood-worker at heart, Cameron wanted to create something that mimicked the retro freedom of post-WWII ‘caravanettes’, but with modern comforts and style.
Inside, the compact living area is dominated by the large, comfortable bed. Cleverly, it folds itself into a daybed, from which you can read or watch a movie – a fold-down door in the cabinet is designed to sit a laptop or tablet. The European birch plywood in the Drop and Dram models is hand-oiled for a glorious, natural look that’ll develop its own personalised patina over time.
For such a small camper, the kitchen is extensive and meticulously finished in the same European birch of the interior. With the rear hatch opened up, it’s always sheltered, and it comes with a fridge and freezer, running water, as well as a two-burner gas stove on a slide-out bench. The trailers only weigh 500-600kg, so you could tow it with a Mini.
BrüderX EXP-4 - Insane off-road ability
Australian RV builders BrüderX have created a tiny off-road caravan that is a real showstopper.
The EXP-4 is designed for couples (or families, with the addition of a roof-top tent), has computer-controlled air suspension, and is one of the lightest off-road campers in its field. Inside, you’ll find plenty of sleeping space, a built-in shower system and a spacious kitchenette in the boot. For anyone serious about remote, off-road travel, it’s easy to covet something like this trailer.
Prices start at $67,500+GST in Australia, with plenty of options available if you’ve got cash to burn. Watch a video of it in action here.
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