CARAVANNING DOWN UNDER
This article appeared in
the Jan. 2006 edition of 'Practical Caravan' - UK's top-selling
RV magazine. (The original drafts gave a lot more information
and are reproduced at the bottom of the page together with some
more photographs).
Here are the original drafts:
CARAVANNING IN AUSTRALIA
(2)
We - that's my wife
Vi and I - are about to take a six months imaginary trip right
around Australia with our caravan. Would you care to join us?
OK - buckle up your seat belts and enjoy the ride.
Along the way I'll try to explain a few things that may look
a bit strange to UK 'vanners as we experience climate and scenery
changes during a journey around this vast continent that will
see us cover about 18,000km.
You'll have to travel with us because we don't have many vans
for hire and hiring a car for an extended tour can be expensive.
Most people visiting from the UK hire campervans or small motor-homes
for their travels and these are readily available although also
quite costly.
Our outfit is a new 18' Jayco tandem axle caravan and we will
be towing it with a 4.1litre Ford Falcon sedan. The van cost
us about A$40,000 because we specified a number of options including
an LPG hot water service and two water tanks under the floor,
an on-board Thetford Cassette toilet and a shower. Like many
Aussies these days we have a microwave oven, flat-screen TV,
and a stereo unit with remote control. Although we often cook
on a barbecue outside, especially when bush camping, we have
an LPG cook-top, grill and oven for when the weather is inclement.
You'd probably call the cook-top a 'hob'.
Huge range of vans
We had a huge number of vans to choose from when we bought
this one for the trip including the recent addition of a few
European models from companies like Geist. The range starts with
a vast array of camper-trailers sometimes called tent-trailers,
small rear entry pop-top caravans, A-vans that fold for travelling,
small single-axle pop-tops right through to very large tandem-axle
vans up to around 24' or more with up-market models setting you
back more than A$80,000.
The Falcon was an easy choice for us as we are not four-wheel
drive fans and the Falcon with its powerful 6-cylinder 4.1litre
motor makes an excellent tow car. Our vans are heavy and this
one will tip the scales at around two tonnes or more by the time
we pack all our gear on board.
It will have a load on the tow-ball of more than 200kg in keeping
with the recommended 10% to 15% for stable towing. A weight distribution
hitch will ensure this load is spread evenly between the car's
front and rear wheels for stability. This van has leaf-spring
suspension with solid axles but many use independent suspension
systems.
Of course we have electric brakes on all four caravan wheels
and the controller is that thing you can see under the dashboard
with the red light that lights up when I apply the brakes. Our's
works with a pendulum that detects when the car slows and applies
the trailer brakes progressively. You will notice that I check
the brake operation at low speed before we get on the road every
morning having been caught with faulty wires or connections a
couple of times.
Big tow cars
Ford Falcons are the most popular tow cars but we could have
opted for GMH's Holden Commodore, which runs a close second.
Most of the tow cars seen on British roads would shudder and
die if asked to tow one of our heavy vans with their solid steel
girder chassis and heavy-duty components.
I said earlier that Vi and I don't care for four-wheel drive
vehicles but this dislike is not shared by a large number of
Australian caravanners so we'll see more and more Toyota Landcruisers
and Nissan Patrols towing large vans as we travel. Smaller 4x4s
like the Mitsubishi Pajero and Holden Jackaroo are also quite
popular. Turbo diesels are most favoured and some are dual fuel
- petrol and LPG. Our Ford is dual fuel and you'll notice how
the price increases as we get away from the Capital Cities. Petrol
these days is more than a dollar a litre even in the cities and
the price is rising all the time. LPG is readily available and
about half the petrol price but consumption is a little higher
- about 15%.
Let's go!
Are you ready to get on the road yet? We've taken the dog
to the kennels, as pets are not welcome in a lot of caravan parks.
What are they you ask? Sorry - I forgot you are not used to our
terminology. A 'caravan park' is what you call a 'site', our
site is your 'pitch' and 'pitch' is what we do with a tent!
Many people do take Fido with them but they are banned in parks
that belong to 'Big 4' - our largest chain of parks - and dogs
and cats are a definite no-no in National Parks. We like to do
a bit of bush camping so our pooch stays behind.
Big 4 is just one of our park chains with Top Tourist and FPA
(Family Parks of Australia) also popular. Members get discounts
on their site fees and other benefits. Unfortunately we don't
have anything like your 'Caravan Club' or 'Camping and Caravan
Club' down here although there are many small clubs that conduct
rallies each month for members to get together,
North for the winter
We live in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, in the southern
part of Australia and we will be heading up the east coast on
the first leg of our trip. It's May and winter is approaching
as we join the exodus of vanners from the southern States who
go north for the winter. Thousands of these people go to the
same caravan park each year, have their own group of friends
and share 'happy hour' each night to get together and talk about
the day's activities and swap yarns - some even true.
Have you noticed the number of older vans sharing the road with
all the bright shiny new outfits? Did you also notice that most
drivers are grey - that's if they have any hair left at all!
This preponderance of older, retired folk doing 'The Big One'
has led to the term 'Grey Nomads' being used to describe us although
there are a lot of families taking to the roads - some on working
holidays and others just enjoying the lifestyle during their
annual leave or long-service leave.
Gone fishin'
Another thing you will have seen by now as we head up the
coastal road to Sydney, is the number of tow vehicles with 'tinnies'
(aluminium boats) on the roof. What you can't see are the inflatables
stowed away in boots and the fishing gear many of them carry.
Fishing is a very popular pastime but golf and bowls are strong
competitors as a means of filling the long sunny days up north.
We've been travelling through fantastic coastal scenery but it's
time to pull in for the night and we'll use a typical 4-star
caravan park. This one happens to be a Big4 park and we'll flash
our membership card and get our 10% discount. It'll still cost
us a bit over $20 a night and this will go higher in some popular
resort spots and in peak seasons. Tourist Park Guides are put
out by the motoring associations each year and 'star' ratings
range from humble one star parks with adequate but basic facilities
up to 4 or 5 star parks with lovely swimming pools, TV and games
rooms and internet access.
This is one of the better parks and someone will guide us to
our site and help us back into position alongside the concrete
annex pad. We'll roll out our awning, set out the chairs and
table and be ready for the cuppa Vi's brewing inside. While we
wait we may as well hook up the electricity, connect our water
hose to the tap provided and run our waste water pipe to the
drain. This is a 'drive-through' site so we don't need to un-hitch
the caravan as we are only stopping one night. If we were lingering
longer we would have booked one of the ordinary sites and fitted
the walls to the awning to turn it into an annex.
The ablution block is spotless and the laundry, as usual, is
a great hub for exchanging information while you wait for the
washing to complete its cycle in the large coin-operated washing
machines. There are often notices telling of local events and
places of interest pinned a board on the laundry wall.
Metropolitan driving
An early start in the morning and before we know it we are
in a completely different world. Cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes
and caravans are all vying for their share of the road as we
enter metropolitan Sydney. There's no time to stop and stare
for the driver on these busy, multi-lane roads but, as a passenger,
you may have time to glance at the fleeting harbour views and
the skyline of high-rise buildings. The quickest way through
Sydney is the Harbour Tunnel and our electronic pass used in
Melbourne on the City Link system works here as well. We hear
the transponder beep and know they've had their hand in your
pocket!
Through the tunnel and we are soon out of town and on the amazing
Gosford motorway with the three-lane road in each direction soaring
over deep valleys or cutting through the solid rock of hills.
Signs warn of high winds that could be a danger to unwary caravanners
and we are particularly careful as I once had a very nasty experience
here. We'll follow the coast north to Brisbane although there
are quicker inland routes we could have taken - but inland it
gets cold at night in winter and we are looking for warmth not
cold.
I'm sure that by now you will have a good idea of what caravanning
is like down here and you will have had time to look around our
van and take in the fact that this one is aluminium clad. It's
also insulated and like many others we have air-conditioning
fitted. You can't see it, but the frame of this van is made of
aluminium although about half of Aussie manufacturers prefer
meranti hardwood frames.
 Lake Argyle.WA
We will be heading up through the lush green canefields and tree
clad mountains of Far North Queensland, heading westwards through
vast stretches of savannah, revelling in the beautiful colours
of the Red Centre, enjoying the tropical warmth of the 'Top End'
and marvelling at the splendour of the Kimberly ranges. Then
it's down the sparsely populated west coast to Perth before returning
over the 'Nullarbor' - the vast treeless plain - and along the
glorious coast bordering the Great Australian Bight. We'll take
in the delights of Adelaide and the rest of South Australia before
getting back home exhilarated by our travels and already dreaming
about where we will go next year.
You won't have been eaten by lions during this trip - our kangaroos,
possums, koalas, wombats, bilbys and the like are all pretty
harmless and providing you kept clear of crocodiles up north
and avoided snakes when we camped in the bush, you'll have had
a safe and fascinating journey.
I'll let you out here - I hope you enjoyed the trip.
CARAVANNING IN AUSTRALIA
(1)
Caravanning is booming
'Down Under' these days as more and more people take early retirement,
buy a new caravan and tow vehicle and set off with other 'grey
nomads' to explore this vast continent.
To put things into perspective - the UK and most of Europe would
fit into Australia without touching the sides. Texas, that big
icon, would fit into Western Australia three times and a trip
'around the block' is about 18,000km.
Imagine travelling, as we did recently, for hundreds of km on
a single lane bitumen road without passing through a town. (By
the way we don't have 'villages' as you know them in Britain
and a town can be just a few houses. Our 'villages' are usually
an elitist shopping complex in a large town). Major highways
are a different matter and pose no problems for experienced drivers.
While we are talking about differences perhaps we should look
at a few caravanning terms. Our 'caravan park' you would call
a 'site'; our 'site' you would call a 'pitch' and your 'hob'
we know as a 'cook-top or stove'.
Caravan parks in Australia are graded by the motoring organizations
using a star system. One star is pretty basic and at the other
end of the scale a four or five star rating denotes an up-market
park with lots of amenities including a swimming pool and TV/games
rooms. Most parks have concrete annex pads, electric hook-ups,
mains water to each site and sullage outlets. An increasing number
have 'dump points' for emptying on-board toilet cassettes. These
also cater for the large numbers of motor-homes (motor caravans?)
with their grey and black sullage holding tanks.
Parks are listed in Tourist Park Guides available from the various
State motoring organizations - the guides are produced by AAA
Tourism and are identical apart from their covers. The guides
also list which parks allow pets and which ones ban them. Dogs
and cats are a no-no in National Parks.
Many parks belong to groups like Big4, Top Tourist and Family
Parks of Australia. Caravanners who are members get discounts
on bookings and other benefits.
There are no clubs like the UK's 'Caravan and Camping Club' and
'Caravan Club' with their own 'sites' and wardens here although
there are numerous smaller caravan clubs in every State with
monthly rallies of members their main function.
While most Aussie 'vanners prefer to stay in commercial caravan
parks, there is a growing number of people who like to 'bush
camp' in National Parks, State Forests, Water Authority reserves
and similar. This is reflected in the popularity of on-board
toilets and showers as an option in many vans now on the market.
An Australian wouldn't know what an aqua-roll was if he fell
over one! Aussie vans have built in water tanks under the floor
- two if it's a van with a shower.
The Great Trek North
Believe it or not, the southern half of Australia gets pretty
cold and miserable in winter and those of us lucky enough to
be retired with no ties, join the great trek north with the roads
up the east coast clogged with caravans and other RVs from about
May onwards. Many of these people stay for the winter in a favourite
caravan park each year and many parks in popular resort areas
have 'No Vacancy' signs for months until the weather improves
'down south' and the visitors return home.
A similar exodus occurs on the west coast with vanners from Perth
and the southern parts of Western Australia heading north to
places like Broome for the winter. The west coast is more sparsely
populated than 'over east' and there's not as great a choice
of places to stay.
The 'Big One'
A trip around Australia is a great adventure taking in an
enormous variety of conditions, climate and scenery. Fortunately
there are no lions or tigers to contend with and the local kangaroos,
possums and wombats are a pretty un-threatening lot. You do have
to watch for the odd snake although they are just as keen as
you to avoid an encounter.
From the vast expanses of the red centre to the lush green wet
tropics of Far North Queensland, from the metropolitan high-rise
buildings of bustling cities like Sydney and Melbourne to the
towering forest giants of south-western Western Australia, Australia
is different. With thousands of km of coastline and magnificent
uncrowded beaches it comes as a surprise to find the rugged unbroken
cliffs along the Great Australian Bight that guard the coast
of much of the southern part of the continent. Unwary mariners
often finished up on these cliffs and reefs in the early days
and many shipwreck sites dot this coast.
Prevailing winds seem to favour doing the 'Big One' in an anti-clockwise
direction although, as most caravanners the world over know,
there is always the likelihood of headwinds or gusty side-winds
whichever way you go.
They are heavy!
UK caravanners meeting an Aussie caravan for the first time
are amazed by the weight. This is not surprising when you consider
the road conditions the vans are likely to encounter and the
huge distances they are expected to cover. The chassis of an
Australian caravan is made of substantial steel members - usually
galvanised these days - and suspension is either by rugged leaf
springs or independent suspension.
Although pop-top roofs remain popular, there is a trend towards
the larger tandem axle full vans with all the conveniences of
home including microwave ovens, flat screen TVs and stereo systems.
These can cost up to A$80,000 or A$90,000 at the top end of the
range and few are under A$30,000. Even the smaller vans are usually
more than A$20,000. Aluminium cladding is still the preferred
outer skin of the van with around half of new vans favouring
meranti timber frames and the other 50% using aluminium frames.
A growing trend is towards one-piece sandwich construction.
Just about all modern vans are insulated and many of the larger
vans are fitted with air-conditioning and lpg hot water systems
for the shower and sink. Many vanners carry generators or solar
panels for a power supply when bush camping. Most vans are fitted
with roll-out awnings and many have detachable walls to turn
them into annexes. Older style full annexes are not as popular
these days.
With the exception of towing some of the smaller vans like the
popular A'vans and some rear door pop-tops, the popular tow vehicles
seen on British roads would shudder and die if asked to pull
a large Aussie van weighing about 2,000kg or more and with a
down-force on the tow-ball of 200+kg. We may see some changes
in the future now that a sprinkling of European vans like Abbey
and Geist have started to appear on the roads down here.
Towing regulations allow the vehicle to tow up to the maker's
maximum recommendation or if this isn't available, the loaded
weight of the van must not exceed 1.5 times the tare weight of
the tow vehicle.
The most popular tow cars are Ford Falcons and GMH's Holden Commodore.
Both have motors of about 4litres and drive through automatic
transmissions. Load distribution hitches are nearly mandatory
for bigger rigs and strong spring bars are used to move some
of the trailer weight forward onto the front wheels of the car
keeping steering and braking stable.
Brakes are compulsory for trailers weighing more than 750kg.
Almost universal is the fitting of electric brakes to caravans.
These are controlled by a unit mounted under the dashboard and
operate when the vehicles brakes are applied. Nowadays, vans
can be towed at the posted speed limit - usually 100k/ph.
Increasingly popular are four-wheel drive vehicles like the Toyota
Landcruiser and the Nissan Patrol. Turbo-charged diesels are
probably the most used but petrol or dual-fuel models are also
prevalent. Although most of these will never go off bitumen roads
they do have a reputation for stability when towing and their
extra height makes them good for viewing the scenery. Smaller
'fourbies' are becoming popular for towing as well and will probably
gain more favour as the price of fuel continues to escalate.
For real 'bush-bashing' a growing market of high clearance off-road
caravans and camping-trailers caters for 4x4 drivers who want
to get away from it all on tracks that would be impossible for
conventional outfits.
Gone Fishin'
What do they do, all these bronzed Australians out enjoying
the great outdoors? Well many of them fish. Lots carry 'tinnies'
- aluminium boats - on the roof of their 4x4s others have inflatables
in the boot or just fish off the banks of rivers and lakes or
from the beach.
Others play golf or bowls - some even take out membership of
the club in the area where they spend the winter. Some bush-walk
and there are plenty of fabulous walks in some of the many National
Parks and other areas.
Many have pastimes like quilting and tapestry, others draw or
paint while some are content to just relax in the sun and read
a good book.
Caravanners are a friendly lot and in any caravan parks around
five in the afternoon, little groups congregate for 'happy hour'
and sit around and swap yarns - some even are true!
Come on down
Australia has a lot to offer visitors and the free advice
section on my website gets lots of queries from would-be UK visitors.
One often asked question is about hiring a vehicle and van for
an extended holiday. Unfortunately we don't seem to cater for
this but there are plenty of campervans and motor-homes for hire
or for purchase on a guaranteed buy-back basis.
If you are thinking about an overseas experience, come on down.
I'm sure you'll enjoy it and if I can help, drop me an email.
The website is at: www.caravanning-oz.com
|
|
