Caravan World Issue 620

In anticipation of borders opening, we commissioned two Western Australian travel stories for this issue. You will find them in these pages, and they should rev you up to travel but, as we know, those of us in the eastern states are still locked out with no end in sight. Like a lot of you, we have been anticipating a caravan trip to WA for some time, in the hope of exploring the southern coast and other destinations that our travel correspondent for the western state, Julia D’Orazio, boasts of here regularly. Let’s hope we can get there soon. While we wait, there is plenty of maintenance to do on the van, and this month we check out some of the essentials we should all consider. Our recent survey of readers showed…

ERNST & YOUNG TO OVERSEE LIQUIDATION OF JURGENS AUSTRALIA The Victorian Supreme Court has ordered troubled caravan manufacturer Jurgens Australia to wrap up, with ASIC recently announcing that Ernst & Young will oversee the liquidation process. Jurgens Australia established caravan assembly in Tooradin, Victoria, in 2008 and, following strong growth, moved to a $5m factory at Pakenham five years later. The company assembled a range of lightweight vans from components sourced from Jurgens South Africa, the dominant caravan builder in Africa with a storied history dating back to the 1950s. The brand placed its focus in the lightweight caravan sector, with local input to ensure compliance with a host of Australian standards alongside the Australian Design Rules (ADRs). Fit-out of the CNC-produced furniture took place at its Pakenham factory, and by 2018 Jurgens’…

Many caravan owners overlook the importance of regular servicing and maintenance of their RV. This can cause myriad safety concerns and in many cases cost you more in the long run, when a major repair is needed due to the irregular servicing of your caravan. What’s more is that these needed repairs are likely to become apparent or come to a head during your trip, adding further expenses and potentially ruining your holiday. Additionally, RV product is subject to stringent Australian Design Rules (ADR) under federal vehicle safety standards to be considered compliant. Although ADRs are primarily focused on the manufacturing of vehicles before entering the market, in many cases they apply to in-service vehicle rules. This is on top of the many Australian Standards which apply to a range of…

MERGERS There’s not much doubt that COVID-19 related events over the last couple of years have affected the world’s travel industry very badly, both nationally and internationally. While domestic travel has recovered a little, international travel is still very much off the agenda for the majority of world travellers. One of the tourism industries that took a major hit was that of rental motorhomes. Both here in Australia and New Zealand, the motorhome rental companies relied very heavily on international travellers — particularly across the Tasman, where rental motorhome travel is a substantial part of the tourism business. I know it’s my favourite mode of travel when touring New Zealand. It was therefore no surprise back in December when two of the largest rental companies, Tourism Holdings Ltd (THL) and Apollo Tourism and…

Last year we pointed our compass south towards the perilously soft, sandy beaches of South Australia’s Limestone Coast for a session of beach driving. Armed with a new 4WD and an appetite for adventure, would we still have what it takes? Man (and woman) vs machine and the environment. The answer was a resounding yes, so much so we were back again in 2022. As a side note, we’ve really enjoyed the transition from camper to hybrid van. Comfort goes a long way towards enjoyment and the internal ensuite has been a key value add. Ageing bodies impart a few compromises and not having to squat down for a low porta potti is a big win — and so is getting back up! Praise the standard height toilet. Setup, too, is less taxing,…

Q Hi David, I have a 2018 Concept Innovation 600 which I have parked up under a carport so solar panel doesn’t work. It is fitted with a BMPRO monitor and a BMPRO BatteryPlus35SR control box. The problem I’m having is that the battery goes flat with in 2 to 3 weeks while parked up. The only things that I am aware of that is consuming power is the monitor, controller, radio clock and a small LED ring around the mirror switch. If I turn off the battery on the monitor then all seem to go off except the controller, but battery only lasts for approximately another week. Do you have any idea what could be consuming so much power? Regards, John Burges A Hi John, Thanks for your question. What you have identified…