Gray Nomad Vehicles: 3 Ideal Possibilities to Vacation Australia
Gray nomads are a very clever mob. And you’d certainly hope that is the scenario for the reason that grey nomads – defined as “Australians around 55 a long time aged who travel for an extended time — from weeks to months — and go over far more than 300 kilometres in a working day throughout semi-arid and coastal Australia”* – are, by their extremely character, experienced at lifetime and its several issues and, hopefully, they are wiser variations of the relaxation of us. (* That is according to abc.internet.au, and who am I to argue with them?)
Gray nomads search for comfort and operation in their autos and their moveable lodging (camper-trailer/caravan and many others), but, most likely even extra than the relaxation of us, they like finding complete benefit for money from people matters, and through their travels.
They’re not shy of shelling out best greenback on their camper-trailer/caravan at purchase time, but they’ll want it to be as shut to best for them and their lifestyle as is probable from the get-go.
Any flaws or niggles – perceived or usually – will be uncovered and resolved as needed when gray nomads are on the move.
We have presently tackled the very best gray nomad autos, but what car or truck-dependent lodging choices do gray nomads favour? They are out there towing and tenting and frequenting caravan parks, so let us examine out what we reckon are the top 3.
Camper-trailers
A camper-trailer provides a gateway of types for everyone, not just grey nomads, into the entire world of car or truck-primarily based experience travel. In its most simple form a camper-trailer is merely a trailer with a crafted-in tent and storage house.
As you’d think about, there are quite a few various kinds of camper-trailers across quite a few price-factors, stretching from basic no-frills but really common sub-$10,000 new types (these kinds of as Australian-created campers from Brisbane-based mostly Walkabout Campers), to best-high quality new $30,000 campers (these kinds of as Aussie-manufactured Cub Campers’ items), by means of to entirely kitted-out new campers that each appear to pack anything you’d ever require into 1 $50,000 (and up) package (these as anything from Aussie organization Patriot Campers).
Camper-trailers are available in a lot of diverse formats, including smooth-ground, tough-floor, rear-fold camper, ahead-fold and pop-prime. (The names are variety of self-explanatory, but for far more precise explanations read through our Tips yarns and camper reviews in the Experience part of carsguide-com.au.)
They may well have ample storage, a slide-out stove, a sink and much additional. Diverse layouts and design suggest there are different set-up and stow-away processes for campers.
A comfortable-floor camper has a little bit much more all-round flexibility for the consumer, in terms of available storage place, but there are often ways all-around any issue – once again, perceived or if not.
As with anything at all, design, supplies, relieve of use, make high-quality and engineering differ, relying on pricing and on the manufacturer. Do your investigate and try to remember: just due to the fact something is cheap as chips doesn’t suggest it’s very good benefit, or that it is far better suited to your travels, your ideas and your way of living.
Also, if you plan to acquire your camper off-highway make confident, just before you purchase it, that it is truly created for this sort of a goal – with a strong construction, and great off-street tyres and suspension as regular – alternatively than just believing some around-exaggerated sale hoopla. (Occasionally “off-road” in camper-trailer and caravan parlance signifies “a very well-preserved gravel monitor in dry weather”.)
Continue to keep in head way too that the bodyweight of a camper-trailer can range from less than 500kg, as a result of to 1500kg, depending on how a lot equipment it has as conventional, how quite a few include-ons you get for it, and how strong its chassis is.
New and applied camper-trailers for sale can be located on-line and in the actual planet, But, be warned, at time of producing, demand significantly outweighed supply for the reason that of everyone’s eagerness to get out and about and acquire up most of the exisiting camper-trailer stock, soon after staying locked down thanks to covid restrictions. And try to remember to examine the warranty and the fine print.
Caravans
Caravans have appear a very long, extended way because your relatives towed an outdated Viscount or Millard to and from your mob’s favourite caravan park. When compared to these standard-as-can-be caravans, present-day illustrations are much more like house shuttles. At the quite least, a present day-working day caravan has a comfortable double mattress, a kitchen area, a lounge place, a shower and a rest room. Even larger caravans have additional facilities onboard, but a even larger caravan also indicates that there’ll be more towing-related pressure on your automobile.
In wide conditions, caravans are possibly of the normal caravan selection (precisely what you consider it to be), or a pop-prime-type caravan which, as the identify implies, has a major (or roof) that you raise, or pop up, when you’re at camp to give you much more place inside of, and is then reduced, closed and secured when it’s time to tow it.
If you intend to go off-street in your caravan, stick to the similar method as you would for a camper-trailer: check out that it’s a goal-created off-roader with a difficult chassis, as nicely as respectable off-street tyres and suspension as normal.
The bonus of a caravan is that you have really a lot all the things you have to have ideal there in the ’van – it is an all-in-a person travelling entity – so all you need to have to do is locate a campsite with a great view and pull up for a night – or a lot more.
Negatives incorporate the sizeable first outlay if you expend huge and the fact a caravan adds one more layer of complexity – and prospective strife – to your travels.
Also, worth noting is the truth a caravan can vary in excess weight from 1500kg to 3000kg or so.
Caravan selling prices array from $15,000 for a (very) made use of caravan by means of to extra than $100,000 for a model-new behemoth with the operates.
Campervans and motorhomes
Some might regard the campervan or motorhome as the excellent cellular-accommodation alternative for individuals who want to go tenting and adventuring but they do not want to tow everything, or they never want to have to set up just about anything when they arrive at their campsite of option for the night. At the conclude of a prolonged day’s driving sometimes the effortless way (no placing up) is the ideal way.
A campervan or motorhome is just that: vehicle-centered lodging crafted into the car or truck alone. In primary phrases, an instance – potentially a typical VW Kombi, or a modified Volkswagen Transporter or Toyota Hiace – will have a bed, minimal storage spaces, a simple kitchen area, onboard electric power and extra integrated into the vehicle’s inside. Awnings and additional can make the van much more flexible, in conditions of campsite set-up.
Bigger versions of these – these kinds of as a ready-produced Jayco Campervan or a modified Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, a robust Iveco Day by day 4×4 or even the much more-than US$250,000 Mitsubishi Fuso-centered EarthCruiser EXP 2020 overland automobile (Google it) – will have those attributes stated earlier mentioned, but will also increase, at the quite the very least, a bathroom and shower, extra kitchen characteristics, aircon, far more extensive plumbing, h2o tanks (moreover grey h2o), and a great deal extra. They additional intently resemble a household on wheels, than a auto.
Cost: For a little campervan, expect to fork out $12,500 for a 1999 Hiace camper van that has pretty much 250,000km on the odo, and everywhere up to $150,000 for a brand-new hugely-modified campervan.
Assume to pay back anywhere from $50,000 for a 2007 VW Crafter (with a 170,000km on the odo), and, for a substantially bigger, heftier and comprehensively-geared up motorhome-design set-up, prepare to pay back far more than $130,000 for a new motorhome.
Sydney corporation Trakka, which, it states, has been “designing, production and promoting luxury campervans and motorhomes in Sydney considering that 1973”, is effectively-identified and -regarded in the Australian current market for creating top-top quality examples of these sorts of vehicles. For an concept of Trakka pricing, its 6-metre-very long journey-completely ready Akuna A2M, which has everlasting standing peak, comprehensive lavatory module (with electrical stow-absent sliding rest room to present excess showering area) and extra described independent sleeping/cooking/residing locations charges from $150,000 travel-absent.
For additional aspects and hints and ideas on what automobile and vehicle-based lodging may be most effective for you, examine our information yarns here in the Experience section of carsguide.com.au, as very well as our extensive reviews.
