Caravan

Do you need to register a caravan in Australia? Yes, bloody oath, of course you do. But the processes you have to undertake, the volume of paperwork you have to get through and the fees you have to pay to register a caravan, camper-trailer, or trailer depend on the state or territory in which you’re registering it.

If you’re having a tough time trying to find your dream motorhome or caravan because of the current overwhelming demand combined with supply-chain issues, then how about considering your own DIY van or bus conversion? 

We are buying a 22-foot caravan and searching for the right car to tow it around Australia. We are looking at Everest, Discovery, Grand Cherokee and MU-X. Our budget is around $75K so the Discovery would be older model. I am wondering also if we should be concerned about MU-X and Everest being four-cylinder?

Should a caravan be level when towing?

The sixth edition of Explore Australia by Caravan & Motorhome ($50, timetoroam.com.au/exploreaus and most good bookshops) is a comprehensive revision and updating of previous versions of this popular guide. Loaded with pretty much everything you should know about caravan and motorhome touring in Australia, including routes, places to see, things to do, where to park your caravan and much more, the latest edition should find its place as a sole source of clear, accurate information for keen vehicle tourers.The author, Brendan Batty (publisher/editor of the top-selling Roam magazine), is one of Australia's most respected automotive and adventure travel journalists and his high-level expertise is evident in every page of this book*. (* He owes me big time for saying all of this positive stuff.)Details of caravan parks, best camps, dump points, cheapest fuel locations, as well as tips on how to best pack for trips of varying lengths, towing advice and more, are included.Easy-to-understand symbols are used throughout the book to denote, among other factors, whether a caravan park is dog-friendly and what facilities are on hand.A region's best campsites – whether they're free, budget-friendly or expensive – are listed in the book. Bonus: the book is a complete guide, encompassing each region's history and heritage as well as really important stuff, like where to buy the best pie.Routes are mostly on-road focussed, but Brendan did do a fair bit of outback dirt-highway driving (including 400km of Savannah Way, the Outback Way from Longreach QLD to Laverton in WA), but he reckons everything could be driven by a sensible driver in a high-clearance SUV with a semi-off-road caravan. No suggested route has more than about 300km between fuel stops, Brendan says. To buy Explore Australia by Caravan & Motorhome 6th Edition visit timetoroam.com.au/exploreaus or any good bookshop.

When it comes to 4WDing and towing does the Everest's new 2.0-litre twin-turbo engine add to the model's solid reputation or diminish it? We took a mid-spec Trend out bush with a couple of camper-trailers to see

Marcus Craft dirt-road-tests the Eagle Outback camper-trailer, one of the Jayco models designed and built for gravel-track driving

Marcus Craft road-tests the Jayco Swan Touring camper-trailer

It seems to come with the territory, that forward-fold campers are heavier than they need to be - and there are a few reasons for that.

Brendan Batty off-road tests the Cub Campers Frontier camper-trailer