My wife and I are in New Zealand and in the process of planing for a two year Caravaning trip around Australia, starting in April or May. We have lots of questions for anyone who has a bit of time.
1. Is it reasonable to consider Towing an 18 foot caravan around Australia with a BA Falcon if sticking to sealed roads and fitting a towing kit ie heavier springs and trans cooler.
2. Can someone give us an idea of average weekly costs with camp fees etc.(for a weekly budget)
3. If staying motor camps will we need a caravan with an ensuite.
4. What are the best places to watch for Caravan sales as we are in the market for a good rig.
We have lots more questions but these are probably of most concern for now. We plan to Start on the Gold coast and head north Returning to the Gold coast around the end of the year and then heading south following the coastline and maybe picking up temperary work here and there. Any advice would be much welcomed Mike and Cushla
dave06 said
03:23 PM Jan 26, 2009
well g'day Mike and cushla welcome to the forum, questions are always welcome here,
(1) towing an 18 footer with a falcon hah!! of course it is, the falcons are everywhere and towing everything, no dramas there, I would suggest getting a transmission oil cooler installed if towing constantly, at the moment BA falcons run the trans oil through the radiator system and they tend to overheat and blow transmissions
(2) average weekly cost was discussed just recently on the forum only a couple of threads ago, but if you allow between $350 - $700 per 7 day week depending on your wants, then you will be just fine
(3) you dont need an ensuite but it is always nice to have all the comforts of home right there with you, we use a porta potty and a portable shower or we pull in to a caravan park every few days when we cant stand the smell anymore
(4) places to watch for caravan sales are, local papers, trading post, ebay, caravan trader (magazine)
I hope I have helped a little and of course as the aussy flagwaving wains then more will come on board to give more thoughts
Cupie said
05:37 PM Jan 26, 2009
G'day Mike & Cushia ..
1. I don't know much about pulling a caravan with a Falcon, but as Dave says, lots do it & very successfully too. On the other hand there are lots of cheap medium sized 4WDs around that would do the job & be useful for day trips off road. Whatever you use, the tow kit should include an appropriate towbar & weigh distribution hitch. Not sure about the need to beef up the springs. I don't know how a non resident goes about registering & insuring a car or CV but obviously it can be done as lots do. Might be worth checking on the procedure & costs as part of the planning.
2 &3 . To help with expenditure budgeting, For Caravan Parks .... look at the 3 main caravan park groups .. big4.com.au ... toptouristparks.com.au .. familyparks.com.au .. At caravan parks you won't need your own en-suite facilities or even site that comes (at a price) with a private en-suite.. but it's nice to have your own.
For Fuel costs ... look at ... exploroz.com. It contains a fuel watch that gives details of current & historical fuel prices across much of Aust.
Alternates to Caravan Parks (Is this what you mean by the term 'Motor Camps'?) Some people, have occasional/frequent stops at 'free parks'. There are a range of these about & have some or no facilities. There are publications that list many of them. If you intend using them frequently an 18 footer with a shower/toilet may be the go, but could stretch the towing capacity of a Falcon. See Dave's comments about portapotty etc.
4. Ebay & the mag Dave suggested will give you an idea of what vans are around & at what price, but when at the purchasing stage, don't overlook the Caravan Sales yards. Given that you are starting from the Gold Coast then there are are lots of reputable dealers just up the highway in Brisbane eg. Camperland, Kratsman, Kedron etc.
-- Edited by Cupie at 16:39, 2009-01-26
Wombat 280 said
05:50 PM Jan 26, 2009
The road around the block call Australia is fully sealed but you will need that trans cooler for a BA if towing anything is essential in my view .
I take it you intend to buy both car and van once here , if so you may want to consider something other than the BA.
Do like most Aussies do if it's to hot or to windy sit it out it will change in a day or two.
You will need to become accustom to eating real meat as mutton / lamb is only used in Kerba's and pet food here
April May good time to head North in o Qld and the NT to avoid the heat and humidity that attacks that part of the world latter in the year.
It's a hell of a long way between points on the Australian map so plan it well and travel the remote sections with company if possible.
Have a good time and take your rubbish home
mike and Judy said
09:43 AM Jan 27, 2009
It's a hell of a long way between points on the Australian map so plan it well and travel the remote sections with company if possible.
Have a good time and take your rubbish home
Got to emphasise what Wombat says, ITS A HELL OF A LONG WAY TWEEN TOWNS,
Coming from a little state,"Victoria
whoppa said
05:15 PM Jan 27, 2009
Thankyou for all your replys we will take it all on board
Mike and Cushla
PeterH said
07:45 PM Jan 27, 2009
Hi, We tow a 17'6 x 7'9 poptop (Tare 1380 kgs, Gross Vehicle Mass 1450) with a VZ Commodore. Handles everything we have thrown at it so far. We use a 2000kg tow bar with stabilisers. We also carry porta potti but we book into ensuite powered sites when we want to stay in an area more than say, 3 days. I spoke with one guy recently who was towing a 21ft bogey van/shower toilet with a BA Falcon station wagon. Asked him how it went as it didn't look right to me... He said that he had trouble getting up some hills on the way up the same road I had come. There was not one hill I went over that slowed me to less than 80 klms. This was only his second trip, so I wonder how long he will perservere. The best advice I think any one can give is.... look at the van you want, shower van - whatever, then look for the vehicle that will tow it within its limits. Enjoy our wide brown country while you are here.
We have lots of questions for anyone who has a bit of time.
1. Is it reasonable to consider Towing an 18 foot caravan around Australia with a BA Falcon if sticking to sealed roads and fitting a towing kit ie heavier springs and trans cooler.
2. Can someone give us an idea of average weekly costs with camp fees etc.(for a weekly budget)
3. If staying motor camps will we need a caravan with an ensuite.
4. What are the best places to watch for Caravan sales as we are in the market for a good rig.
We have lots more questions but these are probably of most concern for now.
We plan to Start on the Gold coast and head north Returning to the Gold coast around the end of the year and then heading south following the coastline and maybe picking up temperary work here and there.
Any advice would be much welcomed
Mike and Cushla
1. I don't know much about pulling a caravan with a Falcon, but as Dave says, lots do it & very successfully too. On the other hand there are lots of cheap medium sized 4WDs around that would do the job & be useful for day trips off road. Whatever you use, the tow kit should include an appropriate towbar & weigh distribution hitch. Not sure about the need to beef up the springs.
I don't know how a non resident goes about registering & insuring a car or CV but obviously it can be done as lots do. Might be worth checking on the procedure & costs as part of the planning.
2 &3 .
To help with expenditure budgeting,
For Caravan Parks .... look at the 3 main caravan park groups
.. big4.com.au ... toptouristparks.com.au .. familyparks.com.au ..
At caravan parks you won't need your own en-suite facilities or even site that comes (at a price) with a private en-suite.. but it's nice to have your own.
For Fuel costs ... look at ... exploroz.com. It contains a fuel watch that gives details of current & historical fuel prices across much of Aust.
Alternates to Caravan Parks (Is this what you mean by the term 'Motor Camps'?) Some people, have occasional/frequent stops at 'free parks'. There are a range of these about & have some or no facilities. There are publications that list many of them. If you intend using them frequently an 18 footer with a shower/toilet may be the go, but could stretch the towing capacity of a Falcon. See Dave's comments about portapotty etc.
4. Ebay & the mag Dave suggested will give you an idea of what vans are around & at what price, but when at the purchasing stage, don't overlook the Caravan Sales yards. Given that you are starting from the Gold Coast then there are are lots of reputable dealers just up the highway in Brisbane eg. Camperland, Kratsman, Kedron etc.
-- Edited by Cupie at 16:39, 2009-01-26
We tow a 17'6 x 7'9 poptop (Tare 1380 kgs, Gross Vehicle Mass 1450) with a VZ Commodore. Handles everything we have thrown at it so far.
We use a 2000kg tow bar with stabilisers.
We also carry porta potti but we book into ensuite powered sites when we want to stay in an area more than say, 3 days.
I spoke with one guy recently who was towing a 21ft bogey van/shower toilet with a BA Falcon station wagon. Asked him how it went as it didn't look right to me... He said that he had trouble getting up some hills on the way up the same road I had come. There was not one hill I went over that slowed me to less than 80 klms. This was only his second trip, so I wonder how long he will perservere.
The best advice I think any one can give is.... look at the van you want, shower van - whatever, then look for the vehicle that will tow it within its limits.
Enjoy our wide brown country while you are here.