| Peter Smith, part owner of ACT CARAVAN CENTRE, Queanbeyan NSW wanted to build something different. Here is the result. Built in 1991 to suit his family of four children he had some definite requirements that he wanted in his caravan. First it needed to go off road. It didn't need to go places where you would be scared to take your four wheel drive, but it did need to go on tracks through the bush, to get to those quite, scenic spots. Next it needed to accommodate the family of six,preferablyy without using the table for a bed. It needed to keep the lady of the house comfortable, so a shower and toilet would be handy. It was desirable to not use canvas. Security and temperature control would be better. It must be able to be used during the day for lunches and tea breaks. Why not have an outside BBQ while we're at it. Those were the requirements, plus a desire to be different. The result was able to satisfy all the above plus it provided an open area equivalent to a 28' x 8' caravan within a caravan that closed down to 18' x 7'4". During travel the 4 x 6' bunks and the 4'6" double bed all fold into the van. But there is ample room to access the toilet, fridge, stove and sink. To open the van takes less than 2 minutes. Each bunk bed folds out at the side. One clip to secure when folded in, no clips or extra supports required when open. The double bed requires a winch (same as a camper trailer) to raise it to the vertical position, it then uses gas struts to softly lower to the open position. Two webbing straps hold the mattress in place when folded. The Chassis was also a little different. To achieve strength without excess weight, a sort of upside down truss was made as the main chassis rails. This provided a step down into the van which greatly added to the head room without increasing outside height. The resulting recessed floor provided a waterproof base which has crossed creeks up to 2 feet deep without letting water in. The corner stands were built into the walls and pull straight down, thus being fully protected in travel and not flexing when in use. The entire chassis was galvanised. The wall framing was all done with traditional meranti timber, but thin colourbond steel was used instead of aluminium for strength at the expense of some extra weight. Four water tanks were incorporated for those extended stays in the bush. Each could be isolated. One could be used for waste water if in a sensitive environment. The cassette toilet, shower, basin and cabinet was positioned in the rear of the caravan with venting via a second roof hatch. An ice chest was constructed under the entrance to utilise the space and to store those fish that were to big to fit in the 3 way fridge. (Really used to put the beer on ice because the fridge was used for the galley supplies.) The draws sloped to the rear so they wouldn't come out on bumpy roads. The BBQ is attached to the main gas supply and slides out near the doorway and close to the beer fridge.Cheers!
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