Caravanning tips and tricks

It’s no wonder so many Australians own caravans and love the idea of a caravanning road trip.

While caravans come in many sizes and styles, there are some common tips and tricks which will help you on the road.

Towing

In most cases, you don’t need a special licence to tow a caravan, however you should check what the rules are in your State or Territory as you may need a different licence if your caravan exceeds a certain weight.

In addition, not all vehicles are able to tow a caravan, and not even all four wheel drives can tow caravans.

You need to know what the recommended towing capacity is of your car and whether it matches your caravan - which can be checked in the vehicle manufacturer’s handbook. The tow ball fitted to your vehicle also needs to have an appropriate weight rating for the caravan you are towing.

Towing capacity is determined on what is a safe balance for your caravan, so that it does not easily tip or fishtail.

Towing mirrors and a reversing camera for behind the caravan might also need to be fitted to your vehicle so that you can safely overtake other vehicles or reverse into parking spots and caravan sites. Remember that towing is different to driving a regular car as your vehicle will behave differently with the weight of a caravan behind it, as well as the obvious difference of the increased length of what you are driving. This impacts the safety of your driving, particularly if you are driving at high speeds or in windy and wet conditions.

It can be helpful to do a short ‘trial’ trip to a site an hour or so from your home to practise towing and using your caravan. Or you could find a towing course in person or online to boost your knowledge and experience before your trip.

Your caravan

There are some pieces of information about your caravan you will need to know, or have on hand, while travelling.

◆ Size – the length, width and height of your caravan is important so that you can book a big enough caravan site to stay on, and can park in locations without overhead obstructions which could damage your caravan.

◆ Weight – knowing how heavy your vehicle and caravan are may be necessary when boarding ferries or crossing certain signed bridges.

◆ Electricity, gas and water connections – If your caravan connects to electricity at caravan sites you will need to know where this connection is to line it up as close as possible to the site’s outlets, as well as knowing how the internal gas and water connections work and what you need to do to set them up.

◆ Awning – knowing which side the awning is on and how far it extends out will allow you to place your caravan in the best position on a site to make full use of your shade and shelter.

◆ Dumping – If your caravan has a toilet and/or shower, you will need to know how and where to dump the grey water. You can’t simply tip this down a drain, it must be disposed of at a designated dumping point. Most towns will have one of these but it pays to research dumping points before you get to the moment where you need them.

Space

Caravans are designed to be a smaller, mobile version of your home, so naturally there will be less space to fit your possessions and equipment.

Space-saving tips can help you to maximise the space you do have and take as many useful objects with you as possible. Many space-saving products are also cheap to buy and easy to install yourself.

For example, stick on hooks or magnetics strips can be used to hang utensils or jackets, as long as you make sure these are travel safe and hanging items won’t move around on the road.

Collapsible products are ideal for caravans, including folding laundry baskets, clothes horses and mixing bowls.

Stackable storage tubs for smaller items will also save you space inside cupboards while making items easier to locate.

Safety checks

Before you leave home and at regular intervals on your trip, such as when you move from one location to another, there are a number of safety checks you should do on your caravan and vehicle.

These include:

◆ Brake and indicator connections and lights, both on the caravan and your car

◆ Caravan windows and doors are locked

◆ Caravan drawers and cupboards are locked shut

◆ There are no loose items in the caravan that could move around and cause damage

◆ Caravan steps are raised, wheel chocks are removed and the jockey wheel is either removed or secured

◆ Tyres have enough tread and the right amount of air for the roads you will be travelling on (if you are going off-road you might need to consider letting some air out of your tyres)

Off-roading

The demand for off-road caravans has grown in recent years as Australians discover there are so many wonderful tourist destinations in our backyard, that just haven’t gained enough popularity or are too far from a city to have a bituminised access road.

Caravans that are designed to travel on unsealed roads will likely have different tyres, suspension, ground clearance and other features, for example set ups inside the caravan that stop items from bouncing around as much.

While off-road caravans will be able to travel on more surfaces than regular caravans, this does not mean that they can go on any road. It is unlikely that you will be able to take a caravan four wheel driving, for instance, so you still need to understand the limits of the caravan and your vehicle before choosing your route to a destination.

Larger caravans are likely not designed to cope with the bumpy dirt roads that cover the lesspopulated areas of Australia. However, you may be surprised at the quality of some roads and be able to travel them carefully while towing your caravan.

If you don’t know the quality of the road to your destination, ask a local or a fellow traveller what their experience was like.

It’s important to consider what facilities will be at the site where you will be staying if you are going offroad. In many cases it is unlikely you will be able to plug your caravan into a power source, so you may need your own generator, and facilities such as showers and toilets also may be limited.

for a guide to purchasing the right caravan