🇦🇺 Australia — OpenVan.camp

Australian company Summit Vans from Wollongong has unveiled the King Tide, a converted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2026 model year with four-wheel drive. The vehicle features an upgraded suspension that raises the permissible gross weight from 4,100 kg to 4,430 kg, along with adjustable Falcon shock absorbers and a 200-watt solar panel. The rear section houses a convertible Beach Mode area: a U-shaped lounge with a removable table by day and a 1.7-metre-wide bed by night, with a garage accessible from outside. Onboard systems include an 820 Ah battery bank, a 3,000-watt inverter and a 180-litre fresh water tank.

Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) has launched the first phase of an online booking system for selected paid campsites. The system covers campgrounds in Narawntapu, Maria Island, Freycinet, Mount Field, South Bruny and Mount William national parks, as well as Fortescue Bay, Bigs Beach Conservation Area, Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area and Lime Bay State Reserve. Fees are now charged per site for groups of up to six people: $18 per night for standard sites, $24 for premium unpowered sites and $35 for premium powered sites. Larger groups must book additional sites. Freycinet and Fortescue Bay will use numbered sites, while the other eight locations remain unnumbered. The system aims to address "phantom camping", where campers book sites without occupying them.

A 14-year-old boy from Wallsend has been charged with arson after a motorhome fire left its 69-year-old occupant critically injured. Police allege the motorhome was set alight in the early hours of 29 October while the man was inside. The boy was arrested on Thursday and charged with damage property by fire/explosives greater than $15,000 and reckless grievous bodily harm. He appeared in the Children's Court and was refused bail, with a return to court scheduled for next Friday. The victim was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

Bendigo Racecourse will host the 24th Bendigo Caravan & Camping Leisurefest from 13 to 15 November. Visitors can see caravans, motorhomes and camping gear, watch stunt shows and win $5,000 off a caravan.

Federation Council has resolved to call for open tenders for the operation, management and maintenance of the Urana Caravan Park and the Urana Waterfront Pavilion. Tenders will be sought under section 55 of the NSW Local Government Act 1993 and section 166(a) of the NSW Local Government (General) Regulation 2021. The structure invites submissions for combined management of the caravan park, pavilion and surrounding public toilets and barbeques, while also allowing separate tenders for each site. The current management contract and pavilion licence have been extended on existing terms until 30 June 2027, or earlier by mutual agreement.

KombiLife has presented the Kia PV5 Weekender, a camper van based on the electric Kia PV5 Cargo. It has a double bed, an induction hob and a fridge, and weighs 130 kg in camper equipment.

Australian manufacturer MDC has unveiled the XT22HRT from its Off-Grid Extreme range for the US market. The 9.04-metre caravan sleeps three and starts at $165,000.

KT Insurance offers a single level of motorhome cover, with policies issued by QBE. The policy includes agreed value, choice of repairer and new-for-old replacement if the motorhome is written off within 2 years of first registration. It provides up to $10,000 for medical emergency transport home and up to $1,000 for emergency accommodation if a covered accident strands you more than 100km from home. Laid-up cover reduces the premium for up to 3 months a year while the vehicle is parked at home, but breakdown cover is limited to towing reimbursement of up to $600 per tow and $1,000 a year.

Headspace Campers has built an all-wheel-drive motorhome on a long-wheelbase Hiace H300, with 300 mm of ground clearance, diff locks and 35-inch tyres.

Campervan buyers in Australia are advised to ask for compliance paperwork before purchase. Without certification under Australian Design Rules and VSB14, registration, insurance and resale can be affected. New vehicles converted before sale fall under second-stage manufacturing rules. Self-builds require a licensed certifier to be consulted before work begins.

Don Caravans operated in Oakleigh, a suburb of Melbourne, from 1934 until 1964. The company produced Australia's first commercially manufactured caravans. Some of the old models still exist and appear at auctions or are refurbished by local caravan enthusiasts.

The Canberra Times has published a guide to campsite availability across Australia for the summer season, including last-minute options. At Reflections Evans Head in New South Wales, an unpowered site costs $91 per night for mid-December stays, while at Reflections Moonee Beach in February an unpowered site for up to six people costs $54 per night or $66 with power. BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut offers family cabins from $135 per night and camping sites from $43. In Victoria, BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Phillip Island has cabins from $76 a night and sites from $31, and is pet-friendly. Camplify lists hundreds of caravans for hire this summer from around $50 to $80 per day for a basic model.

A Brisbane family preparing a year-long tour of Australia found a Hipcamp listing for a caravan site at Ingenia Holiday Parks Soldiers Point in New South Wales priced at more than AUD 10,000 for four nights, from 14 to 18 January 2027. That equates to over AUD 2,500 per night for a pitch. Ingenia said a temporary technical fault on a third-party platform caused the incorrect rates and advised booking directly on its website. Typical powered caravan park pitches in Australia cost AUD 30 to 70 per night, rising to AUD 100 to 120 at premium parks in high season. The family still plans to set off early next year for 12 months, towing a 21-foot caravan with a 2025 Isuzu MU-X and covering 25,000 to 35,000 km, with an estimated diesel budget of AUD 10,000 to 15,000.

Australian startup MyGlamper has opened pre-orders for the Lite version of its wheel-less tent trailer, which travels vertically mounted on a towbar. In travel mode the cassette weighs under 70 kg and measures 20 x 140 x 120 cm, expanding at camp to a habitat 225 cm high, 450 cm long and 445 cm wide. The unit has two rooms, including a bedroom with an air mattress, and sleeps up to six people. A Founders' Edition pre-order requires an AUD5,679 deposit and locks in a price of AUD18,990.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will offer visitors the option to hire a caravan, campervan or camper trailer, delivered and set up at their chosen campsite and packed down on departure. The service will be available at 17 national parks across the state, including Killalea and Murramarang's Depot Beach and Pretty Beach campgrounds. Caravan hire is estimated to cost an average of $165 per night. Bookings open in November. Tent hire also returns to The Basin campground in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, costing an average of $380 for two people for a minimum of two nights, with bookings already open.

Australian maker MDC has presented its largest caravan for the US market. The XT22HRT has a 43-inch TV, a 60-litre fridge and a slide-out kitchen on the outside wall.

The After Hours camper van is a conversion based on a 2024 AWD Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a 144-inch wheelbase. It was built by Shane, an employee of Wollongong-based company Summit Vans Australia, in his spare time over almost two years. The vehicle features a Bilstein 5160 shock kit, upgraded rear leaf springs, a Weldbeat bull bar, a Wedgetail roof rack with solar panels, and a kitchen with a 65-litre Bushman's fridge. The interior includes a bathroom with a shower and toilet, and a garage under the bed with a pull-out tray. Shane listed the van for sale a few months ago, and it quickly found a new owner.

A traveller described a nine-day camper van journey through Western Australia with family. One day's route covered about 780 km, requiring more than eight hours of driving. Night driving carried the risk of collisions with kangaroos and cattle. The Big 4 Caravan Park in Geraldton offered a kitchen, pool, laundry and barbecue facilities. At Capricorn Holiday Park, a jacket tied to family memories was not found.

Former Wallabies rugby player Nick Cummins is travelling around Australia with his wife and three children, towing a caravan behind the car. The family left the Gold Coast in March and has passed through central and northern Queensland and western regions; they are currently in Exmouth, Western Australia, with plans to head south. No end date has been set for the trip. Cummins, an ambassador for next year's Men's Rugby World Cup in Australia, cited the people of regional and remote Australia as the main reason for travelling at home rather than overseas.

Campers may have to pay to stay at Narrung Campground in future, with the Coorong Council considering a $10 per site, per night fee. The campground is currently free to use, with council providing toilets, bins, water and covered seating. The proposed fee would help cover the cost of establishing and operating a booking system, as well as the ongoing maintenance of the campground. No decision has been made, with council seeking community feedback before considering whether to introduce the fee. Feedback is open until 8am Monday, the 16th of November via Coorong Council’s Let’s Talk website.