Update: Our caravan is for sale!

$107,000

The Patrol is also available as a package with the caravan, but not on its own.

As many of you will know, Boots is fastidious with his gear, so the van is in exceptional condition (it even got ceramic coated a few times on our way around Oz - not joking!).

If you want to know more details, have a read of the original blog post below, and you can also view a video tour in my Instagram reels. Words can’t describe how grateful we are to have had the opportunity to travel around this great country in comfort and with reliability that gave us the confidence to go where we wanted, when we wanted.

Oh, and we are only parting with it because we no longer need the bunks.

Can be viewed in Kyabram, Northern Victoria

CARAVAN

Double bunks and table can go down to sleep five

Upgraded suspension

3.7 Alpha Extreme Duty 12' brakes

Full ensuite inc separate toilet and shower

Dometic dust reduction system

Huge 216l compressor fridge

420 amps lithium batteries

500 watts solar

North South bed - no crawling over each other

Dometic slide-out external kitchen

Sirocco fans

Ibis reverse cycle aircon

Gas heating

2 x 95l water tank

1 x 62l dedicated drinking water

100l grey water tank (for National Parks)

Generator box and wood box

Wall-mount washing machine

16' Alloys

Supagal chassis

Partial annex: Skirt and one interchangeable end for blocking weather

Pillow-top mattress

Rare front window

Custom designed open-plan layout

Always shedded when not in use and serviced

TOW VEHICLE

2022 Y62 Nissan Patrol Ti V8 Series 5

Champagne quartz

Rhino roof rack and backbone

Monster Ammo wheels satin black

Heavy duty springs

Air bags

85,000 km

Original Blog Article

I found the process of purchasing a caravan overwhelming; in fact… it was almost worse than building a house!

But when you've committed to hitting the road for a year to document and share stories of simple, sustainable homes from every far-reaching corner of this great country, you are going to need some sturdy, comfy wheels to get you there.

So we set off with cheerful optimism into the caravan-buying wilderness armed with what we thought was a simple wishlist of wants and needs for our new Bookenmobile.

But it turns out it's a jungle out there, and we were hunting a caravan unicorn.

This is our fourth van. Not long after Boots and I hooked up, we pooled funds and purchased our first home away from home on wheels, a weathered 1985 Jayco wind-up, complete with retro green stripe. The old girl may have required occasional middle-of-the-night maintenance to stop the roof from collapsing on our heads, but man we loved that van.

So, we had a very clear vision from the get-go of what we wanted this time around.

The Caravan Wishlist

Under 21 foot long - no more than 8m tip to tip

Free/powerless camping capability

Bunks

North-South bed - because we're too old to climb over each other 🙄

Light, bright and airy - windows everywhere, including above the bed

Open plan full ensuite and laundry that can also be shut off for privacy

Tough off-road capability

External slide-out kitchen - because neither one of us wants to be stuck inside cooking

Large compressor fridge

Gas heating for when out bush

Separate drinking water tank and pump

Good battery life

And of course, sexy-looking!

Now, I don't know if you've ever been to one of those caravan and camping expos, but they're life-sucking, brain-frying events where you enter with realistic, achievable goals and leave with a quote that includes a gold-plated dunny seat. Ok, not really, but you get what I mean.

So a few months into our quest I felt like I had hit dead end after dead end, and I was ready to give up on the unicorn hunt.

However, just like our journey with Booken House, eventually, research and persistence paid off, and in July last year, we ordered a 21.2’ Masterpiece (that's the brand name) and added some custom design changes and specifications to tick all our boxes.

Then, once we finally found our caravan unicorn, we had to purchase an appropriate vehicle to tow it with, because apparently, the go-kart-sized hatchback I was driving wasn't going to cut it… pfffft.

So after a long nervous wait, our new wheels were finally built and ready to go, and we set off for the long weekend on the maiden voyage.

Now I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, because when you invest your hard-earned cashola into an idea and a dream, there can be a fair bit riding on the result.

So I'm pretty damn relieved to declare the first shakedown a raging success!

Phew.

Next year’s trip around Oz has been eight years in the making.

Eight years of planning, dreaming, researching, and saving.

And now, all of a sudden, it's real.

I'm not sure if I'm freaking out or bursting with excitement (probably both), but either way, we are in for one hell of an epic adventure… and at least the roof should stay up on this one.

We will take you on a tour of the van in insta reels, but there’s a few things below that may help you short-cut the process of choosing your own caravan unicorn…

A few tips we found useful

Adding a mirrored shower door makes the space feel larger and also blocks early morning light that would normally come through an opaque shower door
A light colour palette bounces light around
Large windows that connect to the outdoors make a space feel less claustrophobic
A sandy colour hides dirt well
Storage is important, but the more storage you have the more weight you carry, so be discerning
Upgrading to a front load washing machine means you gain room for more low drawers
Make sure the tow capacity of your vehicle is right for your van, safety first
Installing a separate drinking water tank and 12v pump means you don’t have to stress about running out of water when you are free camping - you can go without a shower but you can’t go without a drink
The block-out hidden pull-down blinds in caravans these days are game-changing
You don’t need every bell and whistle, bells and whistles are expensive
Opening up the ensuite to the bunk area using a concertina door doubles the amount of usable area at that end of the van, love me a multi-use space
Lighter color vans stay cooler
We wanted to minimise the van length and plan to spend most of our time outside, so it made sense to cough up for an external slide-out kitchen and shrink down the internal ‘kitchen/living area’, has worked a treat!