New to Motor Home Travel

Are you a Motorhome - Newbie?

There's so much to learn -- and so many people willing to teach you. Who to believe? But first, you'd better learn some definitions. There are numerous types of motorhomes and - as with so much else in life - it's horses for courses. We all have different tastes. Some people love sleeping above the cab, others hate it. Some people must have a toilet and shower, but others are happy to use public toilets and go to caravan parks and camping grounds with facilities. Many people use solar panels, many don't . And the full spectrum from young families, to seniors and grey nomads.

The very first thing to do is buy Collyn Rivers' authoritative, comprehensive books on motorhoming. Full details are on this page: The Campervan and Motorhome Book. The books are all available through the Club's secure order form, which is linked to the article.

Use this Motorhoming Index (Public access) and you'll find interesting articles by other people who have made "the Big Decision". Some stories tell how people have made the decision to sell up everything and retire to a motorhome, and others tell how they decided to tour "around the block" for 12 months or more. There are also stories by solo travellers.

Head for your local CMCA Chapter meeting and meet the local experts -- and make sure to attend a National Rally. Another few months and you'll be giving advice too!

Motorhome Types in Australia

A-Class

This is a purpose built motorhome where the builder/manufacturer constructs the body on a chassis manufactured by a truck or coach specialist (a Spartan, MAN, or Ford or Volvo chassis for instance).

B-Class

A custom motorhome built on a truck chassis - the bed is either at the back or made up from a dinette; e.g. no cabover as in C-Class. Light models might be on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter or Ford Transit chassis but heavier models with "island beds" are seen on Isuzu NPR 300, Ford Traders and similar.

C-Class

(Cabover in Australia, Coachbuilt in the UK)

A motorhome body built on a conventional truck cab and chassis, with a bed or storage area built over the cab. Examples are Isuzu NPR, Mazda T4000 models, Mitsubishi Canter. There are smaller cabover models built on the back of utes such as Nissan Patrols and Holden Rodeos.

Campervans

Various Pop-tops & High Roof Conversions from standard panel vans such as Hi Ace, VW, Iveco, and Mercedes Benz Sprinters with a fixed roof (sometimes with the addition of a high-top or an elevating roof - a so-called pop-top).

Slide-on

Demountable/detachable motorhome body with wind-up or hydraulically operated legs, installed on utes, trucks or flat-trays. There is no walk-through to the cabin.

Small Bus Conversions  

Coasters, Mazdas, Civilians The most popular motorhome type in Australia is converted from a 20-22 passenger bus. These range in length from 20-23 ft , have a very comfortable suspension and (except for the LWB 23 ft models) can be driven on a car licence. The width is 6½ ft.Bus or Coach Conversions Conversion from a passenger bus or coach is a big job. The coaches have much more underfloor storage in the bins than the buses. Some small buses are 20 - 24 ft, but their width is 8 ft - considerably wider than the Coaster/Mazda type. Big rigs are 36 - 40 ft and generally tow a car trailer. There are many in between sizes from 28 - 35 ft.

5th Wheeler

A large hybrid between a motorhome and a caravan, the 5th wheeler motorhome body extends over the top of the tow vehicle, which might be a big Ford ute or even a prime mover, and attaches to a turntable called a wheel. (Get it - the 5th Wheel). When detached, the tow vehicle can be used separately. Users say they have a limited amount of swaying when travelling and that, due to the towing position and king pin coupling, they are extremely stable when being passed by semi trailers. They are apparently extremely easy to reverse. You are also able to tow a much larger trailer on a standard car licence due to the goose neck that sits on the back of your vehicle.The licence required is governed by the size of the vehicle you are driving not the size of the trailer that you are towing. An articulated licence is not required until the trailer of any description exceeds 9 tonne ATM.

Others

There are many other conversions on the road: 6 wheel drive airport fire tenders, biscuit vans, those old Ansett buses from the 50s, milk vans and ambulances amongst them.

Must-know definitions

Black Water

 waste held in toilet tanks known as black water tanks. Should be disposed of at Dump Points.

Cassette toilet

 a common type of toilet (usually Thetford) built into the motorhome. The waste is held in a removable 20 litre tank which is accessed through a small door in the side of the motorhome. The tank is carried, like a suitcase, to a toilet or dump point.

CP

 Caravan Park

Deep Cycle Battery

 A battery built to withstand frequent charging and discharging. Can be charged by solar power, the motorhome alternator, a generator or a battery charger connected to 240v power.

Dump Point

 a special disposal spot for emptying toilets from motorhomes, caravans and boats. Becoming more common every year.

Grey Water

 waste water from sinks & showers, preferably held in a grey water tank.

LPG

 Liquified Petroleum Gas - bottled gas. In a motorhome, LPG bottles are typically connected to stoves, fridges and water heaters.

LWB

 an abbreviation for long wheel base models of some panel vans and small buses like Coasters.

Mains power
(Shore power to boaties)

 240v electricity supplied to a motorhome through a 15 amp lead connected to a power point.

Mains pressure

 water that comes from a tap connected to a city water supply

Marine toilet

 Toilet with a (large) fixed waste holding tank, as used on boats.

Pump Out Toilets

 A common type of toilet fitted to very large Motorhomes and converted Buses. These have an in-built tank for flushing water and hold approximately 300 to 500 litres of treated black water. This is "pumped" into the sewerage system at dump points. Treatment is equivalent to tertiary treated effluent.

Porta-Potti

 another common type of toilet (usually Thetford or Fiamma) which is free-standing. The waste is held in a removable tank which you carry to a toilet or dump point after detaching it from the top unit.

RV

 Recreational Vehicle. Becoming a more common term in Australia, in the US it refers to all  vehicles used for camping: caravans (known as trailers), motorhomes, campervans and even camping-trailers. In the UK it generally refers only to the big American motorhomes.

Three-way Fridge

 a fridge that operates on 240v power, 12v power while travelling or on LPG (when 240v power is not available).

Two-way fridge

 a fridge that operates on 240v power and LPG only, or on 240v & 12v.

12v or 24v fridges

 powered by solar panels and also by 240v power from mains or generators

Fully self contained vehicle

 A motorhome or campervan that, in addition to in-built eating, sleeping, food storage and preparation facilities, also contains a toilet, shower and holding tanks for both grey water and black water, clean water storage, deep cycle batteries and a hot water service. Some vehicles also have solar panels and/or wind generators, generators, washing machines, electric dryers, dishwashers, spas, etc.