It’s a nifty idea from a can-do inventor, Grant Sampson, an enterprising Queenslander who’s already founded the world’s second-largest home-brew manufacturer.

All shiny stainless steel, the Little Wombat is a sturdy box with fold-out legs and a couple of logo-embossed cast-iron barbecue plates to fit on top; one flat, one grill. Inside, on the bottom, is a removable, ventilated platform for firelighters. A lid, comprised of two halves, converts into twin hanging side trays. My demo model came with a battery-operated rotisserie, which fits across the Little Wombat and hooks over the sides in place of the trays. It’s basically a portable square campfire that packs up into a bright, suitcase-size orange canvas bag.

Simple design means simple operation. Setting up the Little Wombat involved finding a suitable outdoor space (in this case, our apartment’s balcony), unfolding the legs and attaching the side trays, removing the plates, and igniting some firelighters (toward one side, to encourage a through-flow of air). Once they were happily smouldering, we replaced the plates, and let them heat, before slapping on four steaks, a couple of chopped onions and half a dozen sausages.

The meal was delicious, but the aftermath of a decent barbecue session can be a mess. I have to say after inspecting the Little Wombat’s many corners, edges, and potentially grease-attracting nooks and crannies, I was worried about cleaning it up. My anxiety was misplaced. With a laundry sink full of sudsy water, the miracle of stainless steel became apparent. Apart from the fire-lighter plate, everything cleaned beautifully. The cast-iron hotplates scrubbed up well, too, and with a re-oil, they were soon ready for another session. I didn’t even have to use the included Hot Plate Magic cleaner, although at some stage I’ll use it to treat and seal the plates.

Apart from its barbecue functionality, the Little Wombat is designed to be a safe, easily smothered campfire, with ceramic wool-insulated sides and that two-part lid acting as a giant candle-snuff. It’s a safe alternative to open campfires in dry, drought-stricken bush, and would be brilliant with a few logs around and some marshmallows to roast. Just don’t get any marsupial meal ideas – I don’t think the rotisserie is wombat-strength.

The Little Wombat retails for $360 plus postage, and can be ordered from the website,

www.littlewombat.com.au

– Andrew Harris

As featured in Motorhome World 18, January/February 2008.