Someone who saw an opportunity was Travelhome’s Geoff Dutch. He not only perceived a market for fifth wheelers suited to Aussie ute-sized vehicles, but he applied engineering expertise that continues to lead to unique features in Travelhome’s Macquarie range.

Not far down the road at Bennetts Green in Newcastle, NSW, Australian Motor Home’s Ron Warden also saw the potential, and took on Travelhome’s Macquarie fifth wheelers, which are available in lengths of 7.62m (25ft) and 8.84m (29ft) in various configurations, including “bunk bed” and “office” models.

ENGINEERED ADVANTAGE

Our review Travelhome is a new kid on the block, a 29ft model with a walk-around bed in the overhang. The overhang’s bed is judged from various points of view, depending on whether the commentator comes from a caravan (full ceiling height) or motorhome (Luton peak bed height) background. But the Travelhome’s walk-around bed is closer to the caravan ‘ideal’.

Being longer and heavier with an ATM of nearly 3500kg, the 29ft Macquarie requires a larger tow vehicle than its stablemates, but something like a Toyota LandCruiser or an Iveco Daily is more than adequate for the job. The pin weight (500kg unladen) should not be forgotten when considering the actual load carrying capacity of the vehicle.

Hitching and unhitching the Macquarie is quite a straightforward procedure. One of the advantages here (when compared to a conventional trailer) is that the hitch can easily be seen from the driver’s seat. The Travelhome comes with a ball-style pin hitch which is not affected by any of the problems that can be associated with single pivot hitches.

According to Geoff Dutch, Travelhome designs and manufactures its own ball and socket coupling, which it has tested for compliance with ADR 62/01, Mechanical Connections Between Vehicles. The Macquarie is built on a zinc-coated steel chassis that rides on tandem wheels fitted with Al-Ko’s independent torsion suspension. One-piece high density laminated walls with a fibreglass inner and outer skin are used for the body construction, along with a moulded fibreglass roof, nose cone and rear panel. All that gives the Macquarie a very streamlined look, with none of the ‘boxy’ features that some rigs have.
Ventilation and natural light are not a problem thanks to large Seitz double-glazed windows, three marine style roof hatches, and the Camec triple-locker door.

External bin space is quite generous and includes a large rear boot, three smaller bins under the overhang (the nearside one contains the front electric jack controls) and one mid-offside bin. The bin containing two 9kg cylinders is at the nearside rear. Naturally, external fittings also include a Dometic awning and there’s a small entertainment panel with a 12V socket and antenna connections that sits alongside a swivel-arm mounting bracket for a TV.

OVERHANG

In this fifth wheeler, the entry door is located midway along the body, just in front of the wheels. This arrangement splits the internal layout in half, with the kitchen and living area to the rear and the bedroom and bathroom areas towards the front.
Interestingly, much of the cabinetry is built from aluminium (for strength and less weight) rather than the more conventional timber. LED lighting is used throughout, adding to the energy efficiency of the Macquarie.

Up front, the walk-around bed is fitted in a north-south configuration, except that it has a larger-than-expected bedhead. Consequently, the bed extends further back into the main living area and therefore has a full-height ceiling for about two thirds of its length.

The bedhead incorporates (in addition to usual items like reading lights) a much wider shelf area, a large storage space and speakers. Detachable steps fitted to either side of the bed make it easy to climb in to. All up, the it’s a very different look to the normal overhang bedroom. We should also note that our Macquarie came with the optional bed lift for reading and watching TV in bed.

Also fitted in the front half of this fifth wheeler is a large two-door wardrobe on the nearside and bathroom on the offside, with the vanity washbasin outside the bathroom cubicle and both the shower and Thetford cassette toilet inside. It might sound a bit complicated but it’s a design that works quite well. Somewhat unusually, the vanity cabinet (located between the bathroom cubicle and bed) has a floor-to-ceiling partition on the bed side which is used as the mounting point for the flatscreen TV bracket.



Filling the nearside wall between the entry door and the rear lounge is the kitchen. It comes complete with a stainless steel sink and drainer, a Cramer three-burner cooktop with Spinflo grill/oven underneath, and a good amount of drawers and a cupboard – even the latter has a wire-basket drawer installed. The splash panel beside the cooktop will prevent cooking grease from reaching the lounge seat.

Above the kitchen bench is an overhead locker with roller-shutter door, and most of the electrical controls are located at the door end of the kitchen bench, on the adjacent pillar and in the locker above.

Between the bathroom cubicle and the lounge is the cabinet containing the rest of the kitchen essentials: a Dometic 186L fridge, microwave set at a user-friendly height, and a three-quarter-height and wider than usual slide-out pantry.

In the rear, the dining/lounge area features a table and single seat on the offside and an L-shaped lounge that runs across the rear and nearside. It’s not only been designed for room to stretch out but also can be made up into a double bed.
Large windows have been fitted all round and a locker has been fitted above the table.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This Travelhome is something of an answer to the question of overhang head room. It’s also interesting to note that a fair amount of living space has been achieved without a slide-out being fitted. And despite its slightly longer length compared to other Macquaries in the range, it is well suited to a variety of tow vehicles.

Australian Motor Homes, 31 Pacific Highway, Bennetts Green, NSW 2290, (02) 4948 0433,
www.australianmotorhomes.com.au

For more information, including your nearest dealer, visit the website www.travelhome.com.au

Travelhome Macquarie 29ft

External length 9.02m (29ft 3in)
External width 2.36m (7ft 9in)
Interior height 2.06m (6ft 5in)
Bedroom height 1.5m (5ft)
Nameplate Tare 2750kg
Nameplate ATM 3490kg
Pin weight 500kg
Chassis Steel zinc coated
Suspension Al-Ko torsion independent
Cooktop Cramer three burner and Spinflo oven/grill
Fridge Dometic RM4605 186L
Microwave Sharp
Shower Separate cubicle
Toilet Thetford cassette
Lighting 12V LED
Gas 2 x 9kg
Fresh water 170L
Grey water 170L
Black water 17L
Price $129,990 (drive-away)

I liked

• The front bedroom area which takes a similar but slightly different design concept and adds more ceiling height around the bed and more storage space generally
• Rear dining/lounge area – it’s a multi purpose area without too many design compromises
• Simple things like the splash panel at the end of the kitchen bench and having all the electrical controls mounted in a handy position.
• Use of LED lighting throughout

I would have liked

• Not much really