Sydney Supershow post-show wrap-up

As night follows day, the big city recreational vehicle supershows were working their way around the country in April and May with Sydney hosting the most recent. Held at the rather excellent Sydney’s Rosehill Racecourse, the Caravan Camping Holiday Supershow, more commonly known as the Sydney caravan show, ran for six days. It showed Sydney folk a very good range of the latest and greatest from the RV industry, some great holiday destinations and any number of other RV associated activities and products.

Tow Ed presented its excellent series on safe outback travel, Hayman Reese delved into weight distribution and towing weight matters while Apollo and the Sydney RV Group also covered the purchasing and renting out of an RV under the whole of life RV ownership title. 

Food on the road is a very diverse subject. Some like everything quick and easy, whilst other like the entire cordon bleu bit. Chef and TV presenter Ed Hamagyi gave daily demonstrations of some mouth-watering recipes — with flavours to suit all tastebuds. 

According to the Caravan and Camping Industry Association NSW, just over 53,000 people made their way through the turnstiles to catch all the latest RV action. Certainly, the likes of Jayco, Avan, Concept, Retreat, Avida, Sunliner, Sunland, Coromal, Adria, New Age, Nova and Olympic had plenty to show. 

It’s not possible to capture it all in a short article, so here are a few highlights and things that just caught my eye. 

What’s on offer?

As always, there was a considerable amount of new product on display. Bailey (below) and Jayco were typical examples, with plenty to see on both their respective stands.

Off to a speedy start

For some months now, motorhome enthusiasts have been teased about the arrival in Australia of the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Well, there were several on display, including on the Horizon and Trakka stands. 

White out

Colour schemes in RVs, like anything else in the world, certainly have a trend. Currently, an almost monochromatic look with predominantly white colours seems to be the go, as demonstrated in these typical vans — an Avida Rock (below), Wonderland Triumph (bottom) and Nova Metrolink (not pictured).

Slid’n away

Slide-outs aren’t all that common in caravans but here’s an offering from River with its Dreamliner van. Note in particular the eye-catching colour scheme!

Keep on Trakka

Trakka has been keeping a little secret for a while now but it was revealed at the show. Trakka had its newly upgraded Jabiru motorhome which was based on the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. From the outside the most obvious new model clue is the fibreglass bedroom space pods that create more space around the bed area and allow for either double or single beds. Other items of note are the swivelling drawer fridge that can be accessed from inside and out and the larger bathroom.

Cool new products

It wasn’t only RVs that caught the attention. In a confined layout, there’s sometimes a decision about whether to have a left-hand or right-hand hinged fridge. How about this clever design which means the fridge can be opened either way, without any fiddly adjustments?

On the Frontline

Frontline is best known for its Toyota HiAce and Volkswagen T6-based campervans. However, a little surprise at the show was this Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series conversion. Clearly for the hardcore offroad traveller, it offers considerable potential for serious exploration. 

Brings tears to the eyes

Suncamper normally has a fine range of motorhomes on display, as it did this time. However, in addition to the usual offerings was this rather charming yet practical looking teardrop model for the those who like to tow something very small. 

Good things come in small packages

Large caravans seem to dominate many an RV display stand these days but for those who are looking for something very light to tow, Jayco, Adria and Euro Caravans all had something to offer.

Seeing Double

In the motorhome world, Fiat is almost unique because it’s a front wheel drive vehicle. With the detachable chassis, this method of delivery is almost unique too!

Finer Details

Little demonstrations like this are really handy for things that are difficult to see or a bit awkward to get at. Millard had a chassis on display which means minimal bending over for a look, whilst Tungsten X-Treme on the Hinterland Caravans stands showed its framing technique.

Retro inspiration

In the something-for-everyone department was this rather distinctive looking Airstream caravan from the USA (below). Jayco is the local agent and, if you're after a definitely different looking caravan that stands out in the crowd, then this is it!