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proud to be Australian

   Welcome to the homepage of the Australian CamperTrailers Group. If you would like to chat camper trailers, travel or just camping in general, you will find you are right at home with a bunch of like-minded people. Members come from all walks of life, but have a common interest in the great outdoors. Hope we can exchange experiences & learn a little from each other. 

   The non profit Australian CamperTrailers Group provides a place for members to chat which is free of commercial advertising, pressures or promotion of any kind. Manufacturers of camper trailers & camping accessory suppliers are welcome to join the group & share their knowledge & experience. We welcome their participation & the expertise they bring as long as it is unbiased & free of commercial advertising. Membership is free. Instructions on how to join can be found here.

   There is a Live chat every Thursday night from 8.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. Please feel free to drop in & join the friendly group around our virtual campfire. The latest version of Java™ is needed to enter the chat & can be downloaded & installed for free from http://www.java.com/

   In Australia the camper trailer has become very popular. It is perfect for our Aussie camping lifestyle, whether it be weekends away or an extended trip into the great outdoors where no facilities exist. Being self sufficient is a must in these circumstances as well as carrying suitable spares & a good tool kit.

   Most off road camper trailers have an under slung water tank, a fully functional compact kitchen & plenty of room to carry the necessary supplies without placing undue strain on the tow vehicle. Then there's the gas bottle, extra water or fuel which is carried in jerry cans & perhaps a purpose built 12 volt battery system which may be charged by a solar panel when camped, making an extended stay possible. 

   Although the group was started in September 2001 as an Australian off road camper trailers group, members from other countries are very welcome to join. It gives us an insight into how others camp outside our own environment.

   The groups' members own a wide selection of camping accommodation ranging from tents, box trailers, slide-ons (which sit on the rear of utes), on & off road caravans, right through to converted buses, as well as on & off road camper trailers of all makes & models.  Check here to see what the average camper trailers group member may look like.  

   There are many members who have joined the group seeking advice when it comes to buying a camper trailer. We do not push one brand over another, but with the combined help from members who own camper trailers, we hope we can steer them in the right direction & help them make an educated decision to what suits their needs.

   Here is a check list to give you an inside advantage when looking to purchase a camper trailer for the first time. It contains points not only to ask yourself, but the salesman as well.  

   State towing regulations were revised in 1998 with each state coming to an agreement that a national regulation should be implemented. An overview of these rules can be viewed here. 

   The websites Tech Tips pages have grown into a valuable resource on everything camper trailers thanks to the generous input by members of the Australian CamperTrailers Group . This is the place where everyone can share their tips & tricks as well as showing how they have modified their camper trailers to suit their own unique style of camping. It is fascinating to see how simple solutions have been adopted in overcoming problems & making camping life all that much more enjoyable. If you would like to write an article for the website please feel free to drop us an e-mail.

     You will find some fantastic trip reports from members which may help you plan your own trip. If not these stories will certainly inspire you to get out there.

   At times group get togethers are arranged & this gives members a chance to meet each other & greet the face behind the typing in a relaxed atmosphere around the campfire. It also gives those looking at buying a camper trailer an opportunity to check campers over first hand & get an unbiased opinion from their owners. You may meet as complete strangers, but part as old friends on the Sunday, such is the camaraderie.

   There have been weekend meets organized in the Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide & Perth areas. In the Sydney area weekend camping trips have been held at the Watagan Mountains, Tumut, Wollondilly River Station, Newnes, Budgewoi, Burralow Swamp, Shallow Crossing, Camp Cobark, Riverwood Downs in the foothills of Barrington Tops & Kangaroo Valley. Next weekend meets are organized for........

   The groups first national get together was held in July 2005 at Copeton Waters State Park near Inverell, on the NSW Northern Tablelands, where 32 camper trailers & 100 people gathered to meet & enjoy each others company, chat camper trailers, cook on the open fire, check the modifications that others have done & explore the area.   

   The groups second national meet was again held at Copeton Waters State Park in October 2006 with 48 camper trailers attending. This meet was a great success with workshops by members & entertainment provided by the Inverell Tourist Association. You can read all about the week long activities on the past events page at Copeton Waters 2006

    The third national meet was held during the week of Monday 1st to Friday 5th of October 2007 at Copeton Waters, where 57 camper trailers & over 150 people attended. Members volunteered to hold workshops on various topics of interest, passing on their valuable knowledge to others. Workshop topics included demonstrations of both the Cobb & Dreampot cookers, GPS basics, communications while travelling, 12 volt, batteries & solar, tai chi basics & a practical guide to trailer wheel bearing inspection & maintenance  The kids didn't miss out with scoobie & dream catcher workshops as well as a kids bush cooking competition.

    Other activities included a combined campoven/ bush cooking morning tea & a fold the change tent competition which provided plenty of laughs around happy hour. An evenings entertainment was provided by local bush band 'The Rabbit Trappers' which consisted of Robert 'Fat' Hardy/vocals & acoustic guitar & Dudley Gooda/vocals & piano accordion. Accompanying the band was bush poet Jimmy Brown. Jimmy recited a number of his own poems as well as a few by fellow bush poets. The hat was passed round & the CamperTrailers Group members managed to raise $320 towards the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Details of the meet can be found at Copeton Waters 2007.

      The groups forth national meet will be held at Peak Hill Showground on the NSW Central Slopes & Plains during the week of Monday 29th September to Friday 3rd October 2008. Details here. At this stage the momentum is starting to build as the countdown drops to double figures. Days to go are listed at the top of this page. The groups co-owners are organizing another fantastic itinerary for the week long meet. A thank you must go to Leighton Davies from Peak Hill for the input he has make insuring this will be another successful national meet. A big thanks to Parkes Shire Council's Events Officer, Amy Johnson for finding local band "All You Can Give 'em" who will provide entertainment on the Wednesday night. We hope we can give something back to the local community by raising funds for a local charity.

   Please keep in mind that the groups co-owners will not accept any responsibility for members or non-members actions during weekend get togethers. If you decide to attend, it is solely at your own responsibility, including any side trips or outings during the weekend meet.

   No claim is made for the accuracy or authenticity of the content on the Australian CamperTrailers website. In no event will the co-owners of the Australian CamperTrailers Group or its members be liable for the accuracy of information contained in it, its use or reliance placed on it.

   The information on the website is provided on the basis that all persons accessing the website undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. It is suggested you seek more than one opinion on important topics.

    Please feel free to use the information on the CamperTrailers website as a reference & share it with others, as long as you don't claim the work as your own, change it in any way or use it commercially.

   The Australian CamperTrailers Group is not affiliated with any camper trailer manufacturers, commercial outlets or associated recreational camping accessory suppliers, however the Groups co-owners have arranged a members discount for goods purchased or services provided with some manufacturers & suppliers of recreational camping products.

    Feedback on the campertrailers.org website always appreciated.
 

                                               Ari, Ron, Kevin & Rob     

                                               Australian CamperTrailers Group co-owners

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    website built by Rob - June 2004

updated - 4th September 2008

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