After a lot of research and seeing so many different types of caravans we finally chose the Island Star, Escape by Noels Caravans, a 19ft6 semi off road. We primarily chose Noels Caravans as we liked the attention to detail in the fit out, the suspension and the layout was exactly what we wanted.

Although the caravan was not made in South Australia, it was made in Victoria and being Australian made was also a factor. The dealer has been in South Australia for many, many years and with a very good and trusted reputation, lastly Vince was really good to work with and was able to assist in all our requirements. Even when we drove him to despair.

Camping off grid was our number one priority and we anticipate that we will never need to hook up to power at any stage whilst travelling, being able to travel indefinitely off grid is our aim. Having access to food and water will always be things we will rely on.

We had a 2000 watt Enerdrive inverter, 2 solar panels and a battery management system installed at the time of building. Chris has installed 2 x lithium batteries giving us a total capacity of 608 Ah and a Victron solar charger which has been a game changer. All of this enables us as to run the A/C, microwave, induction cooker and the all important Breville coffee machine whilst off grid.

We know all too well how annoying it is on a windy day using a butane or gas cooker can be. This induction cooker allows you to cook with ease and no fear of the flame being extinguished. Oh and let’s talk coffee, being able to have a freshly brewed espresso coffee or latte is an absolute must, even more so when camping.