COMPACT VAN WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES

This is a van ideal for a younger, active family keen on outdoor living with cash to splash! The Wallaroo compact is spec’d to the max and priced at $95,000 as tested. What you see is the personal van of the owner of Wallaroo Caravans, Mick Neil. He wanted to build a van that showcased, in his view, the best components available in the industry.

I spent the day with Mick, starting with a tour of his small factory in Drouin, Victoria, followed by venturing out to the southern reaches of the High Country just outside Erica, with van in tow, included freeway on which Mick built himself a canopy.

Familiar with construction, Mick started life as a carpenter and has had the dream to build caravans for many years. In his travels, he had a short stint working for a larger scale caravan manufacturer and later gained further experience in caravan repairs. He learnt a lot about what he liked and didn’t like in caravan manufacturing processes, so when he started Wallaroo, he had a clear philosophy —quite simply, to