IN BRIEF - Goldstream RV

REVIEW
W o r d s M a x Tay lo r ; p i c s E l l e n Dewa r
ROUGH-ROAD
ready
We head to the backblocks of
Phillip Island to test one of
Goldstream RV’s latest offerings.
in brief
• F
itted with a Bush Pack for versatile
touring
• A mid-weight package with all the
comforts
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caravanworld.com.au 53
T
here’s an element of prestige that
comes with towing a van from
Goldstream RV. They look good on the
road and attract admiring glances from
owners of lesser vans. But it’s more than
cosmetic factors that makes Goldstream
RV such a worthy player in the caravan
market. Good build quality and the
attention to detail evident in the overall
finish have gone a long way to securing this
manufacturer’s reputation. So when we put
a Bush Pack-fitted Goldstream (our test van
was termed the 20ft, centre-door, rearensuite model) through its paces, I had high
expectations.
INSIDE
The overall layout is fairly conventional.
It has a forward bed (measuring 5ft x 6ft
2in/1.5x1.85m), offside dinette, nearside
kitchen, and a full-width bathroom in
the rear. But though the layout yields few
surprises, it’s well executed.
Up front, there’s a bedhead of two
overhead lockers, wardrobes with deep
drawers either side of the bed, and a fullheight corner cupboard at the foot of the
bed on the offside. This cupboard is split,
with three shelves above with their own
door, and two shelves below, also with their
own door. Additional storage is provided by
the cavity under the bed. The space isn’t
particularly large because about a third of
it is occupied by the tunnel boot and 100Ah
battery.
There is seating for four at the café-style
dinette, though it’s a bit of a squeeze. Two
people would eat at the bi-fold table more
comfortably. The 12V socket in this area is
a nice touch – handy for charging mobile
phones, etc.
Access to the storage area beneath the
seats is via a hatch each, or by lifting the
cushions and ply bases. A 14L Truma
gas/electric water heater is stored under
the forward seat, as are the water tank
diverters which allow you to direct, for
example, water of poorer quality to the
shower and keep the other tank for
drinking water.
Cooking in a caravan has its challenges
and, without question, the biggest is space.
Preparing dinner can be a messy business
and without elbow room you’ll find yourself
at the camp kitchen or local RSL most
nights. Our review Goldstream, however,
hits the mark. The black Laminex benchtop
begins at the entrance, with the four-burner
(three gas, one electric) Spinflo cooktop,
griller and oven set at an angle where the
benchtop meets the bathroom wall. And to
create still more bench space, the sink has
a colour-matched timber insert.
There’s a full-height splashback, stainless
steel NCE rangehood, and an array of
storage options, among them a narrow
pull-out pantry with two chrome baskets.
The internal edges of the cabinetry, in the
kitchen and throughout the rest of the
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measuring up
i Liked
• T
he overall build quality and attention
to detail
• The bench space
• That the electrical switches/meters,
etc., are hidden in a cupboard
I would have liked
• A
bathroom light switch on the
nearside of the bed – having one only
on the offside seems incongruous
• I’ll agree with the Dewars: a mirror
above the toilet
• A couple of external speakers
van, are properly sanded and painted for a
smooth finish.
For entertainment, the van has a JVC
stereo/CD/DVD player connected to a 19in
LCD TV on a swing-arm at the forward
end of the kitchen – it can be viewed from
anywhere in the van save for the bathroom.
The stereo is linked to four internal
speakers.
ELECTRICS
Between the dinette and bathroom are
a full-height split pantry and the fridge.
The upper pantry door has two catches
for extra strength and the chrome baskets
are generous in size. The Dometic fridge
is a decent 175L unit, above which is the
microwave, recessed into the cabinetry at
a sensible height. Meters, gauges, electrical
we like it!
David and Judy Dewar (above), who
live in south Gippsland, Vic, came with
us to Phillip Island for this test. Both
were impressed by the Goldstream. In
particular, Judy loved the kitchen bench
space and the bathroom setup.
“The bathroom is one of the best I’ve
seen,” she commented. “It just needs a
mirror – I’d put it above the toilet.”
But as the guys at Goldstream told us,
customers only need to ask…
Clockwise from top left: Very generous
bench space; storage pockets in the
entrance; Poker, anyone?; the split pantry
on the offside will store plenty of dry
goods – the upper pantry has two catches
for extra strength; when ‘closed’ the
dinette table works as a spot for nibblies.
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GOLDSTREAM RV
Overall length 8.5m (27ft 11in)
External body length 6.55m (21ft 6in)
Overall width 2.36m (7ft 9in )
Interior height 2.07m (6ft 9in), tapering to
1.9m (6ft 3in) at bedhead
Nameplate Tare 2240kg
Nameplate ATM 2640kg
Unladen ball weight 235kg
Frame Timber
Chassis 6in DuraGal
Suspension Roller-rocker
Cooktop Spinflo four-burner with
griller and oven
Fridge 175L Dometic
Shower Variable-height,
fibreglass-moulded
Toilet Thetford cassette
Lighting 12V
Gas 2 x 9kg
Fresh water 2 x 80L
Price as shown $57,000
(tow-away, Melbourne)
switches, etc., are centrally located in a
cupboard above the microwave. In many
caravans, these ‘unsightly’ items are in
total view, so hiding them in the way
Goldstream has is a tick in its favour.
There’s a digital volt/amp meter, control
for the hot water heater, switch for the 12V
Shurflo water pump, and 240V circuit
breaker.
supplied by
Goldstream RV, Factory 1-4, 75 Bald
Hill Road Pakenham, Vic 3810, (03) 5941
5571, www.goldstreamrv.com.au
CBD
ROBE
OHC
OHC
OHC
TABLE
SEAT
FRIDGE
TOILET
VANITY
SEAT
PANTRY
Floorplan
QUEEN BED
SHOWER
ROBE
ENTRANCE
Top: Even at the ceiling’s lowest point (at
the bedhead), there’s a decent amount
of head room. Above left: The underbed
storage is taken up somewhat by the
tunnel boot, but that’s offset by the offside
cupboard. Above: Basic vanity unit in the
bathroom.
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OHC
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The fuse box is also kept here (all things
12V – awning lights, internal lights, etc. –
have their own fuse).
The bathroom is set-up with the
essentials: small vanity, Thetford swivel
cassette on the offside and shower on the
nearside. The ‘depth’ of the bathroom is
0.89m – enough space for towelling off,
dressing, etc. The rear window adds a good
amount of natural light, but no mirror was
fitted to our test van – one above the toilet
wouldn’t go astray. And if nature calls
during the night, a switch beside the bed on
the offside turns on the bathroom light. It
seems strange that there isn’t a switch for
the nearside sleeper, though.
Other features inside this van include
a powerful Dometic B3000+ reverse-cycle
air-conditioner, two Heki hatches, padded
magazine holder in the doorway, and timber
pelmets and timber-edged furniture and
cabinetry. The van doesn’t want for 12V
lighting or 240V powerpoints. Or head
room – the internal height is 2.07m (6ft 9in),
tapering to 1.9m (6ft 3in) at the bedhead.
OUTSIDE
Our Bush Pack-fitted Goldstream isn’t built
for Cape York; rather, the Bush Pack equips
a van for the corrugations of national parks
and the like. And there’s no denying that
our van looked the part.
The 6in DuraGal drawbar tapers to 4in at
the spring hangers, with 6in main members
on top. This effectively gives the van 10in of
steel underneath, to which the 12mm ply
floor is glued and screwed. The drawbar
is home to two 9kg gas cylinders, a mesh
stoneguard, a water tap (with stoneguard)
and an (optional) Hyland coupling for better
articulation.
External storage is limited to a front
tunnel boot. A tight-fitting rubber seal
to the hatches either side make the boot
Goldstream
RV’s Bush Pack
Goldstream RV’s Bush Pack costs
$3000 on top of the price for a standard
van. It consists of the following:
• Pressure hatch
• Double-ply walls (with insulation between)
• Fifteen-inch wheels
• Six-inch chassis
• Roller-rocker suspension
• Higher checkerplate along the sides
• Jerry can holders
watertight – a good thing, considering the
15A battery charger is in there.
Underneath are two 80L water tanks with
gal-sheet protection, Al-Ko load-sharing
roller-rocker suspension, 15in wheels with
electric drum brakes – pretty much the gold
standard when it comes to trailer brakes.
The main external comfort feature is
a swing-arm TV bracket that folds away
behind a hatch – just grab your flatscreen
from inside, fix it to the bracket, and you’re
ready to watch the footy under the awning,
your beer resting on the drop-down picnic
table.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This is a very liveable van for two. It has
all the bits and pieces for self-contained
caravanning, and the underpinning and
build are solid.
With its ATM of 2640kg, a fairly muscular
4WD is in order. Yes, not opting for the
Bush Pack will save weight (the double-ply
walls, for instance, add about 60kg), but I
Top right to bottom: Fold-down picnic table; note the rubber
seals around the tunnel boot hatch; two 9kg gas cylinders on
the drawbar, protected by a mesh stoneguard; there’s 10in of
steel underneath this Goldstream RV.
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think it’s a worthwhile trade-off. After all,
2640kg is still within the range of many
tow vehicles on the market, and certainly
comparable to many vans with the same (or
lesser) spec level.