So, having been in Oz for 3months (as of tomorrow) and looking at the fab selection of all Vw's you have out here I have noticed a big difference betweeen here and back in the UK. the very few number of Kombi's with camping interiors.

Back in the UK i would say that the high majority of busses are running camping interiors - be it a simple rock and roll bed or full on camping interior with cupboards and tables - some with fridges too.

So it begs the question, how come there are so few out here. considering the weather is SOOOO much better - both temperature and consistancy of good weather.

is it because:
people dont camp that much?
its too hot to camp in the busses?
there was never a very good conversion company like Westy, dormobile, danbury, viking etc.?
are there many companies that retro fit full camping interiors. there are probably 30-50 companies in the uk who upholster and or retrofit camping interiors.

I was originally thinking about getting another bus out here to continue our love for camping and exploring with vw friends, but if there arent many camping interiors out there i may not be restricted to a bus

NaFe

Sorry Mods, probably best to be in general chit chat. it was originally meant for people with buses, but thinking about it its more for everyones opinion.

NaFe

sorted

Our bus has no camping interior. We always pitched a tent

Too HAWT

so its genuinely because its too hot sleeping in the busses.

There are many campers in Oz. Check out how many show up at shows, will give you a gauge as to quantity.

No its not too hot to sleep in a bus

Quote:

Originally posted by hellbugged No its not too hot to sleep in a bus

Campervans Vs caravans? Caravans you can leave it at home for the majority of the year and enjoy fuel savings. A campervan like a snail, you gotta carry that weight around all year long. Maybe thats a good reason.

But I can recall in the 70's the number of Kombi camper/pop top units around was staggering not to mention the Hi-aces even Commers. Also popular were the glide on vans for utes and trays now not so popular- hard to find a glide on builder now.

Tenting is becoming more popular now. Look in caravan parks during school holidays, tents everywhere. Most of the van owners are grey nomads. That leaves the backpackers and tourists that buy Kombis and Toyota vans that often are resold to newly arrived tourists. There are car parks in Sydney where they conregate to sell their vans to new arrivals.

There was a time when Aussies used caravans a HEAP and in the 70s VW Campers like the Sopru and Campmobile conversions were very popular. But tents have got better and VW campers don't do amazing mileage or speed on the freeway and holiday destinations can be a long away in Australia. More people have holiday homes and caravans have got bigger as have modern camper vans. If people buy new campers they're after something the size of a VW Crafter or the like. And even a modern Caravelle conversion is over the $100k mark. Most guys on the Splitty scene have Rock'n'Roll beds and I'd like a couple of cupboards and table in my next Splitty project but the culture is different here.

It's not a VW, but here's my Australian camping vehicle, which I sold earlier this year:



No need for a campervan when you can just as happily roll a swag out!

If I was going on a big trip (at least 6 months plus) with a girlfriend/wife (highly unlikely!) then I would consider buying a campervan, but for weekend use they are too much money and too impractical for a daily driver due to their high fuel use and slow performance. A lot more people go for 4wds these days.

Back in the 1970s there were plenty of companies converting VW Kombis to campervans. As Diehard said, Sopru Pty Ltd were the official converters. They were an Adelaide-based company formed by Eric Sopru, who first began converting VWs in the late 1960s, then set up a second shop in Melbourne. Sydney's LNC Industries (owners of VW Australia then) bought 50% of Sopru in 1971 and 100% in 1973, and opened a new headquarters and workshop in Beaconsfield st Auburn. Being owned by LNC, they were the 'official' converters, with brand new Sopru Campmobiles sold new through VW dealers with full VW Australia warranty. From 1971 to 1979 VW sold over 12,000 VW Sopru Campmobiles in Australia, the biggest selling campervan in Australian history.

Dormobile was also an 'official' converter for a few years, with a workshop in Canberra and in Sydney (at Camperdown, next to Lanock Motors). Their conversions had a side-lifting roof rather than the 'straight up' roof the Soprus had. They also had LNC VW warranty and parts support. In the VW Australia parts catalogues of the day, Sopru and Dormobile had VW part numbers that began with CMP and DOR.

There were also numerous aftermarket 'non-factory' converters, such as Swagman, Trakka van, Discoverer (John Terry the Kombi King), Sunliner and Camperize. Some of these still exist today, making large motorhomes or caravans. Trakka (based at Mt Kuring Gai) is now the 'official' VW converter of new T5 and Crafter vans, due to the VW-built California van not meeting Australian Design Rules.

Percentage-wise, bewteem 1969 and 1979 VW sold around 64,000 VW Commercials in Australia, of which 12,000 were Campmobiles. The rest - the majority - were the workhorses, the delivery vans, pickups and window Kombis. In 1975 VW sold 8,974 Commercials, more than Toyota sells Hiaces or Hyundai sells iLoads today.