Having left the gold Coast we headed up North, the wrong direction for the time of the year. We landed in Arlie Beach in the midst of some of the worst weather in 17 years. Our outer reef cruise was cancelled due to the extreme conditions and the day we planned to leave the roads were closed off in three places due to flooding. Ten days of torrential rain will do that! The tent held up well to the wind and rain with some minor leakage in one corner where the ground sheet is stitched to the canvas.
After a few months based in Cairns and at the earliest opportunity we tackled the Cape via Lakefield national Park. At Bramwell Junction left the development road and followed the Old Telegraph Track (OTT). This was an amazing adventure and for me the highlight of my trip around Oz.
The Customline performed admirably along the OTT despite some extreme terrain, at one river crossing the water was over the bonnet of our Patrol. Despite the water depth the trailer sustained only minor water ingress. The only casualties on this section of our journey included the first of many punctures, one mudflap, a chip out of the jockey wheel and a bent stone guard. This damage was only superficial and considering the terrain an impressive accomplishment. Most travellers seemed to give the OTT a miss even without trailers in tow!
After “conquering” the Tip of Australia we travelled back to Cairns to pick up our push bikes (mounted on the back of the trailer) before heading west along the Gulf Savannah to Lawn Hill NP then onto Darwin, Litchfield and Kakadu. From here it was back to Katherine before leaving the Northern Territory for Kununurra in WA.
From our base in Kununurra we experienced Purnululu NP (Bungle Bungles), Lake Argyle and the Ord River, Ivanhoe Crossing and Wyndham. Leaving Kununurra we took a week to cross the Gibb River Road and the breathtaking Kimberley’s, a highlight for Hayley (my wife). Some of our favourite spots along the Gibb included Emma Gorge, Zebedee Springs, Tunnel Creek (a hit with the kids) and Winjana Gorge.
We did not have so much as a puncture crossing the Gibb. We encountered a number of others less fortunate than ourselves with one trailer breaking a leaf spring and another costing more than three times as much as our Customline breaking off a stub axle and spending the last section of the Gibb on the back of a tow truck.
After the Gibb River road we experienced Broome and famous Cable Beach with a few days’ piece and quiet further up North at Quondong. From Broome we decided to head back inland and down the Centre. We spent 6 weeks in the Red Centre enjoying such sights as the West McDonnell Ranges, Palm Valley, Kings Canyon and of course Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).
Leaving the Centre we travelled South through Coober Pedy to Port Augusta then through the Southern Flinders Ranges to Broken Hill, Dubbo to visit the Zoo and Bathurst for the races in early October. We then stayed in Sydney with relatives before heading back to the Gold Coast shortly after Christmas.
 |
 |
| |
|
This amazing opportunity to explore some of Australia with a young family was a once in a lifetime experience.
Although our Customline trailer did not cover a s many km’s as the tow vehicle we estimate it followed our trusty Patrol in excess of 20,000 km’s without a hiccup or major damage.
We managed to bend the right-hand-side leaf spring due to a momentary lapse in concentration heading up the Cape. I hit a nasty dip at almost 90 kph which was enough to get the trailer airborne. This was entirely due to driver error and we were amazed that the only damage was a slightly bent spring. I should add that this happened fairly early into our adventure and we still have not replaced the spring.
Damaged sustained by the trailer is as follows:
- Tent flyscreen torn – with 3 kids it was inevitable
- 1 bent leaf spring – due to driver error
- 1 mudflap torn off on the OTL – subsequently bolted back on
- Minor jockey wheel damage – I left it hang down through some extreme terrain on the OTL
- 4 flat tyres –due to my choice of tyres (indecently we did not sustain a single puncture on the two vehicle in 38,500 km’s
- 1 bent stone-guard – extreme terrain on the OTL
- I lost water cap – left unlocked, again human error
After 5 of us living in the trailer for the best part of a year my wife still loves the trailer. We intended to sell it on our return but can’t bring ourselves to part with it. So what did we love about the Customline:
- Extremely robust and a genuine off-road camper trailer
- Exceptional value for money, less than a third of the price of some more expensive trailers
- 13 foot tent that was big enough to comfortably sleep our family of 5
- Great awning that was essential in the heat up North
- Durable canvas
- Neat looking package
- Drifta Kitchen which was just brilliant
- Tows well and isn’t too heavy
Things we would change if we did an extended trip again:
- Garden stop hose connector on the water tank didn’t take too well to the bull dust and was prone to leaking – this was easily fixed with a connector and piece of hose clamped off
- Awning spreader bars are fiddly to insert into the tent frame, especially for someone vertically challenged like myself
- Sustained minor water ingress through seams in one corner during torrential rain at Airlie Beach
- Choice of trailer tyres – although I used tyres that were interchangeable with the tow vehicle in excellent condition and non too cheap there really is no alternative but to use Light Truck tyres for remote Outback travel
- I would have preferred the leaf springs to be greaseable although this did not cause us any difficulties
- I would install additional water storage – 68l doesn’t go too far with a family of 5
We could not have successfully completed our trip without our Customeline trailer. We are over the moon with our purchase, importantly my wife loves it and I think its one tuff trailer that represents unbelievable value for money.
Best Regards
Ray Beveridge
[close]
