GoRV - Digital Magazine Issue #52 | Page 79

RV FEATURE
It was an interesting choice given Alucabond panels were initially designed for commercial applications such as exterior signage and building facias . Nowadays , it is found on composite aluminium caravans around Australia .
All up , the couple parted with about $ 17,000 for the caravan and they needed to add in a firstclass café fitout , bringing their total bill from conception to being road-ready to about $ 50,000 . As for the van , the diminutive coffee caravan comes in at just a smidge over 3m from the tip of the drawbar to the taillights . The size is deceptive , given Jess and Andy are both over 6ft tall – yet don ’ t have to stoop in order to work in the caravan .
The couple ' s coffee caravan was given a first-class café fitout .
Their extensive planning also included securing a continuous supply of the quality , specialist coffee blend that they adored in Melbourne . The plan was to have their coffee supply delivered to each location ahead of their arrival .
By 2018 , they were on their way towing their little coffee caravan behind their trusty 1983 Toyota HiAce campervan on a route designed to take them on a lap of Australia .
Jess remembers that the best of their trip were things like skies crammed with stars , the wideopen spaces of the Australian outback cattle station camps , and the wide-eyed , warm-hearted welcome of folk they encountered on their trek .
After one rickety run along an outback road near the historical town of Mary Kathleen in Queensland ’ s north-west , Jess recalls they pulled up for the evening to find that their professional-grade coffee machine was precariously balanced on its bench , which itself had come away from the wall . This provided a timely lesson that even experienced travellers needed to be mindful of the rigours of outback travelling . They repaired the van ’ s counter and hit the road again .
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