RV FEATURE
At some stage in your travels, you stop picking caravans based only on how they look, and start paying attention to what actually works. That understanding builds over countless kilometres – rough tracks, early mornings, hot days, unexpected weather and all the small lessons that come with living on the road. By the time we began designing our 21ft High Country Xtreme, we had a clear idea of what worked for us and what didn’ t.
New Zealand added its own set of lessons: alpine passes, sudden weather changes, narrow gravel routes and corners that tighten just when you think they won’ t. A caravan that could handle both countries needed proper thought behind it, from the chassis up. That’ s where Australis stood out. Their idea of‘ custom’ isn’ t choosing colours from a board. It starts with the people.
As the build progressed, we worked closely with Australis founders and directors Mark Chadwick and Aleksandar Nastevski, who have years of practical experience and know what holds up, what doesn’ t, and what travellers eventually regret. If you need more headroom, they’ ll raise it. If the way you use space calls for a different ensuite layout, they’ ll redesign it. If you need a specific suspension package or cabinetry built to a certain height, they’ ll make it fit properly rather than forcing you into something close enough.
Throughout the build, every decision was a conversation. If we wanted something unusual, Australis didn’ t push back – they explored it with us. If something wasn’ t going to work, they’ d suggest an alternative that solved the same problem in a better way. They were as excited about the possibilities as we were.
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