I am not an Engineer, but do know my way around a welder and a variety of metal and woodworking tools,

I have been a wanderer for most of my life, in that time I have  built campers and trailers and also owned a variety of caravans, ranging in size from 15ft up to 22 ft, and a tonnage of 500 kgs to 2 tonnes,

So I think I can hang a tag of experienced  on the back, also during those years I have covered a lot of roads, from tracks in the bush that you can hardly see, the surveyors route to the Cape, most of the now well travelled bush tracks like the  Canning, and Gunbarrel, etc

Now the reason for writing,

On my recent trip , Sapphire, Melbourne,, Gold Coast, Sapphire, there was a lot of people on the move, with all sorts of homes dragging behind,, and there is a lot of vans being imported, from overseas, and being the gregarious persons that we are we got invited for a cuppa and a look at them,  

There was one that has been sticking in my mind since I saw it about 18 mths ago, at a showroom on the Gold Coast which on the surface is a fantastic van, roomy and spacious, everything in the right place, with all the bells and whistles plus showers etc  all you could think off,  and it would be, ---- PROVIDED YOU STAY ON THE SMOOTH BITUMEN ROAD,

Please check the suspension on your future van purchase, for ground clearance and durability , if it has pencil slim shockers dont go any further, they need to be big and fat with plenty of coolant or gas, the bigger the better, and make sure it is suitable for the Australian conditions, if you are unsure DONT ASK THE SALESMAN, ask another traveller

If you intend to venture of  to a rough Australian outback bitumen road  or track,  I advise against buying ANY VAN IMPORTED FROM THE UK they are not designed for our roads, and they will be literally shaken to pieces