If you can find a small offroad, poptop caravan, you should find you can access similar places to what you could with the camper trailer. The main thing, if you want to get onto similar roads to those you mention above, is to make sure your rig is genuinely offroad. Some companies sell vans they label as offroad, but they are really standard ones with a couple of tweaks, and may not do so well.
The sort of thing that came to mind when I read your post was a Trakmaster Sturt. Google that and have a look. They are not all that easy to find second hand, but occasionally come up for sale.
Also - have a browse of the Caravaners Forum. There is a current post on there about second hand offroad vans. They also have a For Sale section that members use. If you come across an possible van to purchase and you want advice about the brand quality etc, that forum is also a good source of info.

Have a look at Doug's Avan Camper Trailer, hard sides/roof and no canvas unless you put the awning or annexe on.

You can get a version with beefed up chassis and shockies added, not truly off road but ok for light off road stuff.

Don't try the GRR with it like a friend of mine did, nearly shook it to pieces......

Google Avan Camper Trailers for sale, the 2B model would be good for you, try to get after 2000 as they have the higher side walls and therefore have the bigger/higher fridge, see;

http://www.avan.com.au/products_aliner.html 

http://www.avanclubaust.org.au/1276/Avans_For_Sale/ 

jules47 wrote:

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Hi Scout, and welcome to the site - one of the best things you could buy yourself is a copy of the Camps Australia No. 6 book - it is the travellers bible - independent campsites all over Australia - go to a newsagency or a book shop, and browse through a copy - you will be amazed how many campsites there are!! Check that out, there is one with spiral binding that has photos of campsites - always handy - and of course this site is a wealth of information. Good luck.

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 you can have mine it is just taking up space now

Dawa

Thanks to everyone for the replies and welcomes.

The AVans certainly look very easy to manage for a single person but I have my doubts about being able to mount sufficient solar panels to be able to free camp for extended periods with a compressor fridge.  The roof angle is not exactly ideal for capturing solar power & space looks limited.  I know you can get portable panels but Id prefer them mounted so I dont have to worry about leaving them out.  Im also struggling to imagine not being able to travel on routes like the GRR so it seems I really do want half-decent off-road capability, even if I end up hardly ever using it. 

Wendy, Ill definitely check out the Trakmaster Sturt.  Im also considering a small Supreme Getaway.  And still open to options with canvas.  Everyone seems to advise against it for extended trips but I didnt find it too bad last time and it offers a much lighter solution than an offroad caravan.

Dawa, Im interested in buying your Camps6 book, thx.  Ill attempt to PM.

Jacinta

Welcome Scout. As you can see from my avatar, I'm not set up for off road, although I wish I could have. Alas, finance prevented it. If I could have, I would've had something like what you describe.

Good luck with it all, and keep us informed.

Better to be out on the road than not though, Im sure, Beth!

JB, good on you for taking the leap of faith!  Most people thought I was mad when I did the year with the kids, but it was one of the best things we ever did.  I started as green as you (and no doubt will again), and we spent the first few weeks providing endless entertainment to fellow campers as we fumbled our way through reversing and hitching and all that stuff, but you get the hang of it a lot quicker than youd think and theres so many wonderful and interesting people you meet on the road.

Im hoping to have my act together to depart Jan 2013.  How about you?  Ive ruled out campervans because (a) I think Id find it a little bit small with the 2 dogs and (b) Id like to have transport without packing up my camp.  I was tempted by the idea though, because I think thered be some added personal safety in being able to climb through to a drivers seat and leave a site if it ever became necessary.  Thats part of the reason Im considering a caravan instead of a camper, although Im not sure how much extra security a caravan door really offers.

Gerty, I probably dont *need* such off-road capability most of the time but Id like it J  However, I dont think I want to spend whats required to purchase something like a small Trakmaster so Im either going to have to compromise with a van that will at least cope with some dirt roads or go for a wind-up or hard-floor camper.  Decisions, decisions!