The Magazine for Australian Travellers

October 2005

GREAT PLACES TO GO

Cutta Cutta Caves

The Northern Territory town of Katherine has a secret treasure deep underground.

Great walking on Fraser Island

Melanie Ball heads away from Fraser’s coast to focus on the middle of the world’s largest sand island.

Campsite reports

Our campsite reporters find the best places to camp, this month in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.

CARAVANS & MOTORHOMES

Waltzing with Matilda

New owner, new factory and new model motorhomes.

GOOD GEAR & GADGETS

Walkabout

Go on the greatest bushwalk, live the Snowy River legend and travel with a greener outlook – find out how in Walkabout this month.

How to photograph Australia

A new book by Steve Parish can help us to make our holiday pictures much better.

CAMPERS’ TALES

Cruising Australia

Aussies are planning for a life of leisure in their retirement – and, apparently, we’re very good at it.

The good life at McLaren Vale

This area in South Australia is truly gorgeous.

Hit the Spot

A seafood feast awaits at Airlie Beach.

The hazards of helping out

Adrian Ryan has some tales of woe to tell – he’s helping out a friend.

Dismal Swamp

This place in Tasmania is anything but dismal.

Outback wings and
stockmen’s things

Jim Foster takes us for a tour around two Australian icons.

Campfire cooking

Derek “The Camp Oven Cook” Bullock doesn’t need a campfire to make a camp oven feast.

JUST FOR READERS

My Favorite Place

The tantilising glitter of garnets has won for a reader a pair of great daypacks from Snowgum.

GETAWAY VEHICLE

Facelifted Forester

Subaru’s popular soft-roader Forester has increased its appeal.

CATCH A FEED

Snapping happy

This month, Paul B. Kidd offers some tips on getting better fishy photos.

REGULAR FEATURES

Readers’ Letters

Advice on locating a doctor wherever you travel is discussed this issue.

Aussie Cross Quiz

The fibreglass body is both attractive and waterproof.

in Australia’s great

outdoors

Matilda is waltzing again

The fibreglass motorhome is back

beside the billabong with a new

owner, a new factory and new models

The motorhome manufacturer, Matilda, previously based in Cairns, has been given a new lease of life by the company’s new owner Ron Gee

Enterprises,that has been making the bodies for Matilda. has now taken over and moved production to a Melbourne factory. Ron Gee Enterprises has been able to hit the ground running because, apart from the manufacturing it was doing for Matilda's former owner, it has been making fibreglass and plastic components for the mining industry and other engineering companies for the past 36 years.

An associated company builds ambulances and specialised rescue vehicles that are being used throughout Australia.

The new Matilda range will look much like the older models but there will only be five models. The smaller units have been dropped and the range will start off with the 21-foot Tasman (yes, the name are all new and honor

Australian explorers) and the top of the line will be the Captain Cook, a 27-foot luxury cruiser.

The new team, headed by finance director Julie Gee, will be concentrating on producing motorhomes with a high level of luxury and durability. General manager Gary Scott says the interior of the Matildas will be screwed and glued. "There will be no staples," he says.

The Captain Cook model will have top quality furnishings including leather upholstery, a complete video and audio system and a GPS navigation system just in case you have problems finding your way to the Dig Tree. Depending on options it will cost about $225,000.