VAN LIFE
After spending a couple of years in their Royal Flair Aussie Mate, the Wallaces knew what they wanted and didn't want in a van. After a call to Royal Flair, a new 2021 EcoMate was designed, and the build process started on this flashy and very literal home on wheels.
My first question to the family: what did you learn from the first time that would make this van a whole lot better than the old one?
“The biggest thing we were looking for was to go offgrid and for longer,” Nathan said. “We wanted to be a bit lighter on weight. We also wanted to have more water and more solar.
“We are quite heavy on power, running a business and obviously school work. These were the priorities to work around, plus increasing the bunk space for the kids.”
So what worked on the old van, and what didn't work in the overall scheme of things? For Martene what worked was the drop-down bed (which could be lowered electrically from the ceiling when needed and retracted again during the day), the huge club lounge and the overall spaciousness of the van.
Nathan said the amount of useable space in the new van was a big positive. “Every day is not a perfect day when you are caravanning and camping. Yes, you can have some bad days with weather conditions, flies, mosquitoes, and you just want to be inside with as much room as possible so everyone can sit in there and not be on top of each other.”
They loved the Control Rider air suspension on the old van and opted for the same system on the new van.
Thanks to the impressive 12V system, all cooking appliances are electric.
Note the smart angular shape of the kids' beds.
“We absolutely love the air suspension,” Nathan said. “It means we can pull up on uneven campsites and set the van up perfectly within minutes.”
The air suspension controls are located in the entertainment box on the nearside of the van.
THEIR NEW ECOMATE
The new Royal Flair EcoMate was a ground-up custom build overseen by Royal Flair Caravans owner Bill Deralas. It features an aluminium chassis with Control Rider airbag suspension rated to 4000kg, disc brakes, AL-KO ESC and more.
A one-piece floor and fibreglass composite bodywork is used. The one-piece roof was fully wired before being lifted into place and the wrapped body finish with checkerplate skirts all round gives it a rugged look. NCE double- glazed windows, a new style of stoneguard, storage boxes, and so much more makes it a fantastic bit of kit weighing in at 3181kg Tare.
The timber furniture is fully customised, too. It includes a large club dinette, a bed that lowers down over the lounge (and retracts against the ceiling when not in use), large bunk space with storage, fans and lighting, an ensuite, and a large kitchen. There’s a composting toilet, fibreglass shower and a ceramic washbasin, with classy brushed copper fittings used throughout.
The van’s advanced electrical system replaces the need for gas as an energy source. The new DCX power system is certified Australian-owned and Australian- made. Designed by OzXcorp and distributed by NCE, it includes four 400W solar panels, a 5kW inverter, an impressive 14.3kWh chassis-mounted lithium battery and a comprehensive monitoring system which is utilised for everything in the van. It's a very special piece of equipment.
The battery runs the electric heating and cooling system, as well as the electric induction hot plates, the electric external barbecue, all lighting, and even the fridge.
The underneath of the van features twin 95L water tanks as well as twin 65L tanks, in addition to a 65L grey water tank.
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