Work space in the kitchen is on the small
side, although the cooktop is recessed into
the bench, with a hinged section above that
can be used to chop vegetables when the
cooktop isn’t needed.
At the forward end of the bench, Goldstream
has fitted a swivel arm for the supplied
flatscreen telly. Now, that’s nothing particularly
special; however, I did like that the 12V and
antenna points were fitted up underneath
the nearby overhead locker, out of sight.
This van’s rear ensuite is a beauty. Given
the Goldstream’s body length, you’d expect
something spacious, and you’d be right.
There’s a top-loading washing machine hidden
in a rear-offside cabinet, a cassette toilet,
vanity with washbasin, a large mirror, and
a moulded-fibreglass nearside shower in a
separate cubicle with a hand-held shower
rose and a 12V fan-hatch.
Now, this layout would not be for everybody.
The two recliners somewhat impede the ‘walk-
through’ space between the entrance and the
bedroom, especially with the footstools in
position; however it is still manageable.
If you prefer something a
little more traditional, an
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L-shaped or cafe dinette can be fitted instead
of the desk, recliners and tri-fold table.
PAYLOAD CAPACITY
A van with lots of storage space needs a
decent payload capacity. Fair enough, much
of the internal storage is for clothes – light
stuff. But this van also has an optional 90L
grey water tank, and if you’ve filled up your
fresh tanks before setting off again, with grey
tank full, that’s 90kg of extra weight the van is
carrying. Fortunately, the Australis 2150 EWB
RE’s payload is a very reasonable 560kg.
The Australis is built on a 6in Austrail
chassis, with Cruisemaster XT independent
offroad suspension, meranti timber frame
with 42x19mm studs, and 3mm composite
aluminium cladding.
It was decked out with Goldstream’s
Offroad Package (which includes the
Cruisemaster suspension), along with a
number of other options, including the
slide-out Dometic kitchen.
This kitchen has a sleek design, aluminium
construction, three burners, a built-in sink with
hot and cold water, and side storage. It’s also
self-supporting – there’s no need to drop legs
into place.
As always with vans built by Goldstream,
the underside of our review Australis was
neatly presented; however, given this