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By
EWAN KENNEDY
7 February 2005
Is this the cheapest mobile home on the market? We reckon it must
be, though it has to be said that it’s a mobile home only in the
broadest sense of the word. It may be mobile, but this is certainly no
pile-carpeted, air-conditioned, upper-luxury touring machine.
Then again, you could buy about ten of these little
under-$20,000 beauties for the price of one big mobile home with
the works. The cost of the camper unit is around $3500. The
Jumbuck ute starts at under $16,000.
By the way, you do get air conditioning in your Jumbuck, but
only in the ute’s cabin, and then only when the engine is
running.
This clever little camper is the Proton Jumbuck as modified by
a mob called On the Wallaby. Based at Sawtell on the north coast
of NSW, this company has developed a number of camper conversions
and is very much into the traditional Australian way of
engineering things correctly.
Once the framework of the On the Wallaby unit has been
installed in the little Proton ute, all you need to do is slide
the frame into place and fasten it in with four bolts. There’s
still a fair bit of room under the unit to carry your normal
camping and touring equipment.
The double bed sits above the ute tray, with the living area
beside it. The result is reasonably spacious accommodation for two
people, with room to entertain a couple of friends during the day.
Unfortunately, you can’t drive away and leave the camping
unit in position, you have to fold it up first. So make sure you
are either camped within walking distance of shops, etc, or do all
your shopping before setting up for the night.
Proton Jumbuck is the smallest ute on the Australian market at
present. A sort of a modern day replacement for the much-missed
Subaru Brumby, though it only has two-wheel drive, the Jumbuck is
selling to people who want a rugged, low-cost workhorse capable of
carrying a half-tonne load.
Priced at just $15,990 in its standard GLi format, with the
upmarket (these things are relative!) Jumbuck GLSi costing $17,990
it’s very affordable. The latter model comes with alloy wheels,
power windows and mirrors and cloth seats in place of the vinyl
numbers of the GLi.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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