Take a Numbat to the bush

Made for

Extreme Adventure

Ben Broeder reviews the Explorex Numbat

If you’re looking for a truly rugged, but well-appointed caravan for your ‘big lap’ or those weekend getaways, we think the Explorex Numbat is worth adding to your short-list.

On the inside, you wouldn’t know the van was only 2.2m wide.

Featuring a fully equipped ensuite, a queen-size bed and generous kitchen with café style dining, the Explorex Numbat 540XOR has all the features of larger vans, but in a package only 2.2M wide, thereby allowing for easier towing and more room to breathe on those tight bush tracks. Riding on a Cruisemaster double shock, trailing arm suspension, we found the Numbat towed equally as politely behind the 200 Series, both in the bush tracks we took it down as it did on the blacktop. Here the slightly narrower width also proved to make for an easier towing experience. Whilst some manufacturers struggle to prove their off road credentials, Explorex, who are synonymous with building commercial and mining caravans for Australia’s harshest environments, actually try to hide their ruggedness within their domestic van range. Despite this, many hints to the true design and heritage of the Numbat can be seen, if you look hard enough. Featuring an all steel frame with a full 10-year structural warranty, the Numbat, we believe, has to be one of the most rugged, well constructed off road caravans on the market. Beneath the sturdy Dibond body construction, tucked amongst the heavyduty hot dip galvanised chassis, you will find a pair of extremely well protected, 82 litre water tanks. We also found that all the plumbing and 12v electrical services were either hidden out of harm’s way or well protected from any potential damage. Inside the Numbat you will find high gloss cabinetry, soft close drawers, comfortable seating and despite the van’s narrow track, plenty of room to comfortably access the queen-size bed. There really is quite a lot of van packed into Numbat. The Numbat offers no shortage of storage; we found more than ample cupboard space, as well as extensive under seat and bed storage all within the van’s living area. Add this to the large front tunnel and boot hatches, and you will even be able to bring a second kitchen sink! However, opening one of the storage hatches will indeed reveal a second, pull They’ve thought of everything, including a second kitchen sink.

out kitchen sink, complete with a gas BBQ as a convenient outdoor kitchen, so you had better cancel that order at the plumbing shop. The features of the Numbat do not stop there. While ‘Explorex’ing’ our way around the Numbat, we were pleased to see a top of the line Redarc Battery Management System installed. Hooked up to 200 amp hours of AGM deep cycle batteries and 300 watts of solar input, the Numbat will be sure to keep the ‘soft drinks’ cold in its 190L full sized Dometic upright fridge. Apart from the standard inclusions the Numbat still offers near on 1000kg payload in tandem axle configuration. All electrical services in the Numbat are controlled and monitored through the builtin electrical distribution panel, complete with resettable circuit breakers, which we found to be a nice touch. Here you will also find the built in AM/FM, MP3 CD player, perfect for listening to Macca on those Sunday mornings around the camp. To find out more behind the Numbat, we met with Mitch Dunn, Marketing Manager for Explorex. Asking how Explorex got started, Mitch told us, “We started in 2003, building a few mining vans for a drilling contractor. At the time we were based in a shed. They liked the vans so much, they asked us to build ten more.” We consider Explorex to be another great Western Australian success story. Growing from their humble beginnings, Explorex has built their operation and reputation to be one of the industry leaders in off road caravans. Located in their purpose-built Wangara factory, Explorex are the only off-road caravan manufacturer left in Western Australia, meaning you can actually come and visit your van as it is being built. “The biggest thing for us is obviously that we use a steel frame - one of only three or four manufacturers in the whole country that actually use a steel frame. We use the fully galvanised steel over wood or aluminium as the wood will rot and the aluminium can crack. Everything is bolted or screwed into the metal - that’s what sets us apart from the rest,” Mitch explained. To sum up, if you are looking for a slightly more compact van but do not want to give up any of the features you would find in larger vans, we highly recommend checking out the Explorex Numbat 540XOR. Call in and see the team, located at 66 Prestige Parade, Wangara. Here the sales team can show you all the features their extensive model range have to offer the outback traveller looking for a van that will go the distance.