Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

History… and a lesson Our third destination as retired campers was Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal, a place to visit if you love history. Dundee is a gateway to the battlefields area. There are three caravan parks in the area and we stayed at Battlefields Caravan Park, about 20km from Dundee, close to Blood River Battlefield. From the caravan park, we travelled to visit the battlefields, and started with Talana. Talana is 2km out of Dundee where, in October, a“Talana Life Battle reenactment”weekend is held every year. I would like to visit Talana again in order to experience this show of history. The museum is informative, and the restaurant has a lovely buffet lunch on Sundays, for which you have to book in advance. We went to the Blood River Battlefield and Museum…

Roadque gets a re-vamp What started out in 1996 as a small distributor of automotive components has today grown into a proudly South-African business and factory that manufactures trailer, caravan and 4x4 components, and much more. More than two decades ago, Roadque was a distributor for Al-ko (then Trailco) products. Under the leadership of Managing Director Francois Coetzee, the business managed to grow ever larger. Caravan & Outdoor Life recently visited the Roadque headquarters in Silverton, Pretoria, where they had acquired another factory to expand operations. While taking us on a factory tour, Francois shared his success story. Roadque was started in 1996 as a distributor for automotive products. Around the year 2000, Francois saw a gap in the market for new components in the trailer and caravan markets, and…

Last month's WINNER Congratulations to David Gelling, who correctly identified the image as the Fish River Canyon in Namibia. The Fish River Canyon is located in the south of Namibia, and is the largest canyon in Africa. The gigantic ravine is about 160 kilometres long, up to 27km wide, and in places almost 550 metres deep. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Namibia. Although almost 90% of the canyon is privately owned, a stretch of about 10km is part of the Ai-Ais/ Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. It is in this section where you’ll find the public view points near Hobas, a campsite about 70km north of Ai-Ais. The Fish River is the longest interior river in Namibia. The river flows intermittently, usually flooding in late summer. During…

1 March We set off early from Westville, Durban, heading up the N3 to Fouriesberg. We took the Ladysmith/Bergville R616 off ramp, then the R74 past the Sterkfontein Dam to head through the beautiful Golden Gate Reserve and on to Meiringskloof Resort, where we spent our first two-night stay. This is a lovely park set in a gorge, with plenty of shade but not much grass, so the sites and park road became very muddy after rain. The ablutions are old but were always clean and with plenty of hot water. (There is talk of the ablutions and sites getting an upgrade in July). we did a lovely walk up to the large overhang cave and waterfalls 3 March We took the R26 for a lovely quiet drive past Ficksburg,…

The Americans use a purpose-made aluminium hinge for the kitchen boot lid on their teardrop caravans. This works like the interlocking of one’s fingers, both pieces being loose and moving within one another to give a waterproof hinge effect. Trying to import one of these hinges – which are not available in South Africa – would have cost +/- R3 800 (including shipping). It is for that reason that I chose to use the six solid brass hinges mentioned before. However, this action also had its problems - the 2mm gap where boot lid and caravan met was a potential water inlet point. So, as you can see in the kitchen view, the dark red strip at the point where the boot lid attaches to the caravan is actually a…

“The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” These are the famous (some might say portentous) words of Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. It is by no means a lighthearted quote, and you might be wondering why I am writing about a piece that seems quite“dark”... but just bear with me for a minute. Nobokov’s words actually came to mind while I was reading two of the articles in this month’s Caravan & Outdoor Life. The first is the news of a NASA mission at Rondeberg Holiday Resort (page 15), and the other is our monthly Where Are We competition (page 18). What caught my attention in both stories was the scale of…

‘On the road again…’ the song by 1960/70s rock band Canned Heat goes through my mind as I ease into the seat of a new JMC Landwind 5. It’s a relatively short hop from Lanseria over to Roodepoort to pick up one of my favourite dirt-road caravans, a spanking new Swing BacTrax S from Kennis Caravans at their large premises in Ontdekkers Road (thanks, Alan Vos). ‘You know, the first time I travelled, out in the rain and snow…’ the song continues to echo in my head. I’m not heading to this kind of weather, though; I’m bound on a wide circular trip taking in 3 provinces: Gauteng, Limpopo and North West. The Landwind 5 is the latest offering from the Chinese manufacturer Jaingling Motor Corporation (JMC). I was on…

A tranquil and secure resort away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, where you wake up to the sound of birds… welcome to Paradise. Paradise Holiday Resort was bought in July 1983 by Laraine and her late husband Ron, together with partners Anne and Mac. At the time, it was a rundown caravan park that was open only twice a year during April and December. After they had been open for 2 weeks, the Caravan Club of SA came and removed its plaque, as the park was below standard. One month later they restored the plaque, with compliments! What a challenge it had been: lots of hard work and slogging were necessary to develop it into the wonderful resort it is today. Fittingly, Paradise is situated in…

Wheels coming off at Jurgens? After reading about the new Jurgens models in the December issue of your publication, we couldn’t wait to see these first-hand. We have since been to a number of dealers, but after six months, many still don’t have stock. Or, more worrying, they do not have much to say about these caravans that is good! Excessive weight, poor quality, cracking A-frames, kinked plumbing… the list is endless. As a respected publication that we rely on for truth and transparency, what are your comments? Peter Mayweather Godfrey Castle: Hi, John. To understand the situation, we have to look at Jurgens’ recent history: The fact is that no sooner had Jurgens Ci launched a long and overdue range of new models when the holding company (Imperial)…

Signal test Road safety is a serious business, and doubly so if you are towing. Make sure your trailer, caravan, truck or horsebox indicator lights are working with the Towing Light Tester from Roadque. The 12V Light Tester comes with a 7-pin plug and socket connection, LED light indication system, and is battery-operated. Perfect for testing male and female plugs on trailers and vehicles R181.75 (VAT excl) Available from Roadque Manufacturers. For more information, visit www.roadque.co.za Handle with care Made of solid painted aluminium, the Fiamma Security Handle not only helps you when exiting and entering your motorhome, but also adds extra security.The handle has a 30mm diameter, and comes standard with soft security handgrip. R1 795 Available from Motorhome-World stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.motorhome-world.co.za Stay charged If…

WIN!  Have you been here? If you think you know where this photo was taken, enter our competition now! CAN YOU GUESS WHERE this picture was taken? Each month we will place a picture, and if you correctly identify where we are, you could win an amazing prize from Suzuki. Our first prize is a slick multi-tool set, with all the extensions you need when going camping, caravanning or 4x4ing. Apart from the main multi-tool fitted in a pair of pliers, you also get a mini keyring multi-tool. Enter the competition now, and make sure you get next month’s Caravan & Outdoor Life, where we will not only reveal the winner and the location but also give you loads of interesting information about where we are and the surrounding area.…

Ganzekraal was my first stop. Site 7 in Camp A is my favourite spot. You can literally dip your toes in the Atlantic from the well-grassed site. Plug in your power, set up your camping chair looking seaward, slide out the fridge and crack open a beer… another tough day in Africa! I’d forgotten the milk, though. Cheryl-Anne January at reception kindly advised me to head north along the R27 towards Yzerfontein and Langebaan, ‘… and about 16 kilometres along the road you will find the Vygevallei Farmstall and Winehouse – they sell milk, bread and stuff.’ Actually, they sell a whole lot more. Owned by the Louw family from Malmesbury, this lekker little padstal has a coffee shop that serves breakfasts and light lunches. The chalkboard menu outside offers…

I saw them across the slipway, looking intently into each other’s eyes. Wanting to steal a shot of the Storms River Mouth with them in the foreground. I skirted around the slipway and surreptitiously slipped my long lens on in midstride. Just as I was lining up the shot, the man looked straight at me and started to walk over to where I was standing. I’d been busted! ‘Excuse me, would you mind taking a photograph of us… I’ve just proposed to my girlfriend?’ said the young man whom I’d thought was going to remonstrate with me about his privacy. After a full down-on-his-knees reenactment of the earlier proposal, I learned that Alroy had driven Charné all the way from PE for the proposal. My introduction to Storms River Mouth…

Spicy Pork Ribs Ingredients • 500g pork ribs• ¼ cup brown sugar• 1 tbsp tomato sauce• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Method 1. Double wrap the ribs in tin foil (with the shiny side in) and place them in a potjie on the braai for 1 hour. Remove from the braai and allow to cool. 2. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade: Combine the sugar, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, chilli sauce, garlic, bell pepper and ground pepper in a bowl, and stir well. 3. Once the ribs are cool, place them on a sheet of tin foil. Pour the marinade over the ribs and close the foil parcel. • 1 tbsp honey• 2 tbsp peri-peri or chilli sauce• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed• 1 red bell pepper, cut finely• ground black pepper Add another layer of foil. 4. Leave the ribs…