Coffs Harbour to host 2022 Camper Trailer of the Year event

Some of the fanciest camper trailers in the world are headed for Coffs Harbour. Take a video tour through one of the modern models which offers all the bells and billy tea whistles.

Camper trailers have come a long way since the days of being glorified tents on wheels – and some of the finest modern marvels on the planet are making a beeline for Coffs Harbour.

While not quite a glamping permanent cabin experience, camper trailers have enjoyed a resurgence – and you can now pay north of $150,000 for a model with all of the bells and billy tea whistles.

The Coffs Coast will give punters the chance to see all that’s new and clever when it hosts the Camper Trailer of the Year (CTOTY) event on June 15-20.

“Part of the reason we chose Coffs Harbour is because it gives us access to beach driving and to the tracks out the back in the National Parks although with the rain we might not be able to use those,” said Rob Gallagher, chief executive officer of Adventures Group Holdings which hosts the roadshow.

The Camper Trailer of the Year event will run at Coffs Harbour from June 15 to 20.

The showcase will include a free day for the public to compare the latest models at Sawtell.

Mr Gallagher said camper trailers had become a hot ticket during the Covid pandemic.

“There’s been totally unprecedented demand these past couple of years as people have turned to domestic tourism,” he said.

Rob Gallagher: “This will be an opportunity to see some of the best campers on the market.” Picture: Andrew Williams

The red hot thirst for campers has been challenged by supply hurdles, with waits of up to 18 months.

But delivery issues for campers aren’t as widespread as they are for the new car industry, Mr Gallagher said, as Australia retained a local manufacturer base.

Modern campers can start from as little as $10,000 and be “upwards of $150,000 for an expedition vehicle”, he said.

Camper trailers have become a hot ticket during the Covid pandemic. Picture: Matt Williams

This year will be the 10th for the CTOTY, and one of the heavyweight manufacturers coming to Coffs will be Ultimate Campers who won the gong in 2021.

BIG4 Sawtell Beach Holiday Park will host the free public Showcase Day on Saturday, June 18, from 10am to 2pm.

“This will be an opportunity to see some of the best campers on the market,” Mr Gallagher said.

Twelve manufacturers have confirmed they’ll be at Coffs, with up to 20 trailers expected to make the trip.

The camper industry is in a boom cycle with lead and delivery times at record levels.

A key part of the event will see each camper taken through a range of testing and judging on the Coffs Coast.

The CTOTY awards are then voted on by a panel of experts.

Mr Gallagher said after the delays and disruption brought on by the bushfires and floods since 2019 and, Covid, the organisers were “rapt to have had such a good response from the manufacturers attending the event”.

“The camper industry is in a boom cycle with lead and delivery times at record levels,” he said.

“CTOTY has always been a platform to launch brands and showcase products, and it is humbling to see the industry embrace it in such a meaningful way again in 2022.”