There's an old saying in life - Magic Happens! From my experience, it happens more often when you get out of your comfort zone and explore new territories and experiences. However, with a Goldstream Gold Crown you can explore all this magnificent country has to offer in the lap of comfort, efficiently and easily. Magic certainly does happen with Goldstream RV!

My mate Tom (alias Tooter) and I had a couple of days free and hankered for some high country air. My old Disco (commonly known as The Corgi. We figure that if the Queen can have one, then so can I) was loaded in a flash, and the Goldstream pop-up camper was hitched on the way.

Where else would you take a Goldstream Gold Crown? Gold country, of course, with Dargo's classical high country township as the starting point. There’s a real sense of freedom taking off with no predetermined destination, but with the comforting knowledge that you have everything you need to be warm, dry, fed and watered in your own travelling kit.

Easy to Tow and Built for Adventure

The old Disco barely knew it was towing the relatively lightweight Gold Crown, at only 1120 tare, plus our relatively limited kit. On the highway, she tracked straight and true, and when we finally left the blacktop, it proverbially cornered "like it was on rails" through the elevation of the Great Dividing Range. There was certainly no obvious wind drag with the low towing height, which makes it ideal for carport and garage storage.

However, I was reminiscing about another great adventure. I took a similar Goldstream camper on a 14,500km trek over eight weeks through four states and two territories with a small aluminium boat on optional roof racks. It was very handy, versatile, and certainly easier to load manually than on top of a large RV.

Not only does it tow easily, perhaps even more importantly, it stops well due to the efficient 12" electric brakes, even on some fairly long, steep hills both on and off-road. The dimensions are also very favourable for both towing and storage, with an overall length of 6.17 metres, including the decent drawbar length that makes tight manoeuvring a breeze.

Bear's old Disco towing the Goldstream Crown wind-up camper at the iconic Dargo Pub

You simply can’t go to Dargo without stopping at the pub, and since it was evening by the time we arrived, we made it our overnight destination. We enjoyed great country hospitality, along with beautiful local steaks and a few chilled refreshments, with the locals, who had plenty of historic tales, both fact and fiction.

Magic Happens!

Magic sure as hell happens! The following day, we headed out of town in search of a suitable campsite. We hadn't travelled that far when I stopped to ask for directions from a bloke hitting golf balls in the top corner of his cow paddock. Lo and behold, it turned out to be a fella I had known for thirty years. Better still, Tooter went to school with him and hadn’t seen him for over forty years! He explained that his family had inherited over eight hundred acres of prime mountain land, which included explorer/pastoralist Angus McMillan’s old hut, complete with the stone fireplace intact and still in use. After a catch-up, he invited us to test the Goldstream on the accessible parts of the property and showed us a beautiful campsite on one of his river crossings. With a long weekend coming up, it was nice to know we had some definite privacy.

The Adventure Pack provides high trailer lift, strong leaf springs and upgraded shock absorbers

The camper traversed the steep tracks with ease. She seems very well sprung, walking across hills and dales without any bounce, rattle, or bang. This Gold Crown had an "Adventure Pack" suspension system, a solid 50mm square axle, 15” Sunrasia style wheels, and eight-leaf eye-to-eye springs. Goldstream also offers off-road packs with independent suspension. However, I have towed the more conventional suspension all over the country and have not experienced any trouble, even on many miles of red dust corrugations up north.

We were presented with a ripper campsite on the headwaters of the Dargo River, right on the riverbank. The verges were lined with well-weathered river stones, rounded by the erosion of millennia, and at the bottom of a rather steep gorge on one side and a steeply tumbling pasture on the other. Thankfully, we were completely set up with Fiamma awning out, camp table and chairs assembled, and trout rods readied in under 10 minutes. Thankfully, there was little wind or rain forecast, so we didn't have to anchor or peg the awning into the rocky ground. The stones were a little uncomfortable underfoot, but oh, such an excellent riverside campsite we had!

A fantastic high country campsite with a capable van to match

Spacious Comfort with a Practical Twist

Having no pull-out ends for beds, the Crown, as with many pop-tops, the assembly is very simple. However, we were quite surprised by the internal space and its facilities after assembly. A most appealing factor for a travelling couple is the internal en-suite featuring a shower/toilet combination, eliminating those midnight jarmy dashes in the dark. It’s not a huge area but certainly big enough to do your business.

The bathroom is an optional upgrade, and with it comes 2 x 59-litre underfloor poly water tanks. Both are fully shrouded by alloy checker plate retainers and positioned high in the strong Duragal chassis to avoid any damage. They are mounted on either side of the axle for a low centre of gravity and excellent balance. There is a simple polypipe outlet for the shower drain and a Thetford cartridge-type toilet. The bathroom option also comes with gas hot water, two 9kg gas bottles (drawbar mounted), and a 12-volt water pump.

There are no pull-out bed ends in the Gold Crown, but there are plenty of creature comforts

Tooter and I are very good friends but not a couple, and hence, I took priority with the Queen bed while Tom was happy with the convertible dinette. In this locale, I was happy with the foam mattresses; however, if I were travelling to the tropics, I would probably opt for an innerspring style option.

There is plenty of functional storage in the camper, including a large area under the mattress and dinette. The forward section is also accessible from the outside hatch. I was also pleasantly surprised to find even more overhead cabinetry over the Queen bed. The roof is a fully insulated, composite construction that was noticeably effective when the sun rose over the mountain tops.

It's not a double bed, it's a Queen plus a drop-down dinette for a great night's sleep in the bush - Crown St

The loading and storage space is quite excellent for this style of camper. There is storage both under the L-shaped dinette and the Queen bed, plus plenty of kitchen cabinetry, including the pull-out pantry. The other pleasing design comes from the long bench space, which is an absolute prerequisite, in my opinion. There's a stainless sink with a hot/cold mixer, a front-loading 90-litre fridge, a microwave, a four-element cooktop and griller, and utensils drawers. It combines well with the expansive layout, easy access and high head clearance.

The Gold Crown has plenty of cupboards, bench space, convenience, and room, all at a great purchase price.

Weather-Ready and Well-Equipped

I have always found the Goldstream canvas quality superb, and the Gold Crown is no exception. There are big windows all around, except obviously for the bathroom, which has its own roof vent. There’s another vent opposite near the kitchen. The windows include premium flyscreens, insulated drapes, and internal clears. I was once invaded by a locust plague in the outback, where the Goldstream canvas proved its superiority over the failures of lesser brand campers.

Goldstream has fitted a sensible array of lighting and power options with overhead 12-volt lighting combined with annexe and bed lights, all running from an internal 105-amp deep-cycle battery with a C-TEK battery charger. There are also 240-volt appliance options with a TV point and internal and external power sockets. Outside the camper is a lockable water filler cap, mains pressure water tap and a wind-out annexe that completes the very useable footprint. A fold-out table and a couple of camping chairs, and you’re complete!

Bear has proven the Goldstream chassis a very good thing over many hard miles.

Built Tough from the Ground Up

The galvanised drawbar and chassis are strong and well constructed to suit a long, rugged life. There is plenty of turning clearance, a 50mm towing coupling as standard with off-road options available, a strong jockey wheel, standard electronic connectors and the front of the camper is checkerplate for wear protection and stone damage.

The Wrap

Goldstream say, “The Crown is one of our most popular camper models for the travelling nomad.” I can certainly understand why. It is a premium-quality camper that is easily towed and just as easily stored. It will easily take you in comfort to most of the environments accessible to the average traveller with a liking for limited off-road destinations. The inclusion of the bathroom will only boost this already successful GRV (Goldstream Recreational Vehicle), making it even more appealing to a wide range of campers. There is an extensive range of options and accessories, but I liked it just as displayed.

We may not have caught any trout or made our millions in gold, but we certainly had a rich experience with the Goldstream Gold crown Adventure Pack. That's fishun - but magic still happened!!!!

The Goldstream Crown has a wonderful and versatile exterior combined with a world full of sensible features.

Hits

  • Ease of use

  • Easy towing

  • Practical internal layout

  • Adequate accessories

  • Bathroom

  • Canvass quality

Misses

  • Fold-out dinette table

  • Tool box on the drawbar

  • Inner spring mattress

Specifications

Trailer

Tare: 1120 kg

ATM: 1600 kg

Suspension: shock absorbed 8 leaf eye to eye

Brakes: 12” electric

Coupling: std 50mm ball

Chassis: with 100mm x 50 mm Duragal chassis.

Drawbar: 100 x 50mm dimensions, galvanised drawbar

Body: 3 mm Aluminium Composite panels and acrylic rear back section

Wheel/tyre: New Goodride LT235X75/R15

Style: Sunrasia style powder-coated steel mags.

Dimensions

Box size: 4.6 x 2.13 metres

Length: 6.17 metres (from hitch to tail lights)

Tent size: full-length annexe

Accessories

Gas cylinders: 2 x 9kg     

Water: 2 x 65 litre

Cooktop: Thetford 4 burner with grill

Kitchen: Stainless sink with mixer, Daewoo microwave, Thetford 90-litre three-way fridge

Battery: 105 amp AGM Deep Cycle

Supplied by Goldstream Recreational Vehicles, Pakenham, VIC.

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