Nova Caravans | Real Stories from Real Families

Nova Caravans has been around since 2006, when Rob Cataldo turned his dream into reality. With over 20 years experience in the caravan industry, Rob was excited to create his own “brand of luxury touring caravans showcasing his unique personal flavour with a distinct European twist and resilient enough to overcome the rough Australian environment”. We have popped in and out of many Nova vans over the years and have always been impressed with the workmanship & quality. Not only that, Nova Caravans have WON Caravan & RV Manufacturer of the Year at the Caravan Industry Business awards two years in a row! 2017 & 2018. We all had a few sore heads after that night!

We asked a few families WHY they chose Nova Caravans:

We asked James and his family about their Nova Caravan – they are currently on the trip of a lifetime, lapping our amazing country – Aussie Family Road Trip – James, Natasha & kidlet – Kiana, Blake & Dale.

Van model & Towing vehicle – Our amazing caravan is a Nova Family Escape GT Sportz / 216 -8C. It’s a Double Bunk van with Separate Shower/Toilet and a L shape dinette with bed converter. Love it. Our 4wd tow vehicle is a 2013 Landrover Discovery 4 TDV6. It’s super comfy and great off-road. Tows really well even with our van on the heavier side coming in at a ATM of 3334kg.

How long have you had your caravan? Our van is a mid 2016 build, and we purchased it the start of 2018 secondhand. It was well looked after by it’s original owners.

Why did you choose Nova? We did plenty of research and having owned an expanda poptop van previously, we were after a hardtop and amongst many, Nova stood out with their quality of build, included features and reputation in the industry. The dealerships have been brilliant.

Did you purchase from a Dealer? No actually we didn’t, but we’ve visited Nova Head Office and several Nova dealerships during our travels. As you know the amount of kilometres you do travelling bits and pieces need repairing, replacing, servicing. We’ve been to Adelaide RV in Adelaide, Lewis RV in Perth and spoken to May West Caravans in Melbourne. All have been brilliant with their service, repairs and advice actually. Really made things easy.

What are the TOP 3 features that you LOVE about your caravan? We love the Colour and storage inside and out. Love our annexe and awning too. Super handy with the kids and that extra living space.

The Dual picnic tables are brilliant. One comes standard, the second is an additional feature. We use one for cooking and the other for all sorts including an outdoor tv.

Where is your favourite place that you have visited with your van?

We drove along ‘The Great Ocean Road’ and stayed in Apollo Bay which was outstanding. Both 4wd and van handled the tighter winding roads brilliantly.

We also loved visiting Normanville in South Australia, Travelling across the Nullabor and particularly ‘ Bunda Cliffs’ which were mind blowing and Kalbarri in WA was absolutely phenomenal.

We do lots of free camping along the way aswell, and our can has us covered. It’s got dual 120ah Full River batteries, 300w of solar, 2000w inverter and dual 95L water tanks with grey water tank for national Parks. It’s got it all 😁👍

How often do you take your caravan out? We are travelling Australia on a permanent basis, working here and there and blogging about our adventures. So we take the van out lots haha.

Social media links – Facebook – www.facebook.com/aussiefamilyroadtrip – Instagram – @aussiefamilyroadtrip – Twitter – @road_aussie – Website – www.aussiefamilyroadtrip.com.au – Email – aussiefamilyroadtrip@gmail.com

Say G’day to Lap Year – Tim, Amanda, Seth & Mia – a family of 4 from a little coastal town called Elliston in SA.

Van model & Towing vehicle: Van – 2009 Nova Family Bunk Revivor (approx 25ft) – Vehicle – 2013 Ford Ranger

How long have you had your caravan? Why did you choose Nova? We bought our van second hand back in December 2015. We had been researching caravans for a couple of years and we loved the layout of the Nova Family van and it came with great recommendations so we went with it!

Did you purchase from a Dealer? As mentioned above, we bought the van privately second hand. We knew that it had done limited km’s and that it had been well looked after.

What are the TOP 3 features that you LOVE about your caravan?

Layout – the layout of the van was the selling point for us. It has three separate rooms which can be closed off with sliding doors for privacy/noise which is great. It is so spacious too, you don’t feel like you are all on top of each other. Everyone that comes into our van comments on the feeling of space. Also the separate shower and toilet are a great feature!

Towing – the caravan tows like a dream. You barely know that it is behind you.

Storage – There is loads of storage space. We have over-packed and there is still lots of room left. It is very well designed.

Where is your favourite place that you have visited with your van? Our top spot so far would have to be Ningaloo Reef, Exmouth WA. The beach camping and snorkelling is amazing!

How often do you take your caravan out? Our van is currently our permanent house on wheels. We love it and wouldn’t change a thing!

Meet Rob – he loved his first Nova so much, he got another one!

Van model & Towing vehicle: 2017 Nova Family Escape 21.6 & Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2017.

How long have you had your caravan? Why did you choose NOVA?

We have had this new van just coming up to a year, Our previous van which was a Nova as well, it was awesome and we only sold that due to our growing family. We loved the build quality and customer support given by Nova. So when it came time to upgrade we looked around a little at other vans but in my opinion nothing compared.

Did you have it built? Yes we had our newest van custom built. My wife and I have been camping all our lives and with our new Nova Caravan we wanted something special. We also wanted something that would last us a long time, we looked at a few other vans but most didn’t do what we wanted. Nova’s very own John Sills bent over backwards to accommodate our needs and helped us with the design process. The customer service alone is a reason people shouldn’t look past Nova. Take our Nova owners Facebook page, sales manager John Sills and quality control Adam Beard are constantly answering customers – Enquiries at all hours day and night on that page, what other company does that.

Did you purchase from a Dealer? YES – being a custom build van had lots of backwards and forwards to get exactly what we wanted. Although on hand over day they got the wrong van ready for us and lost our spare keys – this does not change our high opinion of the van.

What are the TOP 3 features that you LOVE about your caravan?

1. I love our bunk beds, they give our kids their own space and keeps them separate from us.

2. Our inverter that runs the coffee machine, keeps my wife and I mentally stable when the kids get to much… lol

3. The entire van, without it we would not be able to get away with so much ease, and also meet such fantastic people along the way. We really do love our Nova Caravan.

Where is your favourite place that you have visited with your van?

Anywhere on the mid to north coast of NSW. I don’t have a special place just getting away with my family and friends is the special part. We travel with our travel buddies and great friends who also own a Nova Caravan, we recently spent a week at Coffs Harbour which was fantastic.

How often do you take your caravan out?

We get out for at least 3 nights a month but every couple of months we do a week long holiday somewhere. At Christmas time we do a month long holiday where our coin decides the destination. Long story with the coin but basically it heads left, tales right. And has taken us to some wonderful places over the years.

Say a massive hello to Tim & Chenoa – Our Family Escape – after years of planning they are off on their lap of a lifetime in their Nova Caravan.

Our Tow Vehicle: We drive a 2013 Mazda BT50 dual cab. A very comfortable and capable vehicle that I have had fun decking out. We love using it to get us around especially to the beaches such as Rainbow and Woodgate. I have set it up with raised suspension, larger tyres, rear drawers, roof racks, awnings, so on. My favourite modifications would have to be the invertor. I recently installed a 2000w invertor which is enough to operate the coffee pod machine and frother. Just because you’re not at home doesn’t mean you have to go without the little luxuries. I feel I have set up the car ready for us to travel now, especially to live out of if and when we have to drop the caravan and go remote for a couple of days.

Our Nova Caravan: We are lucky enough to have purchased a 2016 19.6ft Nova Family Escape in April last year. Once we decided we were stepping up from the camper trailer, we spent many, many weekends looking in every caravan yard from the Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast. It was a relatively quick process, as we found there was not much in the range of family vans with bunks. Some yards did not even have any to look at and some had a build date / wait time of 6 months or more, and in typically fashion, I wanted a van there and then. We started to see a trend that caravans were becoming too flash for our taste, both inside and out with leather seats, shiny cabinets and led strip lighting. The moment we saw the Nova Family Escape sitting in the lot at Brisbane Rvs, Burpengary in Qld, we knew it was the one. It felt cosy, homely and a space we could be comfortable in for a long duration. Everything was where it was meant to be, plenty of storage, great size bunks, and a modest interior that meant I would not cry if it was damaged or dirtied. The sales department at Brisbane RVs were exceptional, not too pushy, but friendly and knowledgeable and were able to also complete some further modifications we wanted, such as a 2 inch lift, A/T tyres, outdoor shower, solar, drivers side shade sail, grey water tank etc. With the standard inclusions of rear camera, DVDs players in the bunks, ESC and a great power management system, Nova was the clear winner and we parked it in our yard the next weekend, ready for our personal touches and trials.

The top three features of our van would be:

1. bed sizes. I am 6ft 2 inches and can lay comfortably in both the main bed and even the bunks. We like the fact that you don’t have to add an insert at the back of the main bed to make it longer, as with many others and that the entire under the bed is open for storage.

2. Shower and bathroom size. I stood in some very tiny showers in our time looking. The shower and bathroom in the Nova are a great size for the three of us.

3. The overall look. We really liked the colour scheme both inside and out. With the smart black and white exterior with the famous Nova Orange logo and the tasteful and well laid out interior, with earthy colours. Its like a cosy apartment.