When you imagine traveling in a mobile home, you probably picture a big family packed into a big RV – the parents sit upfront and drive while the children pull each other’s hair in the back and look disinterested any time their parents stop to show them something interesting. That’s not the experience in the Britz Venturer. In fact, while the Venturer is bigger than some of the smaller family-sized campervans on the road, it can only accommodate two passengers. And accommodate them it does! The Britz Venturer is like a honeymoon suite on wheels. If you are planning a romantic trip around Tasmania, the Venturer can take you everywhere you’d like to go in incredible comfort.
The vehicle used for the Venturer is a Mercedes Sprinter Van (or a comparable Volkswagen vehicle), which often serves as a passenger van when it is configured differently. At 7.2 meters long and 3 meters tall, the Britz Venturer is bigger than a compact campervan, but still not as long and cumbersome as a full-length mobile home.
The Venturer has a powerful diesel engine and great handling for Tasmania’s windy roads. There are big windows at the rear of the cabin that make backing up and parking easier than you might expect.
The interior of the Venturer is laid out in an efficient and intuitive way to maximize the space available without feeling cramped. Ok, the bathroom feels cramped, but hopefully you won’t spend too much of your time in there. The toilet and shower are located in a phone booth-sized room just behind the cab, and across from the sliding door. You’ll find it more comfortable using the bathroom and showers wherever you stop, but the bathroom in the Venturer is good to have as a backup and for bush camping situations. Towels are included with the campervan rental. To avoid smelling the bathroom, you’ll want to empty the toilet cassette every few days, which can be done at a dump station (found in most holiday parks and campgrounds).
Behind the bathroom, there is a kitchen that’s more spacious than you might expect, making it easy to prep simple meals. The kitchen has many of the amenities that you are used to from home. There is a mini-refrigerator and freezer, a microwave, a three-burner gas stove, electric and stovetop kettle, French press, toaster, and a sink that provides pressurized hot and cold water. (You’ll need to turn on the gas-powered water heater to warm the water for the sink or shower.) There are pots and pans to cook with on the stove, and Tupperware for heating things up in the microwave. A colander, mixing bowls, cutting board, and cooking utensils are also included, as well as plates, bowls, cups, glasses, wine glasses, forks, knives, and spoons for two.
Adding to the comfort, there is a ceiling mounted air conditioning and heating fan in the celling of the main cabin. There are electric outlets for appliances and a flat-screen TV and DVD player that slides out of a drawer near the kitchen. The microwave and power outlets will only work when the campervan is plugged into an external power source (like an outlet at a holiday park). The refrigerator, television, water pump, and cabin lighting can be powered off this external source as well, but can also be run with battery power. This allows you to keep your food cold while you’re on the move. The campervan is equipped with a second battery, so that you can use amenities like the refrigerator without worrying about draining the same battery that starts the engine. This second battery will charge while you drive and when you hook the vehicle up to an external power source. If you keep the campervan in place for more than a couple days, you will want to plug it in to keep the battery charged and the refrigerator cold. The easiest way to do this is to stay overnight at a powered site at a holiday park. A perk of renting from Britz is that you’ll receive a ten percent discount at Big4 Holiday Parks throughout Australia.
The back of the campervan has big windows that allow you to enjoy Tasmania’s beautiful scenery from the comfort of your campervan. Curtains can be pulled across the windows any time you need the privacy. Below the windows there is an area that transforms from seating to bedding. Comfortable leather benches are arranged around the walls of the campervan in a U-shape, surrounding a swiveling removable table. Beneath the seats there is an abundance of storage for luggage and personal belongings. To create a king sized bed, take out the tabletop and rearrange the cushions to create a lavish leather bed. The bed can be made up with included pillows, sheets, and a comforter.
The Venturer even has a small safe for your valuables. If all of these amenities sound overwhelming, don’t worry. You’ll be given a video guide before you set out so that you’re familiar with all of the campervans features. If you are traveling from America or somewhere else outside Australia, renting a campervan can cut down on the gear you have to carry. With a campervan rental, you have the freedom to travel with just a suitcase of clothing. Hit the famous Salamanca Market in Hobart and pick up local food to enjoy meals in the campervan wherever you go.
The Venturer is 3 meters tall on the outside, so be aware of your clearance. Inside, the ceiling in the main cabin is 1.9 meters off the floor, high enough for anyone under 6 feet 3 inches tall to walk around without ducking.
In addition to the table and stove inside, the campervan comes with a second table that can be installed along the outside of the campervan. Next to the table, there is a drawer in the side of the van that you can open to pull out a two-burner gas stove. When the van is plugged in to power, there is even a power outlet that can be activated above the table. These additions bring the comfort of the Venturer outdoors as well. You can rent camp chairs (and other extras) from Britz if you don’t have your own chairs to sit at the outdoor table.
The Britz branch in Tasmania is located at the airport in Hobart, Tasmania’s main airport. It is a couple minutes walk from the terminal to the Britz branch office along the airport loop road. From September through April, the branch office is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. From May to the end of June, the rental office is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All vehicles must be picked up or returned by 3:30 p.m. The Hobart Branch is completely closed for the months of July and August. If you are flying into the Hobart airport after rental hours, it is worth noting that many of the hotels in Hobart offer an airport shuttle. This makes it easy to spend a night or two in the Hobart CBD before returning to the airport to fetch your campervan.
Check out the Britz website to get a quote for the Venturer 2 Berth or look at other campervans to rent in Tasmania or other regions in Australia and New Zealand.
Address: 14 Long Street, Hobart Airport, Cambridge, TAS 7170, Australia
Coordinates: -42.839818, 147.505281 (42° 50′ 23.34″S 147° 30′ 19.01″E)
Telephone: (800) 670-232 or +61 3 6448-4168
 | Voyager Campervan Find out more about the Voyager, a four-person campervan that can be rented from Britz. |
 | Big4 Iluka on Freycinet Holiday Park This holiday park in the coastal town of Coles Bay at the top of Freycinet Peninsula offers tent sites, campervan sites, and cabins, as well as quick access to nearby Freycinet National Park. |
 | Friendly Beaches Campground This primitive campground offers oceanfront camping surrounded by beautiful beaches in Freycinet National Park. |
 | Lime Bay State Reserve Campground This shaded campground is bordered by sandy beaches in a cove on a remote thumb of the Tasman Peninsula. |
 | Mayfield Beach Conservation Area Campground This beachfront campground is located on Great Oyster Bay on the east coast of Tasmania. |
 | Richardsons Beach Campground This scenic bay side campground offers powered and non-powered campsites in Freycinet National Park. |
 | Stumpys Bay Campground This campground is split into four areas along Stumps Bay with numerous campsite for visitors to Mount William National Park. |
 | Big4 Launceston Holiday Park This holiday park in Launceston offers tent sites, campervan sites, and cabins on a hillside near the city center. |
 | Apsley Waterhole & Lookout Track This 1.4-kilometer loop travels through a eucalyptus forest to a popular swimming hole on the Apsley River in Douglas-Apsley National Park. |
 | Blowhole & Fossil Bay Lookout This short walk in Tasman National Park reaches a coastal vista point and a wave-carved tunnel through a rocky point that has the potential to spray up like a whale spout. |
 | Cape Raoul This 12 to 14-kilometer hike explores the pristine coastline at the southwest end of the Tasman Peninsula, reaching a cape with daunting 200-meter tall cliffs dropping to swirling seas. |
 | Cape Tourville This 0.6-kilometer circuit provides big views along the east coast of Freycinet Peninsula, circling 100-meter tall bluffs to reach the Cape Tourville Lighthouse. |
 | Cataract Gorge This 3.4-kilometer loop combines Zig-Zag Track, Cataract Walk, and Bridge Walk to explore Cataract Gorge Reserve, an impressive natural area just outside the center of Launceston. |
 | Coal Mines Historic Site This 0.8-kilometer loop through the Convict Precinct explores the ruins of an old prison and coal mine that relied on convict laborers. |
 | Friendly Beaches This hike explores a long, pristine beach on the east coast of Tasmania north of the Freycinet Peninsula. |
 | Liffey Falls This 2.2-kilometer walk passes the Upper Cascades on the Liffey River to reach the base of lovely Liffey Falls, one of Tasmania’s finest waterfalls. |
 | Moorland Mosaic This 2/3 of a kilometer round trip walk in Mount Field National Park crosses an alpine meadow covered with an interesting mix of plants called the Moorland Mosaic. |
 | Mount William This 3.6-kilometer out and back hike tops a short summit that is the high point of Mount William National Park with panoramic views over the coastline at the northeast corner of Tasmania. |
 | Octopus Tree and Circle Track This 1.1-kilometer loop in Hobart’s Wellington Park reaches a unique eucalyptus tree with tentacles for roots that wrap around a boulder. |
 | Pinnacles Boardwalk & Summit Trig The 0.3-kilometer round trip walk on Pinnacles Boardwalk can easily be extended to a 0.75-kilometer walk on the top of Mount Wellington, checking out another short boardwalk and the trig station at the summit. |
 | Russell Falls & Horseshoe Falls This hike in Mount Field National Park visits one of Tasmania’s most famous and beautiful waterfalls and can be extended from 1.8 to 2.65 kilometers by venturing to the top of Russell Falls and nearby Horseshoe Falls. |
 | Saint Columba Falls This 1.2-kilometer round trip hike descends into a rainforest to the base of a powerful 90-meter tall waterfall. |
 | Tasmans Arch & Devils Kitchen This 0.9-mile walk visits two impressive features on the coast of the Tasman Peninsula, a natural bridge and a chasm carved by the sea. |
 | Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach Circuit This approximately 12-kilometer loop takes a rewarding route through Freycinet National Park, visiting pristine light sand beaches at Hazards Beach and the renowned Wineglass Bay. |
