Family Bunk Caravans for Sale in Australia

Bunk layouts compared

A bunk van ad on Caravan Domain can carry two sleeping figures from the seller, when the seller gives them: berths, which is how many people the van sleeps, and bunks, the number of bunk beds. Use the bunks filter to set a minimum (it leaves out ads with no bunks figure), then compare the layouts in the photos.

Rear bunks

Bunks across the back wall keep the children at one end and the main bed at the other. Look at how much floor space is left between the bunks and the kitchen, and whether a sliding door or curtain closes them off.

Side bunks and club lounges

Some vans stack bunks along one side, or turn a lounge or dinette into extra beds at night. These layouts can fit more sleepers into a shorter van. The trade is a nightly routine of making beds.

Bunks with an ensuite

Families often put an ensuite on the wish list, and a van has to find room for both the bunks and a bathroom, so check the length. The ensuite filter on this page narrows the search, and the length filter keeps it to vans that fit your driveway.

Family bunk vans in our make index come from builders including Lotus, Kedron, Zone RV, Coromal, Regent and New Age, and several family models have off-road versions ⁴. The New Age caravans for sale page lists that maker's ads, family vans included, and the wider range of family vans built for dirt roads is on our page of off-road caravans for sale.

A family's gear and the payload

The payload is what you can load into the van, and the Western Australian Department of Transport's Safe Towing Guide works it out as the ATM minus the tare, the van's empty weight ¹. The guide says the payload must not be exceeded under any circumstances, and that going over it can affect safety, insurance and warranty ¹.

Families fill a payload faster than they expect. Make a list before you buy:

• water in the tanks, and any jerry cans
• food and drinks for the length of your longest trip
• clothes and bedding for every bunk
• bikes, scooters and outdoor gear if they ride on the van

Then weigh. The WA guide says vehicle and trailer weights can be measured at a public weighbridge, so you can see what the packed van really weighs ¹.

Where the weight goes

How you load matters as much as how much. The Transport for NSW towing page says loads should sit low and close to the axles, with about 60 per cent of the total weight forward of the axle centre, and that about 5 to 10 per cent of the trailer and load should rest on the vehicle through the coupling ². Heavy bags on the top bunk shift weight high and to the back, so pack them low near the axles instead.

Seats in the tow vehicle

The van is for sleeping, not travelling. Transport for NSW says nobody may travel in a trailer or caravan you are towing ², and the WA guide says people are not permitted to ride in trailers or caravans unless the Department of Transport has specifically approved it ¹. So every child needs a seat with the right restraint in the tow vehicle.

Count the seats before you count the bunks. NSW's rules on child car seats say ³:

• children up to 6 months old must use a rear-facing child car seat ³
• children from 6 months to 4 years must use a rear-facing seat or a forward-facing seat with an inbuilt harness ³
• children from 4 to 7 years must use a forward-facing seat with an inbuilt harness or an approved booster seat ³
• approved restraints meet Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1754 ³

The same page gives 145 cm as the suggested minimum height for using an adult seatbelt ³. Your vehicle's handbook shows which seats have child restraint anchor points, so check it against the number of children you carry.

The tow vehicle's own limits

Passengers, luggage in the vehicle and the van's ball weight all count toward the tow vehicle's GVM, which the WA guide describes as the most the vehicle can weigh fully laden ¹. A full family car with a heavy van behind it can reach that limit before the van reaches its ATM. Check both, and use our tow-match tool to filter the listings by your vehicle's towing capacity and towball limit.

Checking a used bunk van

Children are hard on furniture, so a used family van deserves a careful look inside as well as underneath.

Bunks and beds

Climb into each bunk and check the frame and slats. On the top bunk, test the guard rail. Look at the ladder and its fixing points. Check the mattresses for stains and damp.

Doors, latches and cupboards

Open and close every cupboard door and drawer, and try each latch. Loose hinges and broken catches are worth finding before you buy, because they can let doors fly open on the road.

Floor, walls and water

Press the floor in front of the bunks and the door for soft spots, and look for water stains around windows and roof hatches. Water damage in the walls can be costly to repair.

Underneath and paperwork

Look under the van for rust and cracked welds, and ask when the brakes and wheel bearings were last serviced. Ask whether a licensed gasfitter has checked the LPG system. Match the VIN on the van to the registration papers, run a PPSR search before paying, and compare the weights on the plate with the ad.

Selling a family bunk caravan

Private ads cost $23 a month for Basic or $35 a month for Premium, and you can cancel at any time. You can upgrade a Basic ad to Premium at any time and pay only the difference for the rest of the month.

Family buyers search by bunks and by how many the van sleeps (the Sleeps figure, its berths), so fill in both. Photograph the bunks with the beds made, give the bunk sizes and the van's weights, and say whether the bedding stays with the van. List your family bunk caravan with the floor plan as one of the photos.