Spaceship Launches in Australia – Rentals for Independent Travellers

“Our spaceships are between a car and a camper” says Neil Geddes, the mastermind behind Spaceships and Executive Director of Spaceships New Zealand.

A spaceship [pictured right] is a modified Toyota people mover that combines the comfort and handling ease of a car with all the facilities of a campervan, and it is aimed at independent travellers who do not necessarily want to camp every night, but who also want the option to reduce accommodation expenses, and travel in a certain degree of comfort.

The tag line of the company is ‘Like a good car to drive, with more useful features than a campervan’ and Spaceships Australia held their official launch recently at their William Street Office in Kings Cross.

It is not just a smart design (which has won the New Zealand Tourism Award for Innovation) that sets Spaceships apart from other rentals – it is their support and guidance package that is an integral part of the spaceship experience, provided through a network of ‘space stations’ (Where else can a spaceship dock after all?!).

A space station is typically an activities where travellers will find local support and guidance for their travels.  This includes itinerary planning, local contacts, guidebooks and great deals on adventure activities. Plans are in place to steadily increase the number of space stations in Australia’s ‘Outer Space’, and space stations have already been established along the Eastern coast.

Adventure Tours Australia has signed an exclusive licence deal to import the award-winning vehicles.  Spaceships Australia GM Craig Hart [Pictured left] says “We have a fleet of 40 Spaceships already, and more are landing at the rate of 10 a month.  We aim to have over 200 Spaceships by this time next year”.

Hart was the International Marketing & Sales Manager for Adventure Tours, based in the UK now he has come back from the UK to be the GM of Spaceships Australia.  Hart continued by saying “Today’s adventure tourists want to experience nature in all its beauty, but also want to do so in a certain degree of comfort.  Spaceships cater to their every whim, with comfortable sleeping for two to four people, a six-speaker entertainment system including a DVD and MP3 player, a two-burner barbecue, water supply, fridge, pots, pans, a table and unlimited DVDs.”

Lets face it, campervans are also good, however they tend to drive like commercial vehicles, ie they can provide driving, handling and accessibility challenges above that of a normal car. Many times, they can simply be seen as a means to an end, rather than an enjoyable experience in itself – reducing effort, cost and the risk of floating away in a rainstorm!

However, there are now a number of alternatives. Some people still prefer to chuck the tent and a couple of outdoor basics into the family jalopy and head up to their favourite holiday spot, and there has been a growth in all sorts of nifty camper trailers and the like over the past few years. Gizmos and gadgets now abound.

Which brings us to the winning design philosophy behind Spaceships. Yep – it’s the old cliché “KISS”. A cooker, water tank, fridge & lockable storage, and a bed. OK there are some other goodies thrown in, but with the basics, travellers can drive a ‘normal car’, with automatic transmission, power steering and air conditioning as standard, they can also ‘drive normally’ and enjoy the passing scenery – at normal car speeds…

Additionally, with the price of petrol continuing upwards, there are savings in other areas. 

[Pictured below: Paul Vella and Niel Geddes of Spaceships].

Three items certainly appeal to the mole:

The first is that the large fridge can survive for two days parked up with the motor off, so you know you can return to your Spaceship after a tough day hiking or surfing and proceed to knock the froth off a couple of coldies.

The second item is that a dual battery system means that even if you run the lights, CD/DVD player and fridge to exhaustion, the spaceship will still be ready for blast-off in the morning.

The third item is that you join the Spaceship community. Each rental is provided two DVDs, which can be swapped (along with travelling tips) with other spaceships along the road and at space stations. Excellent for keeping the kids amused en-route and for networking with other travellers. There is an add-on sleeping roof pod which kids view as a ‘top bunk’ experience – an additional benefit for families.

The vehicles are late model, low mileage Toyotas imported from Japan, custom fitted at Caloundra.  The gas canisters for the two burner cooker (which can itself be swung out from the side of the car, or detached and moved to where you would like it) are available from servos and supermarkets, and bedding & utensils are supplied as part of the rental. To cap it all off, there is also an mp3/ipod connector.

Adventure Tours/Spaceships Australia believes strongly in educating international visitors so each vehicle comes with an environmental care code, campground maps and information on accessing public shower and toilet facilities. 

“We want travellers to experience everything Australia has to offer while still encouraging sustainable tourism.” says Hart.  Spaceships Australia have been taking bookings for the last few months but now with their new Head Space Station open on William St, all is in readiness for immediate Sydney launches.

Spaceships will appeal to a wide range of independent travellers, singles, couples and families. There are also good benefits for industry partners becoming ‘space stations’. Independent travellers come direct to your door as part of their space exploration.

And finally, each Spaceship has a unique space related name, which could lead to some interesting emails home.

Cut in some Star Trek music and start off with “Spaceships! The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of….!”

Report by The Mole