Luxury road tripping; the world's most expensive RV and luxury car rentals

If you’re striving to be the most stylish thing on wheels on your next luxury holiday, command the road with these decadent Australian touring options.

Driving holidays remain very close to the hearts of Australians of all shapes and sizes. From rugged 4WD or caravanning adventures with the family in tow to carefree top-down cruising of the Great Ocean Road with the wind in your hair, the road-trip possibilities in Australia are endless.

But what are the options at the lofty, luxury, tippy-top end of the road touring market?

Currently, the world’s most expensive luxury motorhome is the frankly extraordinary EleMMent Palazzo from Austrian manufacturers Marchi Mobile with a sticker price of a whopping $US3 million. (It took the title from the Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus which changes hand for a far more reasonable $US2.5 million).

eleMMent Palazzo Superior RV from Marchi Mobile — The world’s most expensive RV, the eleMMent Palazzo Superior has a ‘pop-up’ roof top deck they call the Sky Deck.

The interiors are ridiculously plush and marble laden which justifies the hefty 600 horsepower engine – that’s a ridiculous amount of ‘horses’ as motoring nerds would say; the entry level Toyota Camry has 178 while an F1 car tops out at 1000 to give you a comparison.

One of the craziest additions to the “Mobile Mansion" (the MM in eleMMent) is the ‘Sky Lounge’. A lift elevates a deck from the roof of the RV to create a private roof top terrace accessed by a stairwell on the outside of the RV.

But it’s the drivers cab, they like to call it the ‘cockpit’, which will cause other drivers to rubberneck and run off the road. The sloping elliptical window may be aerodynamic is more spaceship than road warrior.

Bedroom eleMMent Palazzo Superior RV — The kind bed, made by the same people who supply the Royal Family with their bedding, inside the world’s moist expensive RV, the eleMMent Palazzo Superior.

The king bed is made by the same company that supply the royal family’s bedding but you will have to want to get off the 4m sofa in front of the widescreen TV to use it. The full kitchen comes with the most important accouterments – an ice makes and wine fridge.

Both sides of the Palazzo expand to make the living space tiger swinging sized and the bathroom is full sized, accessible from either the bedroom or the living room. Driving, the passengers have some seriously gold class cinema seating to arrive in style.

Living room eleMMent Palazzo Superior RV — The living room, with 4m sofa, on board the world’s most expensive RV, the eleMMent Palazzo Superior.

Back on earth, I mean Australia, the most expensive RV used to be the Avida Winnebago Classic which used to set you back a comparatively modest $613,000. Times beign what they are the most luxurious and expense RV right now in Australia would probably be the Avida Longreach which is only half a mortgage at around the $250k-$300k mark.

Other ways to hit the road in style

There are a multitude of luxury touring options around Australia that have the high-end road experience firmly in mind – and they don’t all involve cars.

If that all sounds a bit too dirt-in-the-goggles for your tastes, there’s always the more luxurious option of exotic car hire. Can you picture yourself hugging the corners of the Great Ocean Road in a Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche or Lamborghini? Around $1900 will get you into a Ferrari California or $2300 a McLaren from Unique Car Rentals .

Or if winery touring the Mornington Peninsula is more your style, Red Balloon has a whole category of all luxury car rental, diver experiences and touring you can do.

Luxury at 300km/h

When it comes to sticker price, nothing comes remotely close to the amount of cash poured into your average Formula 1 car. However, unless you have the kinds of connections the rest of us only dream about, chances are you’re never going to get a drive in one (in fact, if you have, we’d love to hear about it). The next best thing, of course, is being trackside for all the action of the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne.

There are plenty of packages available to take this trip in style, and AT has seen a few good ones – but nothing we’ve seen so far comes close to the kinds of packages being organised by Sportsnet Holidays (1300 888 858, www.sportsnetholidays.com).

Their basic packages include three nights accommodation packages from $1029.

For upwards of $10,000 per person, you’re met at the airport and whisked to the Park Hyatt Melbourne for four nights lodging. You’re then given daily private transfers from hotel to track, a four-day corporate hospitality pass entitling you to food, drinks, reserved-seat dining, a dedicated viewing area overlooking Pit Straight, plus morning and afternoon tea, gourmet buffet luncheon with dessert and full bar service every day. Tickets to the Official Grand Prix Ball are thrown in, along with a champagne breakfast on the Sunday morning and (gasp!) a pit walk per day for each guest. Private access to a rooftop tiered viewing deck is the icing on the cake, as is a helicopter tour of the CBD and the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit before being whisked back to the airport at the end of it all.

Now that’s what we call a road trip.

From cabins to canvas, craft distillers to destination dining, Heathcote locals reveal their eco-savvy passions in ways that resonate with those seeking to travel lightly.

Heathcote , on traditional Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, is synonymous with its garnet-hued shiraz, but wine isn’t the only string to its bow. The town itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings from the gold rush era, and beyond that a growing collection of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly escapes. Nearby Bendigo, one of only 65 cities in the world recognised as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, plates up an astonishing calibre of produce, wine and food for its size. Increasingly the entire region is taking up the challenge, though Heathcote in particular shines with its focus on sustainability.

Pink Cliffs GeologicalReserve — The dramatic landscape of Heathcote’s Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Goodfrey)

The eco-stays bringing sustainability to Heathcote

Yellow BoxWood’s safari-style tents — Yellow Box Wood’s safari-style tents are nestled on 40 hectares of bushland. (Image: Emily Goodfrey)

Andee and Lisa Davidson spent years working in southern Africa before settling in Heathcote. “We had a vision of how this could be,” explains Andee. “We wanted a retreat, but one that was off-grid and environmentally sustainable.” Now, at Yellow Box Wood , two luxury safari-style tents are at the heart of 40 hectares of rolling hills and native bush, with kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, goanna and birdlife aplenty. It’s all solar-powered, wood for the fire is mainly fallen timber, and water is collected on the carport roof. No lack of creature comforts though – en suite with rain shower, espresso coffee maker, comfy seating, wood-burning fire all set to go. There’s also a solar-heated, mineral salt pool in a bush setting, walking tracks, and even a mini bush golf course. On my visit, I put the vision to the test. Cocooned in the plush four-poster bed I can glimpse the stars, while the heater casts a golden glow on the canvas. In the morning, I wake to a blush-pink sunrise, kangaroos feeding and a soundtrack of magpies.

If a tent is not your style, Stephen and Cally Trompp’s carbon-neutral Mt Ida Eco Cabin might entice with its generous deck and farmland views. Inside the cabin, corrugated iron walls as rusty as a shearing shed, gleaming (recycled) floorboards, timber truss ceiling (crafted by Stephen), wood-fired heater and an old-school turntable with a pile of vinyls to spin. It’s fun, and a little boho. “Everything is recycled. The cabin takes maximum advantage of the sun in winter. It’s all solar-powered. Don’t panic, though,” says Stephen, “you can still charge your phone and get 4G reception!” Settle into an Adirondack chair on the deck or pedal off on a mountain bike to suss out the wineries.

A taste of Spain in Central Victoria

Another person with a vision is Evan Pritchard at his Three Dams Estate where the wines reflect his deep love of Spain and of Spanish-style grapes, such as tempranillo. Afternoons in the ‘wine shed’ or cantina are matched with music (flamenco is a favourite), Spanish bites from tapas to paella (with Evan on the pans!) and views to Mount Alexander. Sustainability is also a passion. “You don’t need to buy anything. We decided to be off-grid from the start, but it is a lifestyle change,” he says. “You need to think about it and be careful.” Everything here is recycled, reassembled, refurbished. Evan has an electric car (with solar-powered charger), solar-power for the winery, and even a jaunty little electric tractor/forklift. “I love the idea of all the things you can do using the sun.” Sipping a crisp rosado (a Spanish rosé) with Evan in the sunshine, I couldn’t agree more.

The vineyard redefining sustainable winemaking

Silver Spoon winery — The Silverspoon Estate winery is completely off-grid. (Image: Graham Hosking)

On the other side of Heathcote, Silver Spoon Estate demonstrates sustainability on a more extensive scale. Tracie and Peter Young’s winery, cellar door, award-winning restaurant and their own house are all solar-powered and off the grid. Sustainability is intrinsic to everything they do. The property sprawls across 100 hectares, with 20 hectares under vine – shiraz, viognier, grenache, tempranillo. As the climate has changed, so too has the approach. These are dry-grown vineyards. “We prune for drought. That means lower yields but more intense flavours,” says Peter. The fine-dining restaurant offers sweeping views, a wood-burning fire and a deck for languid lunches. Head chef Ben Hong sources regional, sustainable ingredients and weaves estate wines into the menu – think crispy wild mushroom arancini, viognier-infused chicken breast.

Silver Spoon’s award-winning restaurant.

Heathcote’s other hidden gems

Not all local wineries have a cellar door, but I find local treasures at the Heathcote Wine Hub , a petite 1855 timber church in the main street, lovingly returned to life by Karen Robertson and Carey Moncrieff. “Carey is a scrounger,” says Karen. “He doesn’t throw a single thing away.” He does, however, craft things into something quite special. Heritage floors, light-filtering lancet windows and shelves of regional wines create the perfect ambience for wine tasting. Or order a glass and linger over a cheese platter.

Heathcote is not all wine, of course. Nathan Wheat and partner Vanessa Curtis run Envy Distilling with a committed sustainable ethic – and a serious love of gin. Their small-batch distillery produces grape-based gin, and soon brandy. Distilled water is reused in an ingenious cooling system. All waste is treated on site. They buy excess wine from winemakers to distil and buy recycled barrels. “Distilling with the sun,” as Nathan says. Each Envy gin has its own story. Spicy, award-winning The Dry, is designed to capture the region’s dry, rugged nature. Pull up a stool at the bar (reclaimed timbers and tiles, of course), order a Gin Flight, or kick back with a cocktail and let Nathan share his eco journey.

Envy gins — Sample gins at small-batch distillery Envy.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne. The scenic route we take goes past Sunbury, then along a splendid country road through Romsey and the magic, boulder-strewn landscape of Lancefield. Watch for kangaroos on the road!

Staying there

Go off-grid in style at Yellow Box Wood for glamping or try Mt Ida Eco Cabin for a couple’s weekend hideaway.

Eating there

French dishes at Chauncy — Award-winning French restaurant Chauncy.

At award-winning Chauncy , French chef Louis Naepels and sommelier wife Tess Murray have created a tiny, elegant pocket of rural France. Meticulously restored 1850s sandstone building, sun-drenched dining room, impeccable service, a menu suffused with local flavours and thoughtful wine pairings.

Fodder is both cafe and social hub. Chef Mo Pun and sister Lalita serve classic Aussie breakfast-to-lunch fare, though their Nepalese heritage sneaks through.

Playing there

Sanguine Estate ’s cellar door and terrace overlook bucolic vineyards. Its award-winning, dry-grown wines include the distinctive D’Orsa Blanc dessert wine, reflecting the family’s Swiss-Italian heritage. Order a charcuterie board and stay a while. Keep it carbon neutral by cycling some (or all) of the 50-kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail to Bendigo.

At Bridgeward Grove , learn about the property’s Old Mission Grove heritage olive trees, do a sommelier olive oil tasting, and stock up on sustainably grown olives and oil. Explore the unique landscape, wildflowers and wildlife of pink cliffs geological reserve.

Luxury On The Road