Arrivals & Departures Retro glamping in WA

The luxury Gidget camper is a throwback to the 1950s with its curvy teardrop design, retro colours, timber interiors and petite proportions.

The cute campers have been brought to Western Australia by Scott and Marina Deacon.

The couple started Tears of Joy Campers March this year after seeing a gap in the glamping market.

Mr Deacon originally spotted the Queensland-made campers online, visited Brisbane to see the product and swiftly ordered four.

Those four – the aqua and deep blue Willow, the blue and red Jassy, the lime sherbet Piper and the cream and electric blue Harry – are now on the road, with a further four to follow.

The husband-and-wife team are relative camping novices, but do own a Kombi van which they used for the odd camping trip over the almost 20 years they have lived in Australia since moving from Scotland.

Mrs Deacon says the retro campers had been met with good demand so far, with people taking them for two-to-eight day trips up to Coral Bay and Monkey Mia and down to Margaret River and Albany

"The idea behind the set up was that you didn't have to plan a camping trip, you could just decide last minute as everything is provided for in the camper and no camping experience is required," she says.

The main demographic to date had been couples in their 20s, as well as more mature couples.

The campers have a slide-out design, allowing self-sufficient camping with plenty of mod cons. A rotating entertainment console means you can watch the 24-inch television and listen to the stereo inside or outside the camper.

A solar panel powers appliances and a fully equipped kitchen with cooker and Waeco cooler make cooking easy. The queen-size bed converts into a lounge area with slide-out table. 

There is an 80-litre water tank fitted with a pump and a 40-litre waste tank so you can take the camper to remote locations.

The lightweight Gidget is designed to be towed by most standard cars.

A camper costs $100 per day for the first two days, reducing the daily rate incrementally for longer hires.

Fact File

• See tearsofjoycampers.com.au or phone 9498 2465.