Has anyone toured Australia in a motorhome / campervan? Is it possible to drive the whole of the East Coast? I will have approx 2-3 months but will have to take this time from November to January.
Any tips, advice would be much appreciated. Also any recommendations of who to book campervan hire with, books/reading recommended. How to plan the budget, etc re: fuel, campsite fees.
Not sure if this is just a dream or whether I can turn it into reality!
Mary
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I would log on with Tripadvisor and ask the same questions, you will get local advise,Also purchase a rough guide to Aus i also know they publish a rough guide to Queensland which is 50% of the east coast.
A cheaper option may be to buy a camper and resell at end of trip,you will find details in the rough guide and in posts on trip advisor about this option.
Although you will get advice on this site i feel you would get more upto date information on cost ect useing tripadvisor.
My son and his friends did it as part of their 'gap year' - but not in a campervan, but an old Holden 7 seater, which they bought complete with tent and camping package for 5! In the end they didn't actually camp all that much, preferring to stay in hostels, or on sites where they ended up working, but they did the whole east coast, and sold the Holden at the end of their trip. They worked in a huge variety of different jobs - stock checking, packing, fruit picking, auditing, but they did it on the cheap, and I don't suppose their advice on sites and budgets would be much help!!!
google motorhome/campervan hire in oz.also try google newspapers in oz and check through the classified ads for a cheep camper,remember it will be hot at that time there,you will need air con. i was in perth west australia last year at that time and it was up to 44 degs
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I agree with Steve about the weather. One thing to remember, if you are going far up north in QLD is that it is the wet season at that time of year and could be wet as well as hot.
If you're going up the east coast, would be worth ensuring that you can do a one-way drop off to avoid a long journey back. I think that driving at night wasn't recommended due to wildlife on the road.
Can't really recommend any sites as I did most of my camping there 20+ years ago in a tent, but it is a fabulous place.
If you're concerned about the heat or the distances, it might be worth contemplating Tasmania or New Zealand as an alternative.
We spent 2 separate trips in Australia. The first time we stayed with friends in Wollongong and then travelled by hire car and train up as far as Cairns and back. It was a wonderful trip, but the distances are immense. We stayed mainly in motels. The second time, however, we went for 6 months and leased a car from a company called Car Connections based in Melbourne. It was a Ford Falcon estate equipped with camping gear, but I must say that we mainly used cabins on the campsites as they were very reasonable. It is worth joining the Big 4 or Top Tourist chain at the first place you go to, as the rates are then cheaper. Make sure that you always carry water with you, especially at that time of the year. It will be hot, but also wet especially further north. Tourist information centres are in every town you go to. They are a mine of information and will always tell you the best place to stay on arrival, whether you want campsites, motels, cabins or hotels. It is worth treating yourselves once in a while to a bed and bathroom!!
We used both Lonely Planet and Dorling Kindersley guides.
If you want any specific help, please feel free to email us directly (sue.travelmoore at tesco.net.)We kept a journal going over both trips so have plenty of recommendations to give you. Petrol was much cheaper than here, as was fresh food, loads of veg and fish to die for. Cairns - Fishlips restaurant has to be the best eating house we visited. Bottle shops sell cheap wine and beer, and you can buy a bottle to take in to a restaurant with you, very civilised.
Have a great trip, we envy you...we are headed the other way this year, to Scandinavia.
Some friends of ours did that but would not do it the same way again. Motorhome hire is very very expensive and they found they could have stayed in 3/4 star hotels per night for what it cost to hire the motorhome per night. We had a look at doing the same in New Zealand and a 5/6 weeks hire was near enough £4,000! What they did say was many campsites are really really good and have little camping huts for rent very reasonably which are basically like a little wood hut with your own toilet /shower and a bedroom and basic cooking facilities. They said that if they did it again they would hire a small (air conditioned )car and either stay in reasonable hotels or these camping huts.
Used to live in Melbourne and yes you can travel all the way up the East Coast but go via Canberra and you visit Ned Kelly country on the way. Like everyone else says cheaper to hire a car and stay in Motels. Flag used to do a forward booking and you got the 7th night free. My daughter went back a few years ago and hired a motorhome through Trailfinders (we actually book flights etc with them when we have gone back on trips) Like others have said it is the wet season in Queensland and beyond. Have a great trip whatever you do.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Touring Australia
