How to plan a camper trip around Australia

11.09.2024 - 15:13 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 11, 2024 • 8 min read

There’s no better way to experience the best of Australia than on a road trip in a camper through its stunning and wild natural landscapes.

Australia’s National Highway 1 may not be as storied as America’s Route 66, but a “lap of the map”  – via endless surf beaches, koala-dotted forests, flaming red deserts and awe-inspiring starry skies – will be life-defining. If you haven’t got time for the whole shebang, you’ll have just as much fun exploring one coast (the east coast or west?) or even a smaller region.

While there’s buckets of information out there from travelers who’ve gone before, here are the key things to consider before you hit the road for your motor home adventure in Australia.

If you have only a few weeks then you’ll need to stick to one region. If you want to spend more time communing with nature and less time driving then you might want to target a small region. 

For a mix of beaches, mountains and waterfalls head to northern NSW (Byron Bay and around) and southern Queensland (with an incredible coast and the lush Scenic Rim region). For something similar but with emptier roads, check out the coast southwest of Perth around Margaret River and inland to the old forests of Pemberton. Tasmania is also very driveable in two weeks with mountains, beaches and delicious produce everywhere.

Flying into Darwin would take you to some of the most incredible scenery in Australia around Litchfield, Kakadu and down to Uluru and back. From Adelaide, there are options to explore the coast, wineries and wetlands south, or head into the ancient interior of Ikara-Flinders Ranges via the wineries of the Clare Valley.

The coastal roads from Melbourne to Sydney through southern NSW are long and windy, and the geography doesn’t vary quite as much, but the weather is temperate and there are many family-friendly hamlets with good camping sites. Picking up a camper in Cairns means exploring the lush Atherton Tablelands, and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Daintree National Park, managed by its traditional owners the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people (learn more on a Dreamtime Walk at Mossman Gorge) and the Great Barrier Reef. 

But this is just a snapshot of options. With more time you can join a couple of these itineraries together and cruise on – say from Adelaide to Darwin, or from Sydney up to Cairns via Byron Bay in one trip.

Some travelers make it their mission to circumnavigate the whole of Australia, and you’ll find plenty of blogs online with people sharing their tips for tackling the project over anything from six weeks to a year. 

Three months is a good minimum to dedicate to the trip. It gives you enough time for detours and longer stops at places you fall in love with, but you can also