A visit to Australia is never complete without going on a road trip on a campervan. When we decided to tick this off our bucket list, I ended up putting off the plan so many times as I was always stuck with the question of where and how I would be renting a campervan in Australia.
Where do I start? Which type of campervans should I choose? What are the costs? My mind was clouded with so many questions. Finally, after spending so many hours with Google we managed to hire one. Successfully!
To save beginners like us the hassle of renting a campervan in Australia, we have come up with top tips, tricks, and things to consider prior to booking.
Why Should I Rent a Campervan in Australia?
Convenience
If there is one place to best travel on a campervan, that would be Australia. This country is made for road trips and camping.
You can find rest stops and campgrounds to choose from anywhere, all equipped with more than you can imagine- camp kitchen, BBQ area, hot showers, toilets, laundry, picnic area, beachfront sites, swimming pool, bouncing pillow, kids’ playground, waterpark, etc, of course depending on your budget.
Believe it or not, you can even book a campsite with an ensuite. How amazing is that?
Budget Friendly
Overall you can save on accommodation when going on a long road trip on a campervan.
When on a budget you can find multiple FREE campgrounds in Australia. These campgrounds are well maintained by the council. Most are equipped with basic facilities like a toilet and a shower, while some are only good for self-contained camping.
A self-contained campervan means it has all the facilities you need to camp without any outside facilities like a toilet and shower.
Depending on how much you are willing to spend, you can also find campsites that cost as low as $5 a night and as high as $70 a night. This is based on 2 adults and 2 kids. Of course the lesser number of people the cheaper the fees.
So far the highest we’ve paid for a campsite is $68/night, this is by the way a slab site with ensuite, full-on facilities like a swimming pool, outdoor cinema, jumping pillow, kids’ game room, playground and whatnot.
Flexibility
The best thing about travelling on a campervan is you can spend the night LEGALLY mostly anywhere when plans unexpectedly change.
Truck stops, pubs and hostels offer VERY cheap overnight rates as low as $3/night. Not to mention public or free campsites that are easily available in most stops.
Fun for Kids
I don’t know about you, but for first-timers like me and hubby, we are so excited to travel on a campervan. How much more for our 4-year-old twin girls?
During our trip, I can definitely say the girls had the time of their lives. Seeing the campervan with its own little kitchen and seats that turn into beds wowed them! How much more going on a road trip and stopping at really amazing places!
It is also a great way for kids to learn what it is like to go back to basics and appreciate the simple things in life. It is a fun adventure and a learning opportunity at the same time.
Where to Start When Renting a Campervan in Australia
First things first. Know where you will be going on your road trip, for how long, and what is your budget. Once you have these figured out then you can start looking for campervan rental companies online.
Where to Book a Campervan in Australia
There are lots of options for renting a campervan in Australia. For beginners, I highly recommend doing so through a trusted booking company. I spent days and so many hours reading reviews, groups, blogs, and forums looking for the best places to hire a campervan.
For a newbie like me, the most convenient and hassle-free way to book one is through Discovery Campervans. They offer different types of campervans depending on your budget and they provide you with highly rated campervan companies like Britz, Apollo, Maui, Mighty, Cruisin’, etc.
I, of course, compared prices and tried booking directly through the above-mentioned campervan hire companies. Turned out the prices and inclusions are the same.
Booking through Discovery Campervans was a breeze. Given my busy work schedule, I mostly can only contact them through email, and they were very prompt and helpful with replying to queries.
You can book through them by clicking on the link or image below:
Things to Consider When Renting a Campervan in Australia
Number of Berths
Berth means the designated sleeping area in a campervan. So for a family of 4, we needed a 4-berth campervan. This basically depends on how many people are going with you on the trip.
Age Restrictions
Anyone driving the campervan should be over 21 years of age. Otherwise, hiring companies may charge you a young driver’s fee.
License Requirements
If you have an Australian driver’s license, this would not be an issue. You can drive any campervan with your car license. However, for those from overseas make sure you have an international driver’s license otherwise, a fee applies as well.
Compare Companies
Campervan rental companies differ in type, make and model of their vehicles. Make sure you check the van year model. Others have extras already included like GPS, awning, flyscreens, etc, while some do not. So be mindful to compare and make sure you are getting a good deal.
Manual Vs. Automatic
To be honest I almost overlooked this option. Make sure you check the type of transmission prior to confirming your booking. Better yet, add this on the filter when searching your vehicle options on the website.
One-Way Fee
If you opt to travel one way and drop the campervan at a designated drop-off location, keep in mind that they will charge a one-way fee for this. This depends on your pick-up and drop-off location. Ours cost $165 for a Cairns to Brisbane one-way itinerary.
Inclusions and Extras
Depending on your needs, preference and budget you can opt for the basics like microwave, stove, fridge, and power. However, there are different extra options to choose from including solar panels, toilet, shower, tv, air-conditioner, heater, camp chairs and table, etc.
Take note though, that having a shower and toilet means you have to find a designated dump point to obviously dump your grey water (used water) and toilet waste. You can easily find these dump points through camping apps like Wikicamps.
For those with young kids, car seats and or booster seats are not usually included so you need to add this at an extra cost. However, there are package options offered when booking that may already include these. I will explain these package options along with insurance further down this post.
As I said, these all fall down to needs, preference, and of course budget.
We opted to book the basic campervan for 4 people as we wanted to stay on highly rated campsites with all other extra facilities included to keep the kids entertained.
Insurance
This part of booking a campervan caught me off guard initially. I first saw a cheap daily rate where I thought, costs are not that bad! But further on the booking process, I realised there are more extra fees.
You need to get insurance for your campervan rental in an event of any damage that may incur along the way. Companies will not allow you to rent their vans, otherwise. In doing so, the rental cost will almost double.
You can also opt for third-party insurance not offered by campervan booking companies but of course, you need to pay the $5000 bond.
Believe me, I’ve requested a quote on probably all highly recommended campervan rental companies there are in the Brisbane area and they all require the same amount of bond.
Package Options
Discovery Campervan does offer a couple of package options, depending on what you want to be covered and any extras you want to be included in the rental such as linens, kitchen equipment, camp table and chairs, booster seats, etc.
You can choose between their Standard package only or add a Stress Free Package on top of the Standard Package.
Standard Package
Includes vehicle insurance, unlimited kilometres, 24-hour roadside assistance, linens and bedding, and kitchen equipment.
The standard package option, which is cheaper will require you to pay a big amount of bond upfront. They will return the bond, given there are no damages when you return the campervan.
Personally, for first-timers like us who have never driven a campervan our entire lives, we were a bit hesitant to risk not getting our bond back. It is a big amount of money involved, and I am talking about $5000 here. Yep, you read it right.
Stress Free Package
Includes extras like booster seats, camp table, camp chairs, linens, LPG, overhead and underbody damage cover, single vehicle accident cover, windscreen and tyre cover and no bond required.
We decided to add this to our standard package which saves us the hassle of bringing all those extra things we need in the campervan (as we are doing a one-way itinerary), NO bond required, plus it has good insurance coverage. This cost us an additional $55/day.
Turned out it was the best decision we made. During our trip, we mistakenly drove into an open carpark with a maximum height limit of 2.9 meters. Since our campervan is 3 meters high, obviously we incurred overhead damage.
The paint was ripped off with scratches on top. In addition, the vent cover came off and we had to patch it up with duct tape as a temporary fix. Given all these damages, we paid nothing as the insurance covers overhead damage. Whew!
Read the fine print
Make sure you read all the minute details. Read, read and read before signing up for a campervan hire. This prevents you from going off-budget and having any unexpected money hurdles later down the track.
Know the Pick Up and Drop off Times
Most campervan companies are closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. Some also close early on weekends. So make sure you check their pick-up and drop-off locations as well as opening and closing hours.
It may be very frustrating to go to a pickup location and find out they are closed.
Dropping off your Campervan
Prior to drop off, there is a checklist given by the rental company which you can look into to make sure you won’t be charged with additional fees. Basic rule is to keep the campervan clean and in order, not necessarily spotless. Fuel should be at least more than half full.
Dropping off our campervan was a breeze, despite the damage it acquired during our trip. We simply filled in a damage entry form, left the keys and booked a cab home.
Is Renting a Campervan in Australia Expensive?
Yes, and no. To give readers an idea, we booked through Discovery Campervans for 12 days from Cairns to Brisbane. Take note this is a one-way trip only. The standard package quote for 12 days is $1524.96
Plus $55/day for the Stress Free package.
On top of that, they have a one-way fee of $165. If you are doing a round-trip itinerary and dropping off the campervan at the same place, then you do not have to worry about this.
All in all, we paid more or less $AUD 2292, give or take a few dollars for the credit card fees.
Top Tips on Renting a Campervan in Australia
Keep an Eye out for Promotions
I booked our campervan 3 months in advance, without any ongoing promotions at that time. I can’t help it. I was too excited and a bit anxious I might run out of availabilities on our chosen dates.
A month later, Apollo Campervan was offering a 50% off on a Cairns to Brisbane route. I was heartbroken. So, yes, it pays to be patient. Don’t rush when booking, but don’t book a little too late as well. Now I know at least two months in advance is just the right time to book.
Recheck Before Booking
Booking a campervan is not cheap at all. So before you click that CONFIRM BOOKING button, make sure you check and recheck what is and is not included in your booking.
Download Wikicamps
I highly recommend downloading the Wikicamps app to find not only free but also all types of campsites, with reliable reviews from campers. This app offers very good and useful information about which campsites are good for an overnighter and what facilities they offer.
Toll Fees
Prior to commencing your road trip, the rental company will give you detailed instructions on how to register for toll road fees. This is a must-do PRIOR to going on the road, as you can be charged by the rental company after dropping off your campervan if you have unpaid toll fees.
Have Built in GPS
If your campervan does not have GPS, might as well bring one. You cannot solely rely on Google maps especially on roads without network service. This happened to us so many times on the road. It is a must-have.
Always be Mindful of Campervan Height
ALWAYS. I cannot emphasise this enough. Newbies as we are we always forget we are driving a 3-metre high campervan. We drove into an open carpark which has an entrance with a maximum height limit of 2.9 metres.
Since the campervan is the same width and almost the same length as our family car, of course we forgot it was NOT our family car. LOL. We drove on, which we admit is the stupidest thing we did. Thankfully we paid for the most expensive insurance cover and I can say it was worth every penny.
Drive at a Slower Speed on Windy Roads
Again, because of the height and length of the campervan, driving on windy roads can be tricky. When doing so at 100kph, you can definitely feel the van wobble, and the wind pushing you towards another lane. In saying this, always keep both hands on the steering wheel with a firm grip.
At a 100kph speed limit, it is safe to drive at 70-80kph instead. Be very careful when driving and meeting a large vehicle.
This happened to us when crossing a bridge and a large truck was moving towards us in the opposite lane. The sudden, stronger wind caused by the truck blew the van towards the side of the bridge.
Thankfully hubby was holding the wheel firmly and was able to steer back quickly towards the middle of the lane.
Consider Other Costs
Like any other road trip, when renting a campervan in Australia be wary that you also have to pay for petrol, food, water, campsites, activities/tours, and tolls.
The Wrap Up: Renting a Campervan in Australia
For beginners like us, the challenge was where to start. However, everything was a walk in the park after that. There may be a few little speed bumps along the way but they were manageable.
It may be a bit costly but for us, that road trip on a campervan was definitely an experience of a lifetime.
