If you’re thinking about getting started in joining the popular van life Australia club, you’re probably thinking it’s the ultimate freedom. And while that is mostly true, there’s plenty of things you need to know about before really knowing if living or travelling Australia in a van is right for you.
Having recently finished up a 15,000km van trip with Star RV motorhomes, I learnt so much about the experience, that it’s worth sharing with you. You can read my guide, We Drove 15,000km Around Australia in a Star RV Motorhome Hire and This is What the Reality Looked Like if you’d like to learn more about driving a Star RV motorhome.
| Get 10% off Star RV motorhomes by using my code LIS24. |
Van life isn’t the same as backpacking or travelling
While we met travelling and have since travelled to a lot of countries together and taken time out to travel non stop for a year multiple times, van life was a completely different experience that we just didn’t prepare ourselves for (we honestly thought it would be the same, but it’s not).
When you travel and stay in accommodation, you don’t have the same responsibilities of packing stuff away etc. You basically just turn up, staying the night or two, then head to your next destination. When you’re doing the van life experience, you have to organise everything from constantly packing everything away, making sure the van is clean, know where you’ll be camping, where the next fuel stop is and so much more that it’s so different from just putting a backpack on.
My husband Steve and I quickly realised that even though we annoy each other at home by getting in each other’s way, living in a van is so much more intense.
Our experience of van life definitely made us appreciate each other more and let go of the small things that used to annoy us about each other by the time the trip ended.
So, if you’re someone who needs a lot of space, then your best bet is to drive a motorhome rather than a camper van, otherwise you’ll need to be OK with living a very minimalistic life in a very small space. To be honest, it took us a bit longer to get into it than we thought it would. We honestly thought we would fit right into van life straight away.
You know I have always had my eye on living in a coaster van, but I don’t think I could ever invest in one now. You know why? I realised I need my space and thankfully the Star RV Polaris 6 gave us enough space to do our two month road trip around Australia. As for coaster vans or camper vans, I salute people who love them, travel in them and more than anything live in them.
The pros of van life
While it might have taken us a little bit of time to get into van life Australia, it is an amazing opportunity to get out and explore the jaw-dropping and wonderful country that it really is. I don’t think there’s enough hype about some of the absolutely amazing places there are to visit in this country that most people will probably never see (ie pretty much most of WA is like being on another planet).
You’ll have the freedom to travel and explore new places without being tied down to a job, mortgage or any of the pressures from society. There’s something very freeing about not having to be anywhere, where you call the shots and live how you want to live.
It’s a great way to save on money because there are so many free camps around Australia that you can take advantage of, meaning your main expenses are really going to be fuel and food and of course any problems you have with the van if you own it.
The van lifestyle can really help you stop and have the time to grow as a person. Because you’ll be spending a lot of time outside, van life can help you reflect and realise what’s important in life which is what it did for us.
We thought we were in a good place when we hopped in the van on our road trip, but it wasn’t until we got home that we realised how impactful the experience really was.
It made us really connect with each other and clear up any past disagreements or tiffs that we’d had just sitting there for a long time.
The cons of van life and how it’s really not for everyone
I was surprised to watch a few vlogs about how families nearly gave up on van life within their first month, but after spending a few months on the road, I can totally see why. When you’re stripped of your usual luxuries, your home and how easy it is to take a shower or have your own space to chill out in, compacting your life into a van can be so overwhelming.
There are so many new things you have to get used to when living in a van that it’s easy to have the mentality of ‘it will be fine’ until you do it. When you’re having to spend all your time in a very small space with your loved ones, it can become quite full on. Add in how time consuming van life really is and how long everything takes like driving, moving on etc, you have to expect things to take longer than it would when you wake up at home and just jump in the car.
Finding reliable internet can be a struggle unless you invest in a Star Link which I highly recommend doing, and it can be hard to maintain a normal routine like you would back home.
One thing is for sure, you’ll need to do a lot of planning before the trip begins.
We planned as much as we could but because we didn’t realise how van life takes a lot of time, our itinerary did change a few times and got a bit delayed, that our planned trip around South Australia at the end of our trip didn’t happen because we needed more time to rest between long drives in Western Australia and Northern Territory.
Things to know before getting into van life
1. Essentials you will absolutely need
If you’re driving a camper van and not hiring an amazing Star RV motorhome, you’ll need to do your research for the best portable power options. Solar panels are a great idea but might not be ideal if you’re moving everyday. You can invest in a portable power station which you can connect into the cigarette socket in the van to charge up while you’re driving. We actually used this Power Station for when we stayed at free camps and we could easily charge our laptops and phones if needed for the night or two.
Star Link
As mentioned, I would highly recommend investing in a Star Link for your van trip around Australia. While driving Western Australia, the majority of the roads have zero internet coverage so you’ll only be able to get your Star Link out once you stop.
Fuel
We invested in a couple of jerry cans, especially for our trip out to Karijini National Park as we were unsure about how much fuel we’d consume in the park. We noticed how everyone had spare jerry cans on their vans and it’s an absolute must buy when travelling Australia. We didn’t use them but we’re glad we had them because you just don’t know when you’ll need them. You’ll also notice that Australia is huge and there are so many long roads full of absolutely nothing for miles and miles.
Water
I would also stock up on water as much as you can. We only drink spring water in Australia but we constantly made sure we had a lot of water on us at all times. I actually noticed in Coles in Esperance how it was hard to buy any water as all the van lifers had stocked up for going into Cape Le Grand National Park to stay at the absolutely beautiful Lucky Bay.
You’ll also need car insurance because people brake down all the time in the outback!
2. How to drive further and save money
An amazing tip the Star RV team gave us before we jumped into our van is to drive at the 80-90km mark. They said we would end up driving double the distance than we would at driving 110km. So we took their advice and it worked.
We ended up spending $130 to fill our tank to drive around 600km.
The only problem with driving slower than the speed limit is that we always had to add extra time on our journeys. Considering we would drive around six hours a day, this would end up being around 7h30m drive with a stop for food. It also meant that our original planning went out the window and we didn’t really stick to our original itinerary.
3. Everything takes longer than you think it will take
As mentioned already, one thing I didn’t realise is that it takes a while to get into van life and therefore I had to accept that we couldn’t see everything we want to see on the trip.
When you are getting ready to leave the campsite, you have to pack everything away (literally everything) so that nothing goes flying when you drive off. Honestly the amount of times at the beginning of our trip that I forgot to lock the cupboards before they would go flying out!
So it does feel a bit like you’re preparing for an inspection every time you drive anywhere in the van as you have to pack it all away.
The problem is, you can’t just stuff you things away as you have to keep on top of everything having a place, otherwise a disorganised van becomes a bit of a nightmare. But you’ll get into the swing of it and before you know it, it will just become part of your normal routine.
4. Booking campsites in Australia vs free camping spots
We actually winged it and didn’t prebook any campsites on our road trip through Western Australia and Northern Territory. We started our trip in Perth on 1 May and finished on 1 July in Adelaide and we only missed out on a campsite we wanted to stay in Exmouth and that was it!
We managed to book into everywhere within a day’s notice. Mind you – the only one I would prebook is Ayers Rock Campground as that’s the only caravan park near Uluru. We also managed to get into Lucky Bay Campground (our favourite) and the caravan parks in Karijini. I’m not sure if we were just lucky but I’m sure it’s because we went before peak season. I know that just a few weeks later it was hard to get into the caravan parks in Broome and Darwin for example.
We paid between $40-$65 for a night at a powered site, with Lake Argyle being the most expensive at $80 per night (it is worth it).
Our favourite campgrounds were the following:
- Lucky Bay Campground, Esperance
- Cable Beach Caravan Park, Broome
- Lake Argyle Tourist Village, Kununurra (has a small infinity pool overlooking the lake)
- Oasis Tourist Park in Darwin
The most squished campsite we stayed at was Ningaloo Coral Bay – they pack everyone in like sardines here.
If you’re thinking about free camping at some of the best van life destinations if can be done. We were even told thankfully by long term van lifers to park at the free camp between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek called Mary Pool which I’m so glad about as these towns didn’t feel hugely safe.
5. One thing I was surprised about van life
Considering we drove 15,000 km over the course of two months, my diet went completely out of the window and before I knew it, we were eating a lot of junk food on the road.
While we cooked healthy meals, we ended up binging on granola bars and sweets during our long drives. Before I knew it, my clothes weren’t fitting too well which was something I was really surprised about.
If you want to stick to a good routine, try and make all your snacks before leaving on a long journey, and try and keep up some sort of exercise routine. We brought cheap yoga mats from Kmart and although we honestly thought we would be incorporating yoga into our morning routine, we didn’t do as much as we hoped we would. This is because we had long drives to get done almost everyday.
6. Unless you’re in a Star RV motorhome, you’ll spend more time outside your van than inside it
If you’re driving a camper van, you’ll probably spend way more time outside your van than in it. While you’ll be living a very minimalistic lifestyle, you’ll find more comfort sitting outside the van most of the time. We actually thought we’d spend more time outside but we did in fact spend way more time inside ours. I think this is because we had an amazing motorhome with a brilliant dining area, air con and more.
We were constantly driving between really hot and cold climates so we weren’t too keen sitting out in the heat or the freezing cold.
7. Bring a mixture of clothes
While we brought a lot of stuff with us (I think it was around 80kgs) we realised that you really do need a mixture of winter and summer clothes. We would go from being by the ocean and it being very hot to driving inland to a national park and wearing as many clothes as possible. The constant change of temperature can affect you so take it slowly if you have time.
8. Making van life friends
I have to say that we honestly expected to make so many friends on our van trip but to our surprise most people kept to themselves. We rarely saw many people chat and the majority of people travelling Australia were either grey nomads or families. We didn’t see much in between, but we mainly stayed at caravan parks. I think if we stayed at more free camping spots, we probably would have had a different experience.
9. Driving at night
If there’s one thing that people often recommend when it comes to van life in Australia, it’s to avoid driving at night. We actually ended up driving at night time a few times and it is so eerily spooky driving in the middle of the outback in the pitch black.
It’s also very dangerous because if you have an accident, no one is going to be able to help you as you most likely won’t see any other cars on the road and you more than likely won’t get phone reception (it was pretty much non existent from Geraldton upwards in Western Australia).
10. Understanding prepaid fuel pumps and pre-planning fuel stops
The more remote you travel Australia, the more likely you’ll find pre-paid fuel pumps. You’ll need to enter your credit card details first before the fuel pump unlocks and you can access the fuel.
You’ll also most likely find the cheapest gas stations are the pre-paid pumps that sit just on the outskirts of the towns.
We used Fuel Map Australia app which shows you how much fuel is at every petrol station in Australia. This is be one of the main apps you use on your travels.
You probably know this already, but you’ll need to fill up every time you see a petrol station, regardless of how much fuel you have. When we first started the trip, we left Margaret River and headed south. The problem is, we missed a turn and Google maps ended up taking us on a detour that by the time we reached the next fuel stop, we had very nearly ran out of fuel. That was our biggest wake up call right at the beginning of the trip.
| Don’t forget! If you’re thinking about doing a van trip around Australia, you can get 10% off Star RV motorhomes by using my code LIS24. |
11. Laundry and taking showers
If you’re investing in a caravan, then I totally recommend buying a washing machine because it can get a bit exhausting trying to find a washing machine in a campsite which isn’t being used. You also need to have change on you to use them (usually $1 or $2 coins) although I think I only saw one credit card washing machine on the whole trip (this was in Kununurra of all places!).
My trick is to get in and do your washing either at night time or first thing in the morning.
Most people start to get up aa the sun rises so even if you get up 10 minutes before, you’ll have more chance of scoring a washing machine in your campsite.
Even though we had a shower in our amazing Star RV van, we never used it. I think it was really just to save on water, but we always took showers at the campgrounds instead. I do wish I brought a dressing gown with me but most of the shower blocks were clean (the national parks campgrounds were always the cleanest).
12. Having to deal with the job no one wants to do
If you have a toilet in your van, you’ll need to empty the cassette which is basically a box where all your pee and number twos go. We only peed in our van which was actually a god send on those long van journeys and we always found a dump site using Wiki Camps app.
13. Invest in a decent tarp
One thing I do regret is not investing in a decent tarp when we went on our trip. When you’re visiting places like Karijini National Park where the red dust gets everywhere, you’ll need a decent tarp to put down if you want to sit outside. We got a small one and it really wasn’t great at all.
14. People will help and stop
If you have any problems on the road, people will always stop and help. We witnessed a car and caravan roll completely upside down and helped the family in need. Everyone is really friendly on the road and you’ll be getting into waving at all of the other van lifers that pass you by.
15. Best Van Life Destinations
There are so many amazing Australian road trips to consider that you’ll have the time of your life. Here’s a few to consider:
Melbourne to Sydney – amazing drive up through the beautiful towns of the Sapphire Coast in New South Wales including Batemans Bay, Bermagui and so much more. Check out our guide for the 15 Best Places To Stop On The South Coast to learn more about the area.
Sydney to Brisbane – there are so many underrated spots to visit including the amazing Pacific Palms, Bellingen, Yamba and Gold Coast Hinterland National Parks. Check out our guide, 7 Best Places to Stop Between Sydney and Sunshine Coast.
Sydney to Cairns or Cape York – think about parking up in the tropical rainforests of North Queensland.
Great Ocean Road – one of the most scenic drives in Australia, best explored on your terms in your own time.
South Western Australia – absolutely stunning region of WA that takes you from Perth and down to some of the best beaches in the world in Cape Le Grand National Park.
Perth to Broome – one of the bucket list road trips with amazing sights to be seen including Shark Bay, Coral Bay and Exmouth. Check out our guide, 10 Best Places to Stop Between Perth and Exmouth.
| Don’t forget! If you’re thinking about doing a van trip around Australia, you can get 10% off Star RV motorhomes by using my code LIS24. |
