Top 10 tips for traveling Australia in a campervan

Since leaving our cushty flat in Toowoomba 3 months ago, Joe and I have spent every night (apart from the one night we treated ourselves to a hotel room) in the back of a campervan, Safe to say I'm getting used to our new home, and now know all the ins and outs of living in a vehicle.

1. Freedom
Remember why you're doing it. Having a campervan means ultimate freedom, and this is the #1 reason why getting one is the best decision you'll make. One day you can be waking up to the surise over the beach, the next in the garden of a small rural pub after celebrating the rugby scores with the locals. You can up and go... anywhere, and take your whole house with you. Australia is such a big country, I would never have ended up in the places I've been by using public transport.

2. Expect every weather condition
In a van, there's not a lot between you and the outside. It'll definitely keep you dry, but hot and cold can sometimes be an issue. Over the past 4 days this winter we've gone from tropical north queensland with a night temperature of 22 degrees, to south queensland where the night reaches about 8. Not cold for UK standards, but sleeping in a van you really feel the difference at night. If it's hot, park in the shade so it's cooler for bedtime. If it's cold, put some more clothes on!

3. Maintenance
Don't ignore the mechanics advice. Service the vehicle routinely. Get clued up about the basics like checking oil, water, tyres etc. Set aside some money for emergencies. Think about breakdown cover. Don't get caught out. These are your wheels, but also your home so it's doubly important!

4. Wikicamps app
It's illegal to camp on the roadside or in non designated areas. Thankfully, Australia offers a number of free campsites, and these are all easy to find with the help of the wikicamps app. This is the only android app I've ever actually paid money to get, and it's probably the best thing you'll come across. It lists every campsite, caravan park, hotel, day rest spot and everything in between. You can filter by type or facilities available, and find out prices, guest reviews, and my new favourite past-time - reading the arguments between the backpackers and nomads in the comments section.

5. Living space
Possibly the biggest downside to living in a van is that you have a living space not much bigger than the double bed you sleep on. Clear out and tidy up regularly, for you own sanity. When tidy, it feels so much more comfortable. But remember that you won't be spending many of your waking hours in the van, as you'll be out exploring or enjoying your ever changing garden.

6. Being prepared for distance
Australia is huge. Sometimes you will be driving for hours. In the UK you would mentally and physically prepare for such a journey but in Oz it becomes the norm. The difference being that there isn't always a town nearby. The next fuel stop may be a long way away. There isn't always phone signal. Make sure you have enough fuel, food and water. Stay alert - Joe and I enjoy the trivia games that the Aussie highways place every couple of hundred kilometres - but thing like that can save lives. And most important, get a variety of CDs for when the radio signal cuts out!

7. Don't drive after dark
You will most likely hit a kangeroo. Seriously, they're everywhere.

8. Listen to locals and expect the unexpected
They know their country better than you do, and even better than your satnav. Don't go swimming in croc infested water. Don't attempt to drive through flooded roads. Know how to be fire safe, especially in summer. Many tracks are 4WD only - don't try it if you think your vehicle can't handle it.

9. Items you need but might not immediately think of:

• Laptop - You won't always have power, but charge it when you do so that you can snuggle up with a film in the evening.
• Books - Great for relaxing on the beach or before bed. Many places have a free book exchange for when you've read all yours.
• Cooking equipment - Camp stove, pots, pans, camp toaster, plates, bowls, cutlery, utensils. Use them, don't eat McDonald's every day.
• Washing line and pegs - The sun is there for a reason.  All you need is a bit of rope and you can tie it between your van and almost anything. 
• Battery/USB speakers - Always handy, especially if your vehicle doesn't have an aux input.
• First aid kit with snake bite bandages - Always be prepared. We don't consider this last one in the UK, but highly venomous snakes are common in Australia, and if you get bitten by one, you have 15 minutes to get an antivenom. With a snake bite bandage correctly applied, you have 1 hour. 

10. Have fun!
It's what you came here to do. The van is merely a tool to help you achieve that. Australia has some awesome cities and extraordinary stunning landscapes. Go and explore as much of it as you can, because with a campervan that's exactly what you can do.

Want to know more? Find out which were my 5 favourite campsites in Australia here!

Roadtrippin' Australia

When you "roadtrip" in the UK, it usually means cramming your mates in a car to drive to the next town for a cheeky Nando's and bants. In Australia, it's a little different. Australia is big. Sometimes the next town is over an hour's drive away, and there's no chando's there.

2 days ago, Joe and I set off from Melbourne to head to Toowoomba, near Brisbane. If you're not so clued up on your Oz geography, its here:

We've named the van "Hodor", because it's big, it carries us, and Joe and I are avid Game of Thrones fans. As I mentioned in a previous post, fuel is ridiculously cheap here compared to the UK. So far we've paid a low of 97c and a high of $1.19. This is the equivalent of about 50p in sterling, so hopefully we're saving a few bucks on this journey too.

Before heading off, I was doing a bit of research on the interwebz for tips and advice. The one thing everyone seemed to agree on was to get up early and do your driving before it gets dark to avoid kangeroos jumping in front of your car. On our first day of driving, we didn't heed this advice, and sure enough darkness fell and on our way to the campsite there were kangaroos - everywhere! As an animal lover, it was awesome to see creatures in the wild like this that I'd never seen before, but trying to avoid them on the windey forest road was frightening.

So what to do when night falls? Set up camp. Australia has plenty of free campsites, and they were easy to find with the help of the satnav, and the smartphone app "wikicamps". A satnav in this area of Oz in invaluable. Unfortunately I broke ours just as we were leaving Melbourne, so we had to buy another for 150 bucks. Though I'm not sure how helpful it'll be when we head out into the outback.

Hodor at Forbes campsite

The van loaded with enough food and water to feed 5000 hungry crocs, I took some easy to eat snacks up front and found that M&Ms are the best roadtrip snack. Loaded with protein, sugar an fat for energy, the family-sized pack fit nicely in the cupholder next to bottle of water. I soon found that whilst the water became hot enough to make tea, the outer shell of the m&ms doesn't melt in the the heat, meaning the snacks remain perfectly round and crunchy, with a warm, melted, nutty centre. A welcome treat in the hot, sweaty car. Joe explained to me that m&ms were originally used in military ration packs for that reason. "Is that what you were living on in the army?" I asked him. "Nah, that was the US packs - we had Yorkie bars and they melted everywhere!"

So far we've camped at 3 different sites. A $25 a night caravan park on the outskirts of Melbourne (they don't allow free camping in this area), a free spot in scenic Tallarook state forest; with cobweb infested hole-in-the-ground toilets with the odd dead huntsman hanging about, and a lovely spot by a river in a small town called Forbes - which is where I got engaged! It would have been the perfect free camping spot if it wasn't for the 6 mosquito bites that my legs suffered.

So another few hours down the road, and with 500km left, brings us to where we are now. Joe driving, and me scribbling away on a scrap of paper I found in the passenger seat footwell. The aircon has decided to no longer work so we might die, but by the time you read this, I will have reached by destination and you'll know I'm safe and sound. Until next time...