If you live in Australia, you have a wealth of land to explore. There is so much more to Australia than just the coast, and our own backyard is boundless outback awaiting your discovery. For many of us, there are so many unturned stones. This is why that big trip around Australia is on many people’s bucket lists.
If this is a serious goal for you, this calls for some serious road trip preparation. You’ll want to incorporate some of Australia’s top tourist places on your itinerary. You’ll need to decide what to pack for a road trip this momentous.
Whether you’re taking a gap year, some long-service leave, or you’re planning a retirement trip, here’s what you need to know about driving around Australia.
What to drive
If you already have an RV, then you’ll already have the answer to this question—unless you’re wanting to upgrade. If you’re on the market for your first or a new RV, we recommend our Frontier: the original, 100 percent Australian manufactured forward fold camper trailer.
Why is this the ultimate trailer with which to trace our sunburnt country? Well, it combines the best of both worlds. It has your creature comforts covered without compromising on performance and durability. King-sized bed? Check. Dining table that also doubles as a double bed? Check. Heavy-duty water tank with a 100-litre capacity? Check, check, and check! One hundred litres of water in reserve means no water clogging your storage space. The Frontier was built for long-term trips and it doesn’t look shabby, either.
When to go
When is the best time to go? Well, this answer will vary from person to person. It really depends if you’re a beach babe or a snow bunny. If you’re the former, then a trip between October and February would be ideal. In the heart of spring and height of summer, opportunities will be ample to sample a smorgasbord of beaches.
The Great Ocean Road, Victoria.
If snow-capped mountain peaks are more your flavour, perhaps plan for peak snow season. Between May and September, the last leaves fall and temperatures plummet before thawing out again. This seasonal period is a kaleidoscopic transition you may want to watch up close.
Thredbo, New South Wales.
What do you want to get out of the trip? Which seasons and temperatures are your favourite? Do some of the Australian tourist places on your list shine at a particular time of year? Consider your answers to these questions and let them form your decision.
Where to go
Well, duh—you’re doing a full loop of Australia. But if this is as far as you’ve planned, it may be time to stop focussing on the forest and zoom in more on the trees. This wide, brown land of ours is home to some breathtaking landscapes, towering tropical forests, unique plants and wildlife, and panoramic views atop dizzying lookout points. Our home sure does abound in nature’s gifts of beauties rich and rare.
Feeling spoilt for choice? Here is a shortlist of some of the top Australian tourist places you must check out at least once:
- Lawn Hill Gorge, Queensland
- The Blue Mountains, New South Wales
- The Great Ocean Road, Victoria
- Lake Eyre, South Australia
- Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
- Karijini National Park, Western Australia
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory
- Mereenie Loop, Red Centre, Northern Territory
- Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks, Northern Territory.
Kata Tjuta/Mount Olga.
This sample features a smattering of beaches, tropical rainforests, rugged mountainside, iconic national parks, and a healthy helping of our renowned Australian outback. Alter the menu to suit your tastes and your route.
How to prepare
So, you’ve settled on a blueprint. We’re finally seeing some trees in the overall forest. How do we get to the nitty-gritty and nut out the finer details? Here’s a hint: it can take over half a year to prepare. This timeframe may be excessively cautious, but for a trip of this magnitude, it’s better to be overprepared. Here are some things to consider during road trip preparation:
- How you will prepare the RV for a long-term trip. How will you load it up? What are some on-road essentials?
- On-road financial factors, such as budgeting and employment. Will you work on the road? Will you stick to a strict budget, or can you afford to splash out a little?
- Paperwork pertaining to ‘life admin’ such as healthcare cover. Bring along medical records, government documentation, car insurance paperwork, and anything else you may need on hand.
- If you have kids in tow: how you will conduct ‘home’ schooling, if applicable. (This list really brings a new meaning to the term ‘remote learning’.)
Building on the above: what to pack
Packing is essential for driving around Australia, and it’s a difficult beast to wrestle. On the one hand, you need to be selective, as your RV (perhaps a Frontier?) does not have unlimited capacity like a TARDIS. On the other hand, you’re going to be on the road for a fair chunk of the year, so you’ve gotta have everything you need.
When it comes to what to pack for your road trip, here is a general guide:
- First aid kit (you never know when you might need one, and how far away you will be from the nearest hospital)
- Maps and other navigational devices (note we say ‘and’ and not ‘or’. Always have a physical copy of a map, in case you are caught off-guard by a lack of battery or phone reception)
- Clothes/accessories appropriate for all conditions (you’re not going to reside inside a building for a long time, so bear that in mind when making your choices)
- Storage containers
- Food and drink
- Toiletries
- Camping gear
- Tools
- Safety equipment
- Technological devices (such as cameras and phones)
- Board games (sometimes you’ve gotta play inside, too—in your ‘not-building’ RV).
Even if you forget something, it won’t be the end of the world. There will be supermarkets and local shops along the way that will fill the cracks of any ‘luggage gaps’.
How to enjoy it
This part should be easy. Once you’re out on the open road taking in the sights and experiences, all that road trip preparation should fade away to a distant memory. You may have prepared for months on end, but consider this trip the fruit of your labour. Savour each and every sweet drop!
Take each moment for what it is. Yes, there will be low points such as wrong turns, busy highways, or perhaps the odd technological hiccup. If you’ve researched and booked the best camping spots ahead of time, however, you needn’t sweat the small stuff. Unforeseen hurdles shouldn’t eclipse your sunrise wakeups and beachside sunset-filled evenings.
Our final tip for driving around Australia? Just enjoy it! This is the time to make memories, so try every experience, take lots of pictures, and milk each moment for all its worth. Perhaps you’ll find some inspo for your next (presumably shorter-term) holiday. The trip around Australia takes work, but it’s something you’ll remember for a long time.
