Campervans in Australia

The campervan is the lifeblood of the backpacker in Australia. With a campervan you have the chance to go just about anywhere, pitch a tent for the night anywhere, take as little or as much time travelling to places and all with much less strain on the wallet.

You can hire one or buy one. Wicked Campers are one of the best places to hire your camper from

On the down side, if something goes wrong, you're on your own. Which could be a pretty nasty situation if you were stranded with a flat tyre and miles from nowhere without any beer. Not worth thinking about really!

Having said that, getting the right campervan can make a hell of a difference.

Now, its hot and dry in outback Australia. Water is an essential out there so if you have a water cooled camper than make sure you take enough with you. If you have an air cooled engine be wary of very hot days. The temps can sore into the fifties in summer (that's 130F) and some older vans just can't take it.

When you are on the look out for a decent campervan go to an established second hand car dealers. Failing that, check out the hostel notice boards. It's likely that someone has just circumnavigated Oz in their beloved camper van but can't take it with them back home so are going to sell it for a bargain. Makes of campervans to keep an eye out for are Volkswagen and mitsubishi. there are some other good makes out there but these are all I could think of at the moment.

One of the benefits of your own vehicle is being able to share the cost of the fuel with others. There are always keen travel partners waiting at hostels willing to hitch a ride and help you out with some petrol cash. Be warned - not every one is as cool as you and there are a lot of boring people out there. Remember this when you are deciding on a potential travel mate just before you head off on the 4500km drive across the Nullarbor.