Contents
- 1 Australia East Coast: tips for a road trip with a campervan
- 1.1 Travelling to Australia
- 1.2 Travel information for holidays in Australia with children
- 1.2.1 Beaches on the east coast of Australia
- 1.2.2 Free outdoor pools on the east coast of Australia
- 1.2.3 What PSI Is Needed To Power Wash Concrete?
- 1.2.4 So, Is It Possible to Walk the Great Ocean Road All the Way?
- 1.2.5 How Much Does It Cost To Clean a Commercial Window?
- 1.2.6 What Is The Best Water To Use For Cleaning Solar Panels?
- 1.2.7 Where To See Animals In The Yarra Valley
- 1.2.8 Is The Great Barrier Reef One Of The Seven Wonders?
Australia East Coast: tips for a road trip with a campervan
The east coast of Australia is a dream destination for many individual travellers and families. No wonder, because THE typical Australian highlights await you here: tropical rainforests and waterfalls, snorkelling and diving in the Great Barrier Reef, exotic wildlife with kangaroos, koalas and colourful parrots, dream beaches for surfing and of course Sydney, one of the most famous cities in the world.
A campervan trip on the east coast of Australia is the perfect family holiday – or even better.
Travelling to Australia
If you travel to Australia from Europe, you will most likely have a stopover on your long-haul flight. If you have enough holiday days, a short sightseeing programme at the stopover is worthwhile.
Tips for the Australia East Coast route
The ideal route for your road trip on the east coast of Australia should depend on the time of year and the duration of your trip. Suppose you are travelling through Australia in the colder months. In that case, it is worth considering whether you should travel in a rental car and holiday flat instead of a camper – we chose this option for the route from Sydney to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road, as it would simply have been too cold for us in the camper at night.
Our highlights on the east coast of Australia:
We’ll now show you our absolute highlights during our road trip through Queensland and New South Wales with our children so that you can take them into account when planning your route through Australia:
- The short boardwalks in the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation
- Captain Cook Highway with the dream beaches
- Millaa Millaa Waterfall
- The tropical castle of Paronella Park
- Koalas on Magnetic Island
- Coastal walk to Byron Bay Lighthouse
- View from Tomaree Head Summit Walk
- Grand Canyon Track in the Blue Mountains
Ideal travel time for a road trip on the east coast of Australia by campervan
From Cape Tribulation in north Queensland to Melbourne in Victoria, the distance is around 4,000 kilometres. No wonder you cross different climate and weather zones on this route. Around Rock hampton, you will cross the Tropic of Capricorn – the ‘border’ to the tropics – which is essential regarding weather. In the tropical north, the Australian summer (December to April) is the rainy season, while below the ‘Capricorn’, it gets pretty chilly at night in the Australian winter (June to August).
You should, therefore, adapt your desired Australia East Coast route to the appropriate travelling time:
The ideal time for the road trip from Cairns to Brisbane is April to October. The jellyfish season in northern Queensland is from November to May. During this time, you should only swim in stinger suits in the protected beach areas.
The ideal time to travel between Brisbane and Sydney is during the warmer months of October to April.
The Australian summer from November to April is ideal for a road trip between Sydney and Melbourne, including the Great Ocean Road.
We have not yet visited Adelaide in South Australia, but the Australian summer is also the ideal time to travel here.
Of course, you can also travel through Australia outside the ideal travel season; many routes are a highlight year-round. However, find out about your desired month of travel and what restrictions you may have to expect.
In which months does flooding occur in Australia?
While it can be said with certainty that there is heavy flooding and road closures in northern Australia during the wet season and that you should avoid this time in the Top End, there is no transparent flood season for the rest of the east coast of Australia.
You can expect flooded roads all year round during heavy rainfall. Most of the rain in NSW falls on average in January and February.
During the La Niña weather phenomenon, strong winds on the Pacific Ocean cause low temperatures. The humid air then causes heavy rainfall in eastern Australia. During our road trip in September and October 2022 on the east coast of Australia, we were fortunately not restricted by flooding. Still, we did have a few days of continuous rain, and there were warnings in the news about flooded areas. Hiking trails and campsites were often closed due to previous flooding. Therefore, always check the national park website you plan to visit for restrictions at short notice, check the weather, and read the local news if you are in doubt.
In which months do bushfires occur in Australia?
El Niño is sometimes blamed for strong bushfires: the trade winds weaken, rain falls on the sea, and the east coast of Australia suffers from severe drought.
Roughly speaking, the fire season on Australia’s east coast runs from November to April. You will often find information boards on your road trip telling you how high the fire risk is.
Essential equipment for the campervan and food shopping
Anyone who has been on a longer campervan trip in a rented motorhome will be familiar with the shocking moment when you must pay for your first purchase at the supermarket checkout. It’s not nice in Australia – we set our personal sum record on the east coast. If you want to stock up on groceries reasonably cheaply, we can only recommend that you do your bulk shopping at ALDI (only represented nationwide from Brisbane and further south). We also found the prices at the beach markets at the weekend to be surprisingly favourable. In addition, local farms often offer fresh produce in the farm shop or on a self-service shelf by the roadside.
In addition to the basics such as muesli, spices, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, we usually buy a few things for a more extended road trip (after the kitchen inspection).
Driving in Australia
There are a few points to bear in mind when driving in Australia:
- There is left-hand traffic!
- Roundabouts often have two lanes. The driving directions are marked with arrows, and increased consideration is required. The indicator should show you where you want to leave the roundabout BEFORE you enter it (DO NOT indicate if you are going ‘straight ahead’).
- We have always tried to only drive during daylight hours – the risk of catching one of the typical Australian animals increases enormously in the dark.
You should always pack your driver’s and international driver’s licenses for your road trip through Australia. Nobody has ever wanted to see the latter when renting a car. However, you are safe at a traffic stop or in an accident if you can show both documents.
You can also drive large motorhomes in Australia with your B-Class driving licence.
Tolls in the cities on the east coast
On the Australia East Coast route, there are toll roads and tunnels in the three cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. You can book a pass online at LINKT before or shortly after your journey. This allows you to enter your credit card details to charge the toll automatically. Make sure you buy the ‘Sydney Pass’, as this is the only way to ensure you are covered on all toll roads and won’t experience surprises. Campervan hire companies will usually provide you with instructions on how to book the passes. Car hire companies generally place ‘tags’ in the car, and billing occurs automatically via the credit card deposited with the car hire company without needing a pass.
Travel information for holidays in Australia with children
Beaches on the east coast of Australia
You will find helpful warnings about the relevant risks at every official beach access point. These can be quite varied in Australia and range from strong currents and uneven ground to shark sightings, life-threatening jellyfish (stinger season is from October to May), and saltwater crocodiles, which are considered dangerous.
Most of Australia’s beaches have a promenade – often called an esplanade – with lovingly designed playgrounds, sports facilities and free pools. You can barbecue at one of the BBQ stations right on the beach, and there are drinking water stations and clean toilets everywhere. Australians know how to make the most of a day off.
Free outdoor pools on the east coast of Australia
From October to May, dangerous cube jellyfish inhabit the east coast of Australia. Although some beaches are equipped with stinger nets, there are great free outdoor pools to ensure year-round swimming fun.
We were more than pleasantly surprised at how well-maintained they are. If you travel to the east coast of Australia with children, you will also find accessible water playgrounds along the beach promenade – or esplanade, often called here. These are located on the Australia East Coast Route:
- Cairns: The Lagoon on the Esplanade in Cairns
- Townsville: The Strand Rockpool
- Airlie Beach Lagoon
- Blue Water Lagoon near Mackay
- Streets Beach in Brisbane
There are also free rock pools in many Australian cities. These are a visual highlight and allow you to swim laps in a protected area.
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