Australia is a beautiful country with so much to offer, what better way to explore it than by camper van? The country is huge! Having a month of holiday, sunny Queensland was the ideal destination.
Renting the Camper Van
Three weeks were constant emails back and forth, phone calls and enquiries to various camper van rental sites. The major ones are: MotorhomeRepublic, CampervanFinder which work like Expedia for camper vans. The major companies are: Britz, Camperman, Hippie, Maui, Apollo, Juicy, Wicked and Travellers Autobarn. Most companies are run by the same parent company so prices are pretty standard across the board. Sites like MotorhomeRepublic list all camper vans at all prices even if the van is unavailable. Booking far in advance, 6 months at least will give you a wider selection of camper vans to chose from.
CampervanFinder was my favourite website. There is no direct phone number with most of the communication happening through. The vans they had on their site were available at the time of enquiry and a quote was sent instantly. When an enquiry is made they put the requested camper van on a three day hold, it also secures the advertised price.
Picking the camper van up from a major city is cheaper and there is more variety. Picking up in Airlie Beach limited the choices to only a small handful of camper vans. One way fees will be extra on your bill and insurance is another large expense to keep in mind. Most van rental companies need a large security deposit. I saw companies asking for as high as $5000.00. The damage deposit is kept on hold for incidentals. Upon returning the camper van in the same condition that money is redeposited into your account.
You will not have access to this money during your trip so budget accordingly.
You can buy a camper van outright on sites like Gumtree. There is no guarantee about how the van was maintained, quality of the tires, and so on. Like owning any car, you are responsible for the maintenance of it. I have heard some horror stories and some miracle stories by people who have gone this route. One ended up needing a new head gasket, which costs more than the van. Another sold their van at a profit, ending their trip with more money than they started with. While I can do basic mechanic work, the last thing that I wanted was to be fixing a camper van or paying a mechanic. One missed day is a missed adventure.
The van I rented is a Camperman Juliette 2-3 berth. The table converts to a double bed with another in the high roof that pulls out. The kitchen is inside the van, behind the drivers seat, has a fridge, 2 gas hobs and a microwave. The downside to the kitchen being inside the camper van is that, the bed at the top needs to be put away before you can boil water for the morning coffee. *Ugh*
Licencing
It is important to check if your international licence is valid in Australia and what type of licence you have. You can only drive vehicles that your international licence allows you to. Camper vans come in automatic or manual transmission. Generally the manual transmission is a slightly cheaper option. The camper van company might not rent you the van if your licence does not allow you to drive that transmission style. Always check before making the booking to avoid disappointment or a cancelled reservation.
Day 1
We left Hamilton Island on the 8:40 boat amidst friendly goodbyes and a light spattering of rain. After lugging our bags and boxes to the ferry terminal we realised how much we had over packed. It was a nightmare getting it down the hill from our accommodation to the ferry terminal and then onto the boat. I asked the staff member driving the empty luggage trolley if we could use it but he said “[he was] busy, darling” as he drove the empty trolley down the ramp.
Eye roll.
When another staff member saw this he helped us load our bags into that empty luggage trolley and onto the boat.
Seeing Hamilton Island fade into the distance only made me more excited for the journey ahead.
Picking up the Camper Van
Gypsy car hire in Airlie Beach is small rental shop, located at the end of the main street by the round about. Gypsy serves as the pick up location for a few different car and van rental companies. As it is small, the paperwork took longer than the walk from the ferry terminal.
Worse, our van was broken upon arrival.
The charger to the fridge and lights battery was toast. The part was replaced by the only person working there. Over an hour later he declared it repaired and ready to go. Having lost precious daylight, we tossed our bags pele-mele into the back and hit the road. Kangaroos and wallabies come into the road at night, leading to a higher rate of collisions. It is best to finish driving around 4 pm ever day.
332km later we arrived at the first site: Balgal Beach.
Balgal Beach is about an hour drive from Townsville. There is a free campsite by the beach; arriving in twilight. The campsite was already full. We double parked someone in only because we were leaving before 7 the next morning. Most free sites allow you to stay for 2 or 3 days within a 14 day period. There are no power points but there are toilets, cold showers and BBQ facilities.
Tip: Arrive to free sites early to secure a spot, they tend to fill up by the late afternoon/ early evening.
Balgal Beach attractions include: river fishing, a beach with a stinger net and a boat launch for access to Palm Island and the Great Barrier Reef. The beach has warm, peach coloured sand and a gentle slope into the water. We did not spend much time there but walked the beach by the boat launch and in front of the park.
The mosquitoes are a problem at Balgal Beach. I had over 150 bites up my legs and arms. Do not bother bringing insect repellent from home, buy repellent while in Australia. Sure, it might be cheaper to bring it from home but the repellent in Australia is to keep Australian bugs away, where a foreign brand may not work. Aeroguard works best for me and its odourless. Mozzie coils are another great way to keep the mosquitoes away.
The sun is also much stronger in Australia, buy Australian brands for the Australian sun. My personal favourite is the sheer zinc, SPF 50+ formula from Neutrogena. It is a reef safe brand excellent for sensitive skin.
Another Snag
Upon opening the fridge in the morning all the food was warm and spoilt. We lost everything besides a couple of condiments. Something more than the charger to the fridge battery was wrong. A quick call to Cairns Camperman depot got us a Monday appointment for repair. Camperman offered to cover any missed days if the repair took longer than a day. As we were not in Cairns for three more days we had to shop for preparing one meal at a time. I was already glad that I did not buy a van and went with a rental company.