bluebell

We intend to do a couple of months travelling in Australia, probably from Cairns to Sydney & want to know the best (& cheapest) way to do this. We are not 'backpackers' or young, so want a reasonable degree of comfort.

Would a campervan be best, as it would be our transport and accommodation.
If so, is it best to hire one or buy something cheap. Anyone know of a well priced hire firm in Cairns ? We'd probably want to leave the van in Sydney & move on elsewhere afterwards.

Also, what is the public transport like in this neck of the woods. Is there a good train/bus service at all ?

Merlot

My experiences are from 1992 and 1997 but the bus services are fantastic between Cairns & Sydney at that time. You could get some great deals with travel passes for say a month. I think is Greyhound of similiar??

There is Oz Experience but this is really targeted at the younger end but I did it the 2nd time and I was 27, just growing out of the drinking every hour mode into needing my sleep Like to do the wilder party thing.

http://www.ozexperience.com.au/

I am sure there are others. I know people that did the camper van bit and this was fine for them.

I'd do a search for back packer places with regards to vans and things, at least they are more likely to know the in's and out's of buying one.

Good luck
Merlot

traceyandian

We got a coach ticket from Brisbane to Cairns, it stops everywhere you would want to go on the way and we paid $142 each 3 years ago.

Coach travel is cheap, we did but a campervan also but you would have to hang around and sell it after you finished with it.

Hostels are also cheap, but if you buy a tent like we did and stay on campsites, you are looking at paying around $10 - $15 per night for your pitch.

We did both, thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend either options.

Our experience of public transport is that it is excellent and alot cheaper, and there are buses to more or less anywhere you would want to go!

Tracey

Stormz

It depends on your budget. If you have enough dosh I`d but a decent Toyota MasterAce (in Aus they call it the Tarago). It`s a people carrier not a campervan but it would be cheaper than a campervan and the rear seats fold down to become beds. Then I`d have some drink and snacks in there, but eat at places along the road.

Don`t know how hard it is to sell a van when it comes to leave though.

Personally I`d rather travel in a van and have true freedom than coaches and stuff.

teach

Hi bluebell,
Do a search on campervan hire. Some companies require people to bring their vans back from wherever they have been left. Andrew and I are going to look into this when we first get to Oz, a great way to travel around.
Sarah

sula

We considered a campervan for our recent trip but decided against it, as we wanted our own bathroom and didn't want to take it everywhere with us! We stayed in Big4 Campsites and hired a car from Europcar, they have the cheapest one way fee.Both were excellent! It will be really humid where you are going and you might be glad of the aircon in the cabins!
Hope you have a good trip
Sula

http://www.big4.com.au/NewSite/findparkcompletefset.asp

Raymond Hogan

Hi bluebell, I have seen a camper site in the internet but sorry cant think of it at the moment but if you by the van off them they will buy it back off you at the end of your hols,
good luck ray

teetoc

Hi Bluebell

We (myself, husband & 2 year old son) are also going to hit the road when we arrive in May, we researched the motorhome companies, such as Apollo, Maui and Britz for hiring and to be honest they all charge around the same price depending on size & type of vehicle you look at. Most of them have a one way charge on top of the rental fee & then there are optional extras & also insurance to think about. Try salamanda travel, they will give you an instant quote & online availability from the main 3/4 hire companies.
Sorry, I cant help you with your questions relating to Cairns. We are setting off from Broome & will be travelling south down to Perth.....

Best of luck

bluebell

Thanks everyone for all the useful info you've given us regarding our trip in OZ. We will have to really think about it all now & decide what's best for us but we may split the trip into one part using public transport & staying at camp sites or hostels and the other part in a hired campervan. I think we'd rather hire one just in case it's a problem selling it afterwards.

Really looking forward to the trip and if everyone we meet is as friendly & helpful as you all have been, we are sure to have a 'fab' time !

syltgirl

Hi Bluebell,
Not really relevant, but hey, may like to read. We went Nov 2004 Melbourne - Great Ocean Road - Fantastic - we hired Maui - brand new (if only we knew) 16ft VW great. Came home to Golf and got beept at at junction no.1 on return. Believe me Driving is fanatstic not these poky petrol stations or roads!!!! Did not use the shower and toilet that was a waste - we planned our journey not obviously as long as yours - campsites clean and music in the shower rooms! We had a little fridge - great for buying steaks and veg in cheaper areas and bbq on campsite. We loved it!! Fell in love witht the place and applied for permanent visa. Syltgirl

JayDeee

A tip with campervans is try and go against the flow of tourist traffic, at the moment (end summer) people are all heading north as it is getting cooler up there so to hire a van goin that way will cost the arth, however in spring and autumn goin against the flow is not problem and you will generally not be charged for one way rentals as the companes want the van at the best starting point where they can easily rent it, you can also sometimes get relocations for $1 a day but you generally have to rush the trip as thye wan the van quickly to re-rent.

The ony down side I found to being in a campervan is that often the camp sites are slightly out of the centre of town so if you want to go to town and have a drink you have to get a cab or take a long walk.

Have fun
Kala

scottyboy

Hay Bluebell.

Myself and my wife (Claire) did the camper van thing a few years ago.
I would reccomend it big time.
We bought a VW kombi in Sydney (took us a week to find one) and drove all over the place.
The best thing about it is the total sence of freedom and ease of movement.
We saw lots of rental vans on the road but at that time we got to recognise them as Germans as they were the only people that seemed to drive them. Rather the only ones that could aford them.
The campsites in Aus are fantasic on the whole. Big 4 are good.
Some have amazing facilities others may have few but are on the beach in some really nice places.
We stopped off at a few of the big cities and amazingly enough there are sites that you would call "in the city". In Melbourne there is a nice Big 4 with good public transport into the center and same goes for Sydney and Adelaide.

The bummer is if you have to sell in a hurry before you fly home.
We sold ours at the Backpackers Car Market in Kings Cross, Sydney (a truly desperate place).
But, as VW kombi's are a bit of a legend we had our hands snapped off and made a thousand dollars on her to boot.
If you reall are thinking of doing the camper van thing. Sort out a van that suits you (rent or buy), buy a rough guide to Australia and have a great time. We did.
Good luck.

Scotty.
can't spell for toffee

bluebell

Scotty, I really enjoyed reading your thread, & the spelling didn't matter a bit ! We are really looking forward to our trip now as everyone has come up with positive comments. The beauty is that we have plenty of time so it doesn't matter to us if it takes a week or two to get the campervan we want.

I liked the idea also of going at a time when others are heading in a different direction. We will certainly get a good route map & guide book telling us which sites are worth seeing (I thought Lonely Planet might be good) as it usually tells it how it is.