Van Life Australia

Tips and Tricks for Living the Vanlife in Australia

1. Keep it simple. The more intricate your design, the more time it will take to build and the more it could cost - before hitting the road and whilst travelling around. Australia is full of bumpy, corrugated roads so you will want to make sure your interior is simple and sturdy so it will survive those dreaded roads.

2. Ditch the esky for a fridge! You’ll save money in the long run and won't be cleaning out soggy food every day. Plus Australia is hot! Ice will struggle to last in the heat of the Northern Territory and top end of Western Australia. Definitely consider having a fridge with a freezer section, this will cut your grocery bill in half and mean you can go longer without having to shop.

Sellicks Beach, SA

3. Solar and battery - if your going to spend money on anything then this is where it’ll count. Spend the extra cash and get a set up that wont fail you when you're in the middle of nowhere. When the beaches are too good to leave, your solar will be your saviour when your not driving long enough to charge your second battery. In our van, we have 160 watt portable panels, a second battery and an inverter. Get yourself a dual battery monitor to keep any eye on what your battery is doing and how much charge you’re receiving.

4. Carry extra fuel! We carry 60L of spare diesel and it has saved us countless times. Fill up when fuel is cheap and you’ll save big bucks driving straight past the expensive service stations. It pays to do some research and be prepared when trekking out into the outback or off-grid.

Coles Point, SA

5. Lets talk apps! The best apps to survive Australia are Wikicamps, Fuel Map and Maps Me- these apps will save you time, data, stress and money like nothing else. Wikicamps is great for finding ANYTHING! We mainly used it to find free camps, drinking water and hidden spots that other travellers have noted. Fuel Maps is awesome to let you know how much the service stations are charging at any current time to ensure that you can get the cheapest fuel. Maps Me is my go-to app when I need directions, it doesn’t use my data and perfect for those places where there is no service. Just remember to pre-download the maps for the area and state you are travelling.

Cape Bridgewater, SA

6. Get creative with canned foods! Living in a van without a freezer means you’ll rely on fresh food. However, from experience we’ve found fresh food doesn’t actually last that long. If you’re planning on spending a fair amount of time on the road, you will more than likely find yourself in some fairly remote places. Sometimes a grocery store is a 4 hour drive away, perhaps not open or you’ll have to pay $7 for bread. We prefer to buy majority of our veggies in cans. From peas to carrots to beetroot, you can get it all. Also consider adding any beans or lentils from the can to make a meal more filling. Our personal favourites are Heinz Butter Chicken - perfect on a toasted wrap and adding lentils/ mexi bean mix to a Bolognese or any pasta meal to make it go further and also more filling. Save yourself the hassle of driving away from the perfect secluded camp spot just because your out of fresh food.