One of the most epic roadies and probs the most popular in Australia is from Cairns to Sydney – cruising allllll the way down the East Coast. The journey takes you to all the top spots that I’m sure most of you have on your Aussie bucket list and the scenery is beaut!
Just picture it now…cruising along in your camper, windows down, sea breeze in your hair, a wicked playlist playing in the background – pure backpacker vibes!
The benefits of travelling by camper are endless – complete and utter freedom to hit up all the hot spots down the East Coast. From Cairns down to Sydney there are a tonne of epic things to see and do and we’re about to tell you some of our fave spots as well as some off the grid bangerrrrrs.
Let’s goooooooooooooo…
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Thinking about renting some wheels for the roadie?
Attempting to find a campervan can be a long process – trawling through an endless list of very similar looking vans on the internet with no idea what the hell you’re looking for – FORGET IT! We’ve got you covered!
We can find you the best deal on a camper perfect for all of your needs. All you have to do is pop in a few details of your trip and we can do the rest!
NOTE: we only book you a camper van or car rental if we can make it cheaper than the online rate! That’s the RatPack guarantee!
Places to hit up
Great Barrier Reef – snorkelling day trip, get your PADI certificate or head off on a liveaboard pro dive.
Magnetic Island – just off Townsville, this island is the best place to spot some wildlife – did someone say koala walks and wallabies at sunset?!
Whitsunday Islands – sail around the beaut islands and crystal white sandy beaches.
Fraser Island – cruise around in 4x4s on the largest sand island in the world!
Noosa – home of a stunning national park and the chance to see some wild koalas.
Byron Bay – AKA Ratpack HQ. After swinging by to say hey – learn to surf with dolphins and trek to the lighthouse for stunning views.
Sydney – the final stop off and what a place it is to end such an epic roadie. This is your chance to be a proper tourist and take in all the sites!
Places to visit (off grid)
Cape Tribulation – a combination of rain forest and beaches just north of Cairns – it’s amazing!
Atherton Tablelands – this national park is waterfall paradise – the whole environment is so beautiful and untouched.
Mission Beach – the place to be to tick that skydive off your bucket list – 15,000ft with views of the Great Barrier Reef…yes pls!
Cape Hillsborough – kangaroos. On the Beach. At Sunrise. Need I say more? This place is the definition of paradise.
Sunshine Coast – check out Mooloolaba and Coolum for some chilled out suburb livin’.
Ready to hit the road?
Roadie life is awesome, but simple things like having your daily shower and going to the loo start to raise a lotta questions. So before hittin’ the road, we’ve answered the all important questions to get you roadie ready!
How do I go to the bathroom?
There will be public loos along the way or you’ll have to embrace the bush wee.
Where do I shower?
Luckily, Aussie is pretty warm most of the time, so all you’ll need is a bowl of soap, water and a flannel to give yourself a scrub down.
A load of the beaches also have showers. A shower with a sea view – sounds pretty good to me!
How much food should I get?
Stock up on food every week or so when you come across a supermarket.
Avoid grabbing things in petrol stations – they’re expensive and you’ll end up spending wayyyy more money than you should.
Is is easy to drive in Australia?
Yep, it’s SUPER easy!
Unless you’re going through a city, you’re going to be on the open road for the majority of the journey. The open roads are straight, empty and normally pretty beautiful.
They do drive on the left over there, but don’t worry about it – you’ll get used to it! Plus, there arn’t many roundabouts in Oz.
How will I wash my clothes?
Some of the campsites may have facilities to wash your clothes.
Or, you may have to stop off at a hostel every now and then for the night to use the washing facilities.
How will I know the way?
Grab yourself a local sim so you can use 3G for maps if you’re worried about getting lost. Most campers also provide you with a map – old school style!
About the Author: Sammy
with RatPack Travel?
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From our RatPackers
Ryan did an amazing job and guided me through the alternatives of different campervan rentals and helped me to find what suits me for my trip
Planning a huge trip is always a daunting experience but George managed to make the whole experience stress free and enjoyable. Everything from start to finish was personal and easy! Booking with RatPack is like being on the phone to a mate. Super informative, really friendly and we got an amazing deal. All you can ask for really. Thank you RatPack!
Huge thank you to RatPack Travel! We left it pretty late to book our campervan for Tassie and couldn't find many affordable options ourselves. I spoke to Gregg from RatPack on Whatsapp and within 10 minutes he had found us a great vehicle at an amazing price. We've just landed in Hobart and found out we've been upgraded to an even better van at the same price!! Will definitely be recommending RatPack to everyone I know who is planning to travel and see Australia the proper way! Thank you Gregg! ❤️
My booking experience was such a pleasure and quite unique. I assumed I’d be dealing with computer generated prompts but instead had 2 calls with the lovely Anna who worked with our tricky time difference (I’m in Qatar) . Within 24 hours she secured me a great deal on the van that would work best for me. Can’t wait for my December adventure and couldn’t recommend RatPack Travel enough!!
Ryan was very helpful top bloke 👍👍
Super schnelle und gleichzeitig sehr persönliche Abwicklung der Buchung. Anna war sehr freundlich und bei Fragen stets erreichbar. Macht das buchen super easy, sehr guter Service!
I had an incredible experience renting a van with them for my road trip in New Zealand. Ben was exceptionally helpful and made the whole process smooth and enjoyable. We had a pleasant chat, and they were accommodating when I needed to make changes to my booking. Highly recommend this rental company for anyone exploring New Zealand! Can’t wait to get in the road.
Cannot recommend these guys enough!! We recently booked our 3 week holiday in NZ. We would be lying if we said the process of looking for a motorhome/campervan was easy. We spent days tossing up options that hardly met our budget. After a few days of stressing out like a pair of lunatics we came across RatPack Travel, lo and behold they were the saviours we desperately needed! We hopped on a call with Chris and got chatting. Within the hour we locked in a spacious motorhome (with insurance) that met our budget - WE’RE SO STOKED!! We wholeheartedly recommend RatPack Travel to any future holiday makers out there looking for a fast, reliable and friendly service! THANK YOU CHRIS!!! ❤️🔥
Haven't started my journey yet so can't say much but so far the customer service specifically from Ben has been incredible and he was able to find me a great deal and I'm very excited.
A huge thanks to George and Jenna for a great service! Kind, accomodating, and effective!
Anna has been really helpful and made sure I got the best deal for my last minute booking. She made it really easy as I had nothing to do, except for answer questions and review the details to confirm the booking. She was very professional and also answered my questions and gave me tips. The service is free for users as they get paid by the rental company. Thank you to Sammy and Tammy as well for finding a solution for me :). Will recommend your services.
Super helpful and friendly staff. They helped me plan an adventure with my dog in a rental camper and got the best deals. Thank you Ryan F and RatPack.
George was super helpful. He got us the absolute best deal and saved us so much money on our van!
Gregg was great to work with! Made the process so smooth and effortless!
These guys are lifesavers! Needed to book a van for ten days right before arriving in Australia and they did all the heavy lifting finding the van! Huge thank you to Anna for being incredibly friendly and helpful - RatPack is the best!
