You don’t need to book a powered campground for every night – only if your camper (or your travel style) actually needs mains electricity.
Most campers in Oz and NZ are built to run “off-grid” for a bit using a house battery (often backed up by solar) and/or gas, so you can happily mix it up between powered sites, unpowered sites and the occasional free camp.
A powered site is worth booking if you:
- Want to charge up properly (house battery, phones, laptops, camera gear) after a few nights off-grid.
- Need 240V plugs for things like a hair dryer, straighteners, a microwave (if your van has one) or a medical device.
- Are relying on air con or electric heating (mostly a thing in bigger motorhomes, or if you’re chasing comfort in the tropics).
- Want an easier night with proper facilities – hot showers, laundry, camp kitchen, sometimes a pool and a bit of holiday-park vibe 😄.
You can skip powered and go unpowered/free camping if you:
- Have a decent battery/solar setup and you’re happy living on 12V (lights, water pump, USB charging).
- Don’t mind being a little more “camp-mode” with power use (think: charge while you drive, keep lights minimal at night).
- Are travelling in shoulder season and can snag unpowered spots easily.
A proper backpacker trick is to do 2-4 nights unpowered, then one powered night to reset everything and treat yourself to laundry and a long shower. Beaut balance.
If you’re keen to do it on the cheap (without getting moved on at 2am), see our full guide to free camping in Australia here.
