Van Life In Australia
Living out of a van and road tripping across Australia is one of my favorite travel memories to date. If you like adventure, the outdoors and have laid back travel companions- this trip will be one you’ll never forget! Australia has so much to offer from breathtaking national parks to some of the best beaches in the world. There is a reason van life in Australia is so popular!
For our trip, we used JUCY Campervans.
But after driving from Brisbane all the way up to the Daintree Rainforest at the top of Australia, I realized we were missing a couple key things in our packing list! So I’ve compiled the list below for your first road trip around Australia.
A Quick Drying Towel
Living out of a van means you’ll often be showering at the beach, pulling the van over to swim in rock pools and chasing waterfalls. You don’t want to be carrying around a soaking wet towels as you go. Invest in a quick drying towel to help keep the inside of the van dry and smelling fresh.
With so many swimming opportunities, will need your towel in Australia A LOT. Having a quick drying one will ensure you have a dry towel to use when you need it.
Dryer Sheets
I wish I could say your van will always smell wonderfully fresh but that just isn’t so! Australia is HOT. You will be sweaty from hiking, sandboarding, adventuring…whatever it is you’re doing! You will want to have an air freshener in the car or ideally, dryer sheets.
How To Use Dryer Sheets In the Van
- Tuck them into your luggage when you have sweaty clothes between laundry.
- Hold them up against the fan as you drive to help circulate fresh smelling air.
- Tuck them in between the seats and bedding to help keep your bed smelling fresh. After all, you will be sleeping, eating and living out of this van.
More than once we came back to the van after a hike in the hot, humid rainforest only to find out wet towels and yesterdays hiking clothes had stunk up the van a bit. Fast drying towels and dryer sheets are the way to go!
Bug Spray
or this Mosquito Repeller
Australia is beautiful. But all these natural swimming holes, rainforest climates and humid weather means plenty of bugs. And even more mosquitoes. If you plan to go on adventures in the evening (like the turtles hatching in Mon Repo!) you’ll definitely want to spray yourself down to avoid getting covered in bites.
If you’d like to hang out at night with the hatch of your van open and picnic or have a few drinks, you might want to buy a mosquito repeller. This one repels mosquitoes and bugs for nearly 7 hours without having to spray yourself.
Dry Shampoo
Again, Australia is hot and humid. Plan to sweat. Pack a hat to cover greasy hair but plan on traveling with dry shampoo as well.
Trust me, you’ll be thankful when you look back on your travel photos from this trip.
Eye Mask & Ear Plugs
As soon as the sunrose, we were up. It was nearly impossible to sleep in because the vans let in so much natural light. For a shorter trip, we were happy to have nature’s alarm clock waking us up so early so we could arrive at destinations first.
But if you plan to travel long term in a van or aren’t an early riser, you might want the occasional sleep in past sunrise. In which case, you’d definitely need an eye mask.
Multiplug & Inverter
If you have multiple people in the van wanting to charge cell phones, laptops, camera batteries, GoPros etc… you will benefit greatly from having a multiplug charging device!
It depends on your van and whether you are parking at paid campsites with power but most vans won’t allow you to charge when the van is off. Therefore, you’ll need to charge all your devices at once when you’re driving.
LensPen
Get ready to use your camera at beautiful, sandy beaches or the dry, dusty outback. Either way, there is plenty of dirt and sand being kicked up onto your camera lens. I found it difficult to keep mine clean while traveling in a van so I purchased a LensPen afterwards.
Can’t recommend it enough! It will help keep your lens clean without scratching it during your trip.
LensPen
My Camera
Hand Sanitizer
You will be feeding kangaroos, climbing through the rainforest, snorkeling in the ocean… so many wonderful activities that will leave your hands feeling less than clean. While the Jucy van we rented comes with a sink, we often found it much easier to just keep some hand sanitizer on us.
Let me know if you think I’ve missed anything on my packing list and enjoy Australia!
Van Life Australia- Don’t Forget To Pack:
- A Quick Drying Towel
- Dryer Sheets
- Bug Spray or if you want an even better option, this Mosquito Repeller
- Dry Shampoo
- Eye Mask & Ear Plugs
- Multiplug & Inverter
- LensPen
- Hand Sanitizer
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More on Australia? Keep reading:
- GREAT OCEAN ROAD: YOUR ULTIMATE 2 DAY ITINERARY
- VISITING THE MAGICAL NOOSA HEADS FAIRY POOLS
- WHY IāM VISITING AUSTRALIA NOW- DESPITE THE BUSHFIRES!
- 12 PHOTOS TO INSPIRE YOUR VISIT TO SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
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