Roadtrip: East cost to Alice Springs to Melbourne

Fol20

Hi Guys,

Myself and the gf are thinking of renting a campervan for 2 months and driving up the east coast, then making our way to Alice springs, then finally make our way down to Melbourne( the pic shows what we are thinking of doing)

What places do you recommend we stop off on the way be in the well known touristy ones or some off the beaten track surprises?

Do ye think 2 months would be overkill to do this trip.A lot of people im talking to say a month would be fine for the east coast however a month for Alice Springs, Uluruhu, A few scenic places on the way to Adelaide,Adelaide city and the great ocean road is a bit much.

Were undecided on adding Canberra and Darwin to the trip. What do you think?

Were going to rent out a campervan as well, what companies would you recommend? I have heard of apollo however a number of companies on vroom vroom vroom are coming in cheaper. I dont fully get the insurance as well, if you give them a bond of 5k, you dont pay any insurance, however does this mean if anything at all break, be it a 100$ tire etc, they keep all of your desposit?

minzabud

Myself and my girlfriend are planning in doing the great ocean road from port Lincoln next month so will keep an eye on this for any info. We looked at doing Alice springs and Uluru but it's a long way to go to see a rock and apparently Alice springs is quite dangerous so don't think I'd like to spend too long there, if your going to go all that way through Northern Territory I'd be doing Darwin aswel, go hard or go home!

Cooperspale

If you're going to drive into NT, it would be a real shame to miss out on Darwin and the national parks; Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine Gorge, Mataranka Springs & if you're game Shady Camp, where the locals fish for barra in croc infested waters.
Alice is a bit rough around the edges but to be honest, most of the NT is like that. You are unlikely as a traveller to get caught up in any of the local dramas usually concerning disagreements after drinking cask wine outdoors from sun up until sun down. Tennant Creek is probably the most conservative spot. Katherine and Darwin are a lot more laid back. Three Ways is basically a rough roadhouse,(I know of a guy who went drinking there with a king brown snake,got so drunk he fell over and the snake bit him, so he had to be medevacced to Alice.) Daly Waters up the road has a lot more character to it and no snakes in the bar.
Outside of Alice there are a bunch of watering holes, standleys chasm etc along the McDonnell ranges and you can get to Uluru on this road but you need 4WD. It's a long drive into Uluru from Alice so I would check out the Olgas and kings canyon while there.

bladebrew

I rented a camper from Apollo a few weeks ago, i was happy with them, we paid extra to get rid of the huge bond because they actually charge $5k to your card then refund it back so you lose a percent in card fees, the only company I found that has a small bond to begin with is Camperman, but they seem to be older vans, I spent 15 days travelling from Sydney to Brisbane but spend 5 days in Byron bay so 3 weeks ish would be enough for the east coast as north of Brisbane there are big gaps of nothing!
As Cooperspale said though, some areas are 4wd only so that would limit you to only renting a 4wd campervan, they have limits on where you can drive the regular toyota Hiace,we paid extra for window and tyre cover and a stone bounced off the window and put a big chip in it, so we were covered for that!

Tigerandahalf

The NT is a must see with its fabulous national parks. But it is a long trek in a camper from the main cities. Better to fly in and out of Darwin.
Road trip is a great experience but it is hard and expensive to fit in all parts in one journey.

pete4130

2 months is a good time to do that sort of trip, maybe not enough time? A month would be pushing it a bit. I did Sydney to Great Ocean Road over the Xmas break. Some bad weather at the end of the GOR so just gunned it back to Sydney and that was the guts of 2 weeks.

Hiring a campervan for 2 months is going to be costly, maybe $300-$500 a week. So thats about $2400-$4000 for rental. A decent camper van might cost you a little bit more.
I've looked into this scenario before and worked it out to be cheaper to buy a decent backpacker camper van than you own and insure yourself, get roadside assistance and get it checked by a mechanic before you buy it to make sure nothing major needs repairing/replacing before you set off. At the end of the trip you can then sell the camper van for close to what you paid for it and save yourself money.

The route you've chosen I'd look into getting a 4WD camper van. You can Get Mitsubishi Delica vans (basically a Pajero with a van body on it) that are pretty capable off road. They come in 7 or 8 seat varieties that fold down pretty flat to sleep on. Get the 2.8L diesel version over the 2.5L diesel version if you are considering one. Much better engine.
The 2WD version is the Starwagon. A friend had one for 2 years over here with the 2.0L petrol engine and clocked up 50,000 km in it. Drank a bit of oil but was a good bus other than that. He lived and worked from it on his travels.
You can get 4WD Hiace vans too I think. Engines can be prone to overheating as they are under the seats.

80% of Australia's roads are unsealed/dirt roads.

The 4WD will give you better access to more remote places a 2WD just can't go. I spent about 8 months mulling over what vehicle to get for travelling/camping around Australia and came close to getting a Delica 4WD. In the end, I opted for a Toyota Landcruiser 75 series Troopcarrier converted into a pop top camper. Cost double what a Delica would have cost but far more robust. I've got it 2 years now and gotten around in it.
My Landcruiser is fitted with a sink, 40L freshwater tank, 2x90L fuel tanks, gas, cooker, fridge, beds, cupboards etc. It can get cramped when fully loaded but you get used to it.

I know BRITZ do the 4WD land cruiser campers. They can be quite expensive though. I'll admit its a bit noisy with all the cupboards and stuff that rattles around but it will go anywhere.

When I bought my 4WD camper I got work to fly me to Cairns to look at it and buy it and drove it down to sydney. I had some ads on Gumtree organising ride shares with other backpackers that were looking for rides. It cost me $40 out of my own pocket to get from Cairns to Sydney, so consider doing that to save some cash.


As for places to see, Victoria has Ottway National park which is fantastic. I just found some old 4WD/camping magazines and flicked through the articles to see where they had articles on, google mapped them and made a rough plan of where I wanted to go.

Look up other forums and google your trip. There are lots of posts about peoples trips, where they went etc.

Get some jerry cans for fuel too and fill up in a big city. Fuel can get expensive when out in the outback, sometimes double the price.

This site is pretty good. They have a list of must see places in Australia. again it is 4WD orientated but it will give you some ideas I hope.

Here's some pics of my Troopy. Really similar to the ones Britz rent out.

My Troopy is nearly 20 years old so has the old 4.2L non turbo diesel engine so its a bit slow and underpowered. It struggles on big hills and sand dunes.

The Britz rental ones have the 4.5L V8 diesels so LOADS of power and more fun to drive. They are really nimble, easy and fun to drive even though they are huge.

Fol20

Thanks for the info, Yea it might make more sense to buy a campervan.

What stuff do i look for when buying a car, nct etc?

What other cars would be worth getting as well?

top madra

Fol20 wrote: »

Thanks for the info, Yea it might make more sense to buy a campervan.

What stuff do i look for when buying a car, nct etc?

What other cars would be worth getting as well?

There is no NCT over here, make sure to it independently checked by a mechanic.

pete4130

Look for low KM's if possible. Understand its a big country and campervans do big mileage. Even a regular van with a mattress thrown in the back is a good start. Get a stove, some gas, cutlery….it won't be long before you realise what you do need.

The Starwagon or Delica vans have really good seats in the back. They can fold flat, rear ones fold away to the side, the other rows can swivel and face each other etc…really quite smart.

If the vehicle is NSW registered, then it needs a PINK SLIP yearly which is like your NCT. If its QLD registered it won't need a pink slip yearly but will need a ROADWORTHY certificate from the seller before they can sell it (The seller has to get it verified its roadworthy before selling). Pink slips and roadworthy certs are by no means a guarantee of reliability.

100% get it checked over my a mechanic. If the seller isn't willing to have it looked over, walk away. Plenty of other vans for sale.

Something like this Delica if you want a 4WD option. He is hyping up the van in the ad obviously. He's done some bush driving by the scrapes on the side which is just cosmetic. It's an ok price too and dual fuel.


This is a more expensive Delica, but it's diesel and already decked out with a bed set up.

This is a high top van so a bit more room to stand up etc.

Just make sure you get it all checked out before you decide on purchasing!

Fol20

I wont be leavng Sydney until the end of May so i wont be buying one until then..I might ask you for ideas closer to the date.

What do you think of a land cruzer or pajero for the trip?

pete4130

If you get a cheap land cruiser or Pajero, it's likely you'll need to spend some money on it to get it sorted for a long trip. The Pajero's, especially the 3.0L V6 petrol engines are really prone to overheating and blowing head gaskets.

With 4X4 there is more to go wrong and if its an older Landcruiser or Pajero it's more than likely been off road a bit.

My recommendation for the Delica and it being 4X4 is that they are less likely to have been off road, used as a family bus/7seater and had an easier life.

I spent 7 months looking for mine, looked at almost everything. I looked at a lot of cheap Pajero's and Landcruisers and they were cheap for a reason. 4X4's hold their value more here too. So there is always a premium.

Just get the vehicle checked out before buying. There are plenty for sale so don't feel rushed into buying.

Ads that say the vehicle has been serviced every 5000km….don't believe it unless there are receipts. 5000km in Australia is nothing. It's easy to clock 400km a day so that would mean servicing every 2 weeks. I get mine serviced regularly every 10,000Km because I don't do all that much mileage in it (work away for 3 weeks at a time).


If they are giving free surfboards and camp chairs etc with the car, you can be guaranteed the surfboard is cheap and the camp chairs are from Kmart and cost about $7 each. Don't let the superficial stuff fool you.

When you are taking it for a test drive, make sure you can take it for a good long spin, hit the motorway, get it up to speed, get the revs up so you have a chance to see any issues that may not arise on a short test drive. Try view the car when its cold (not been running for a while) to see how it starts from cold.


A 4X4 like you've mentioned won't have the greatest headroom compared to a van too, which is something to consider.

Don't rule out a Subaru Forester. It's smaller than the Land Cruiser or Pajero but more car like and they are tough and reliable. The rear seats fold perfectly flat very easily. A bit tighter for space if you have some storage boxes and that but unless you're over 6ft tall plenty of room to sleep in the back. The non turbo versions have a low range gearing too, not as low as a real 4X4 but good enough. It might fit the bill for a 2 month trip. Probably be the same on fuel as a 2.0L petrol camper van and cheaper than a big 4X4.

bladebrew

When I was buying our corolla the garage gave us a 1 year warranty for $100, a stipulation of this is that the vehicle (over 10 years old) must be serviced every 5000km or 3 months with a leeway of a month, this receipt for the service must be sent to the warranty company or your warranty is gone, I was wondering why cheap backpackers would be so diligent with car servicing?! I assume they are on this warranty,
Be careful about where the car is registered aswell, WA sounds the best, the system in QLD is amazingly complicated, we sold our car at a $2000 loss as it passed its safety cert then a month later needed $500 of work,The garage that tests the car can say loads of things are wrong to make money and it is illegal to sell the car with no safety cert, I had a guy text me saying he is a mechanic so he can write his own safety cert to make the car legal! It makes the NCT seem fantastic in comparison,
We thought $3k would get us something half decent but it buys you a load of scrap, as Pete said a van or camper around the $5k mark would be a better buy but may have mega mileage, the popular backpacker wagons like falcon and commodore have 4 litre engines so they are thirsty as hell!

Fol20

My girlfriends brother and his gf are going to go on the road trip with us. Is there any 4 seater cars that we could get?

pete4130

Ford Falcon Wagon/estates are popular. Plenty of room for 4 people traveling but not enough room for more than 2 to sleep in it. You'd need a tent to go with it as well. Plenty of them about so can be reasonably cheap.

They are usually all 4.0L V6's at least so a bit thirsty on petrol. Try find one that converted to run on LPG to save some money.

Again I'd recommend the Delica/Starwagon minivans. If you get the 8 seat version, they fold more or less flat and its possible to sleep on them as they are.

Fol20

Hey Guys im going to buy a camper van now in the next 2 or 3 weeks, preferably sooner rather than later as we will be out of our apartment on the 26th.

Any recommendations on ads on gumtree would be greatly appreciated. Im not seeing much delicas at the moment.

I saw the ad below that looked decent.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-city/cars-vans-utes/mitsubishi-pajero-fully-equipped-ready-to-travel/1045552404

pete4130

The 3L V6 petrol engines in the Pajeros are very prone to overheating/head gasket failures. It's a notorious issue with them. I think the same engine is in the Mitsubishi Magna and it isn't as bad as the vehicle is smaller/lighter.
Get it checked by NRMA etc. before buying it. Spending $150 on a mechanical check could save you a few $1000 in the long run, as with any vehicle. If it checks out ok Offer them $4000 cash on the spot and see where the bargaining takes you. I they've dropped the price already they are keen to sell.

I wouldn't believe their fuel consumption figures either. It works out to be about 13L/100km which is what a modern 4 cylinder 3L turbo diesel Hilux gets. It's a 1996 3L V6 petrol. 500km's between fills is more realistic.

There is a fair bit of camping/touring gear with it. The surfboards and wet suits are probably worth $150 so don't be swayed by them. They look pretty short too so unless your a ripper on big waves they aren't much worth. The folding bed in the back is handy. Just be prepared to move everything into the front seats/roof rack every night you sleep in it and moving it all back in the morning. The bonus with 5 seats is you can put some ads on gumtree for rideshares and cut your fuel costs!

minzabud

Just to chime in, I've got a v6 magna since September have put 15,000kms on it with no problems, currently at 230k.

We did 1800kms travelling from SA to VIC last month camping along the way, the estate is a grand job for lugging gear around,cost me 1800 dollars as it was a manual for sale in the city.

pete4130

minzabud wrote: »

Just to chime in, I've got a v6 magna since September have put 15,000kms on it with no problems, currently at 230k.

We did 1800kms travelling from SA to VIC last month camping along the way, the estate is a grand job for lugging gear around,cost me 1800 dollars as it was a manual for sale in the city.

I'm not saying they are all prone to it. Just older 4WD's can get worked harder, towing, off road driving, low range gearbox, higher revs at lower speed and that particular engine would struggle more in the Pajero.

Fol20

I actually need to buy a vehicle in the next 2.5 weeks. Do you see anything decent online, be it a delica or another type of vehicle? Im getting a little anxious and am not seeing anything too good just yet.

Fol20

Im thinking a ford falcon might be ok for the trip. They seem a bit cheaper so less risk involved.What do you think?

mandrake04

Fol20 wrote: »

Im thinking a ford falcon might be ok for the trip. They seem a bit cheaper so less risk involved.What do you think?

Falcon & commodore are good because if you breakdown repair knowledge and parts would more readily available.

Downside is an old type Falcon has 4.0L engine with 3 gears not good for fuel consumption.

Fol20

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-city/cars-vans-utes/4x4-ford-explorer-xlt-fully-backpacker-equipped-/1045044523

I saw this car, what do you guys think?

mandrake04

Fol20 wrote: »

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-city/cars-vans-utes/4x4-ford-explorer-xlt-fully-backpacker-equipped-/1045044523

I saw this car, what do you guys think?

Also known as the Ford Exploder

pete4130

Ford Explorers are a 4.0L V6 I think . pretty heavy on fuel.

I'm looking to buy a Forester and was browsing today. Saw this and actually thought of you.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cronulla/campervan/subaru-forester-for-sale-perfect-backpacker-car/1045415921

Roof top tents cost about $1000 alone. It's off to ground when you sleep so no snakes etc (which is unlikely really).

KM's are about average for the year of the car. Foresters are pretty solid and reliable, AWD, good ground clearance and fairly decent off road once it isn't too hardcore (ideal for dirt tracks, muddy roads, gravel, sand etc) and even has a low range gearbox (not a full low range like a land cruiser or Pajero that drops its by 50%. Forester drops it by about 15% which is ok).

The Forester drives like a car, has the ground clearance of a crossover SUV, a smart AWD system, seats fold flat really easily and big enough to sleep 2 in the back once you aren't over 6ft tall.

Downsides are it's a 1997 so get it checked out. I can't recommend enough getting a vehicle checked out of before you buy it if you plan on doing a big trip in it!! The rooftop tent on top will cause more drag and push up the cost of fuel. Subaru can be a expensive if they need repairs too.

The pluses are it has long rego, a roof top tent, comfortable to drive on the road, capable off road. The rooftop tents literal fold out and your good to go. Saves space in the car. I was almost tempted to buy this myself. I'd offer them $2800 for it and probably be willing to pay the asking price at a push but would happily pay $3000 for it once it gets the all clear from a mechanic.

Fol20

Im 6.2/3 ft and id nearly prefer to live inside the car. Is there any other cars vans that you have come across. I wouldnt mind a delica, just i cant see any in gumtree at the moment.

pete4130

The Starwagon is the 2WD variation of the Delica (Delica are Japanese imports AFAIK). Similar set up with 7/8 seats. Usually a 2.0L petrol engine under the seats rather than out front like the Delica. A friend had a 1997 one and put 50,000km on it over 2 years. It burnt a bit of oil but never let him down. HE lived, worked and travelled in it. Did some very light off roading in it, a few shallow creek crossings etc.

Something like this

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-city/cars-vans-utes/1996-mitsubishi-starwagon-van-minivan/1044162779


Or this

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/paddington/campervan/aaa-4wd-the-beast-mitsubishi-surf-sand-mud-rocks-desert-4wd-/1045756690

But it is seriously overpriced by about $3000. It is well equipped but its a 30 year old vehicle at the end of the day. Bullsh1t about having a 4WD engine? I'd question the legality of the spare wheel on the front too. If they'd take $3000 for it, then it might be worth it.

You can't really go wrong with a Nissan Patrol. This one seems well set up. It is duel fuel so you'll save money on using LPG over petrol. again make sure it checks out with a mechanic before buying. Patrols are very good off road. I'd make sure the Auto transmission fluid is ok after them pulling out stuck vehicles and trees though. It's hard to go wrong with a 4.2L patrol. If it wasn't dual fuel I'd probably give it a miss.

Fol20

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-region/cars-vans-utes/1998-subaru-forester-wagon-travellers-backpackers-/1045990818

What do you think of this one?

I like the low mileage and id like to give automatic driving a go. Do you think its a bit pricey?

pete4130

I've been looking at getting a Forester myself for a while, For me they are the all round perfect car. Foresters are good wagons. The auto boxes are meant to be reliable in them too. Seats fold flat in one motion too so very convenient and just about long enough to sleep in if you are around the 6ft tall mark.
The automatics don't have low range gearing like the manual versions if you do go off roading/softroading on beaches/dunes. It's not really that much of an issue really. Automatics are a bit easier to drive on sand too. You don't lose momentum when clutching/shifting gears like you do in a manual.

Just remember you don't have a clutch and slam your left foot onto the brake pedal and you'll be fine!

I'd say its a little overpriced for the year even considering the low mileage. In saying that it does have the new roof box so that is at least a few hundred $'s.
Remember that any car you buy you have to pay 3% tax to the NSW government, so, if you do buy this ask if you can buy the car and all the kit (roof box, camping gear) separately. That way you'll pay less tax than if you buy the car, roof box and camping gear all together. It could save you a few hundred $'s doing it that way

Find out how much the roof box is to get an idea of the real price of the car too so you can bargain a bit more.

Take it for a good test drive before you decide to buy. Like I said before, if your keen hand over money, get it checked out by NRMA etc first.

Fol20

Yea im going to give here a call tomorrow after work. What do you think would be a fair price for it? 4500? Maybe less. How does the transfer of ownership work here? Is it the same as Ireland where you get a log book or what? Im just wondering how i do this as i wont have a postal address soon.

Same with insurance, it seems that once the car has rego, your insurance is covered.. it seems like a much better setup compared to Ireland.

pete4130

You can get 2003 Foresters for the price she is asking with only 40,000 more KM's but 5 years newer. I'd offer her $3000 for the car on its own, maybe $3500 at a push and depending on how much the box cost, make her a reasonable offer for that plus the camping gear, which seems to be 2 chairs worth about $50 each in Anaconda Camping store, a 4 man tent worth about $90 and a 2 man tent worth about $40.

With transfer of ownership the car might need a pink slip (roadworthy) I think. Thats her responsibility. The car should have a green slip (CTP - compulsory third party insurance) which is the most basic insurance. It doesn't offer you a lot of protection if you hit something. I think it doesn't cover damage to property, other vehicles or your vehicle. You can be left with a bill for damage to someone else's car and the cost of your own repairs on a CTP only. I think it only covers injury. Definitely get 3rd party at a minimum.

The transfer papers, they write the value they sold it to you. So if she includes the camping gear in the sale price, you'll pay 3% on that too. They post if off I think. You might get a copy of it? You then call into the RTA or phone them up and pay the transfer fee.

Check the RTA website for all the details. It's been a few years since I bought my last car in NSW.

Fol20

We ended up buying the forester for 4k.

iv started buying all the stuff we need. Do you know if its worth getting an etag? I already went through one toll to get the car and not sure if we should just pay for it as we go or if we should get the e tag.