4 berth campervan hire Great Ocean Road: practical vans for sleeping where the surf is

A 4 berth campervan hire Great Ocean Road trip is usually either a compact camper with two double beds, or a larger motorhome with an over-cab bed plus a rear or dinette bed. In plain English: four can sleep, two can lounge comfortably, and everyone learns quickly not to leave wet towels in the walkway.

Most 4 berth layouts suit a family of four better than four unrelated adults, unless you all pack like hikers and have the diplomacy of saints. Expect a vehicle around 5.4 to 7.2 metres long, 2.7 to 3.2 metres high, with an internal kitchen, fridge, water tank and often a toilet-shower in the larger models.

• Good for: two adults plus two kids, or two couples doing a short coast run.
• Watch for: bed setup time each night if the dinette converts.
• Do: check the floorplan before booking online, not just the berth number.
• Don't: assume all 4 berth vans have an internal bathroom.

The Great Ocean Road is sealed, scenic and occasionally smug about its corners. From Torquay to Warrnambool is about 240 km, but you won't drive it like a freeway; many sections sit at 60 to 80 km/h, with tight bends, cyclists, tour buses and rental cars stopping wherever a koala has looked vaguely photogenic.

A 4 berth motorhome Great Ocean Road drive is very manageable on a standard car licence, but give yourself room. Use slow-vehicle turnouts, let locals pass, and remember that a 3 metre-high van does not enjoy low branches in beachside car parks.

• Licence: a standard car licence is normally enough for vehicles under 4.5 tonnes GVM.
• Clearance: check height before supermarket car parks, ferry approaches and older motel-style awnings.
• Fuel: allow 12–15 L/100 km; a 70–90 L tank gives roughly 450–650 km in sensible touring.
• Do: fill at Torquay, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell or Warrnambool rather than limping into sunset on fumes.

Free camping along the Great Ocean Road is not the wild west with better coffee. Beach car parks, lookouts and town foreshore streets are commonly patrolled, especially around Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell. If a sign says no overnight stays, believe it; fines can sit around the $200–$300 mark depending on the council.

A 4 berth camper Great Ocean Road trip works best with a mix of holiday parks, Parks Victoria campgrounds and the occasional low-cost inland stop. Powered sites let you recharge house batteries, run appliances properly and reset after damp Otways weather; unpowered sites are fine if your battery, gas and water habits are tidy.

• Powered holiday parks: easiest for families, laundry, showers and school-holiday sanity.
• National park campgrounds: book ahead, usually unpowered, quieter, basic facilities.
• Free/low-cost camps: more common inland than right on the coast; check current signs and apps.
• Don't: empty grey water into gutters, dunes or bush. Use a legal dump point.

The glamour shot is the van above the Twelve Apostles. The reality is someone asking where the dump point is before breakfast. Larger 4 berth motorhomes often carry around 80–120 litres of fresh water and similar waste capacity, which may last two to three days if nobody treats the shower like a day spa.

Dump points and water fills are available in major coastal towns and larger holiday parks, with more options at Warrnambool and Geelong. LPG bottle size varies, commonly 4 to 9 kg for cooking, hot water and sometimes heating; a bottle can last a week or more with moderate use, but cold, windy evenings chew through gas faster than expected.

• Top up water: when leaving a serviced town, not when the tank light turns accusatory.
• Dump cassette: every 2–3 days for four people, sooner in hot weather.
• LPG: swap or refill at servos and hardware outlets where available; don't assume every small town has it.
• Do: carry a drinking-water hose and keep it separate from the waste gear. Obvious, until it isn't.

You do not need a 4WD for the classic Great Ocean Road route. The main coastal road, Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge and most town access roads are sealed. The trouble starts when a waterfall sign points into the Otways and the road surface turns to damp gravel under a canopy of eucalypts.

Many 2WD campervan hire agreements restrict unsealed-road use except short, well-maintained access roads to recognised campgrounds. In winter and after heavy rain, Otway tracks can be slippery, potholed and slow. A 7 metre 4 berth motorhome is not the place to discover your appetite for adventure exceeds your insurance cover.

• Check first: supplier road restrictions before taking gravel detours.
• Avoid: beach driving, forestry tracks, floodways and anything signed 4WD only.
• Weather: Otways can be cool and wet even when Melbourne is 30°C.
• Do: park in town and walk to lookouts if car parks look tight or muddy.