Apollo campervan hire Gippsland: coast, lakes and high country

Gippsland is forgiving for a first proper van run out of Melbourne because the towns come often enough, the scenery changes every 90 minutes, and you can build a loop without needing a 4WD or heroic fuel planning. From Melbourne to Lakes Entrance is about 320 km by the Princes Highway; push on to Mallacoota and you are closer to 515 km, which is where the map starts looking shorter than the day feels.

The trick is not to treat it like a rental-car dash. You are sleeping in the thing, so arrive before dark, plug in when the batteries need it, and give yourself time to empty the grey water and cassette properly. A larger apollo motorhome Gippsland itinerary suits couples wanting onboard shower and toilet; a smaller apollo campervan Gippsland run suits drivers who prefer easier parking and holiday park amenities.

• Do: allow 7 to 10 days for Wilsons Prom, Lakes Entrance, Buchan and Mallacoota without living in the driver’s seat.
• Don’t: assume every beach carpark is a campsite; councils patrol popular coastal areas in summer.
• Good first rule: if you want a shower, power and laundry, book a holiday park every second or third night.

The sensible loop runs Melbourne to Wilsons Promontory, across to Lakes Entrance, up to Buchan, east to Mallacoota, then back through the Latrobe Valley with an optional Walhalla detour. It is roughly 1,400 km all up, depending on side trips. That sounds small by Big Lap standards, but Gippsland roads can be slow: school zones through small towns, tourist traffic near the Prom, logging trucks around Orbost and winding sections near Walhalla.

Most of this route is sealed. Wilsons Prom Road to Tidal River is sealed, the Princes Highway is sealed, and the Buchan approach from Bruthen is sealed. The temptation is the back-road squiggle on the map: Grand Ridge Road, high country tracks, beach access lanes and forest shortcuts. Many are unsealed, narrow, steep or corrugated, and hire agreements commonly restrict where you can take a 2WD camper.

• Easy days: 180 to 260 km is plenty if you want walks, swims and a proper camp set-up.
• Long day: Mallacoota to Walhalla is about 410 km and can feel like more once the road bends begin.
• Do: use the highway for repositioning, then spend your time on short side trips.
• Don’t: follow a dirt-road shortcut just because the phone thinks it is 12 minutes faster.

Gippsland gives you the full menu: national park campgrounds at Wilsons Prom and Croajingolong, powered holiday parks along the coast, quieter reserve-style camps inland, and a few useful free or low-cost stops. The catch is seasonality. Tidal River can book out months ahead in school holidays, Mallacoota fills fast in summer, and Lakes Entrance on a hot January weekend is not the place to wing it at 6 pm.

Free camping is possible where signed, but it is not a loophole for sleeping anywhere with a view. Some sites require self-contained vehicles, some have time limits, and many have no bins, water or dump point. In national parks, camp only in designated booked sites; dogs are generally not allowed in places like Wilsons Prom and Croajingolong National Park.

• Powered sites: useful every 2 to 3 nights for charging, laundry and long showers.
• Unpowered sites: fine if your house battery is healthy and you are not running everything like a suburban lounge room.
• Free camps: check signs for stay limits, generator rules and self-contained requirements.
• Don’t: leave grey water on the ground; fines and bad camper karma travel quickly.

A campervan holiday gets considerably less romantic when the cassette is full. Plan waste stops the same way you plan fuel. Public dump points are commonly found in Gippsland service towns such as Sale, Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost and Mallacoota, though access and maintenance can change, so confirm on council pages or a current camping app before relying on one at the end of a long day.

Fuel is straightforward on the Princes Highway, but not all servos are 24-hour and not every small-town pump is friendly to a tall motorhome after dark. A typical 2WD camper may have a practical touring range of roughly 450 to 650 km, depending on tank size, wind, hills and how heavily you packed the pantry. East of Orbost, keep the tank above half; road trains and wildlife are more common, and detours chew kilometres.

• Reliable fuel towns: Sale, Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost, Cann River and Mallacoota.
• Water: refill at holiday parks, designated potable taps and visitor facilities where signed.
• LPG: swap or refill availability is best in larger towns; do not leave it until a tiny coastal settlement.
• Do: empty before remote national park stays, not after you realise the toilet light is flashing.

Summer brings beach weather, crowds and fire bans. Expect hot days in the high 20s to mid-30s °C, with inland heat sometimes higher. Autumn is the sleeper pick: warmer water, fewer caravans at the dump point and calmer campgrounds. Winter can be wet and moody, especially in the hills, while spring brings wildflowers, lambs and the occasional sideways rain squall that tests your awning technique.

Drive like you are larger, slower and more expensive than a car, because you are. Let locals pass on safe straights, give road trains room on the Princes Highway, and avoid dawn and dusk runs through forested sections if you can. Kangaroos, wombats and deer are not impressed by your itinerary.

• Fire season: obey Total Fire Ban days; solid-fuel fires may be banned even in campground fire pits.
• Wet weather: unsealed roads can close or become hire-vehicle no-go zones quickly.
• Height: know your camper height before entering older town carparks, service station canopies and tree-lined camps.
• Don’t: park nose-in on soft sand or wet grass unless you enjoy public recovery performances.

For two travellers, a compact camper is easier around beach towns and older holiday park lanes, especially if you plan to cook outside and use campground bathrooms. Families or long-trip couples may prefer a motorhome layout with internal toilet and shower, which makes rainy nights and free-camp stops more civilised. The trade-off is size: longer wheelbase, more care in supermarkets, and slower progress on twisty roads.

Before booking, check bedding layout, toilet type, fridge capacity, solar or battery setup, transmission, kilometre inclusions and whether any planned roads breach the hire conditions. Then check availability online for your dates rather than building the perfect Gippsland loop around a vehicle that is already gone for school holidays.

• Couples: compact camper or 2-berth motorhome, depending on bathroom needs.
• Families: 4- to 6-berth layouts are roomier but need larger powered sites.
• Longer trips: prioritise storage, fridge space, awning, water capacity and easy bed setup.
• Do: book early for December, January, Easter and Victorian school holidays.