The practical Ballarat to Geelong campervan route

You can drive Ballarat to Geelong in one tidy morning, coffee included. But in a campervan, the better question is not how fast you can do it; it is where you want to pull up before the light goes golden and the camp chairs come out.

For most self-drivers sleeping in the van, 2 days is comfortable and 3 days is better if you want Brisbane Ranges, You Yangs or a Geelong foreshore wander without arriving frazzled.

• Fast transit: 87 km via the Midland Highway, roughly 1 hr 15 min without stops.
• Better campervan version: 150-180 km over 2-3 days via Smythesdale, Linton, Inverleigh, Bannockburn, Anakie and Lara.
• Best pace: collect groceries in Ballarat, sleep near Smythesdale or Inverleigh, then roll into Geelong after lunch.

Do book your hire campervan online early around school holidays, Easter and AFL long weekends. Victoria may be compact on the map, but every powered site within sniffing distance of the coast gets ideas above its station.

This is not road-train country in the Northern Territory sense, though you will still share the road with B-doubles, grain trucks and tradies who know every bend. The main route is suitable for 2WD campervans and motorhomes, with sealed roads most of the way.

The scenic line heads south-west out of Ballarat through Smythesdale and Linton, then bends towards Rokewood, Inverleigh and Bannockburn before cutting towards Anakie, the You Yangs and Geelong. It gives you a proper country-drive feel without needing a 4WD or rattling the crockery loose.

• Do: use engine braking on the rolling sections near the Brisbane Ranges and leave space for trucks on the Midland Highway.
• Do not: follow random dirt shortcuts from mapping apps after rain; black-soil lanes can go from firm to greasy in one shower.
• Watch for: roos at dawn and dusk, especially around Linton, Anakie and the You Yangs.

If your hire agreement restricts unsealed roads, stay on the sealed township route and treat national park gravel access roads as a check-before-you-turn-in job.

The fuel distances on this route are gentle by Australian standards. Nobody is asking you to cross the Nullarbor with a servo pie and optimism. Still, a campervan is thirstier than a hatchback, and weekend trading hours in small towns can be patchy.

Start full in Ballarat. From there, the longest practical fuel gap on the scenic route is usually under 60 km depending on side trips, with reliable refuelling options again around Bannockburn, Lara and Geelong. If you are carrying bikes, running the fridge hard in summer or pushing into a headwind, top up before you need to.

• Fuel: Ballarat to Smythesdale is about 19 km; Ballarat to Rokewood via Linton is about 60 km; Bannockburn to central Geelong via Lara is about 40 km.
• Dump points: check current access at Ballarat, Smythesdale Gardens and Geelong Showgrounds before relying on them.
• Water: fill potable tanks at holiday parks or signed potable taps only; public garden taps are not automatically drinking water.
• LPG: swap or refill before leaving Ballarat or in Geelong if your van uses gas cooking or hot water.

Do not empty grey water in roadside drains, reserves or creek-side camps. Apart from being grubby, it is the sort of thing that gets free camps shut for everyone.

The Ballarat end gives you powered holiday parks and a few RV-friendly town stops. The middle of the route is more basic: toilets, flat ground if you are lucky, and no guarantee of power. By Geelong, you are back in book-a-site territory.

Free camping rules vary by council, reserve and season. A sign at the entrance beats something you read on an app six months ago. If a site says self-contained only, that means onboard toilet, wastewater storage and no sink water dribbling into the dust.

• First night near Ballarat: handy if you collect the van late and want an easy shakedown with shops nearby.
• Middle night: Smythesdale or Inverleigh gives a quiet country pause without driving far.
• Final night: Geelong suits powered sites, laundry, dump access and a proper shower before you pretend you have always been this organised.

In national parks such as Brisbane Ranges, dogs are not permitted, fires may be banned, and camping is only in designated booked areas. Total Fire Ban days are not suggestions; they are the days you eat cold leftovers and look noble about it.

Spring and autumn are the sweet spots: cool nights, less holiday crush and good walking weather around the You Yangs and Brisbane Ranges. Summer can sit above 35°C on the open plains, and a parked van becomes a slow cooker with curtains.

Winter is still workable, especially with a powered site and a heater, but Ballarat mornings can be properly cold. Expect single-digit starts and foggy patches, particularly around low farmland and creek crossings.

• Summer: carry at least 10 litres of drinking water per person for a short route if you are free camping.
• Winter: use powered sites if your batteries are modest and you want heating overnight.
• After rain: avoid unsigned gravel shortcuts and grassed camps where a heavy motorhome can bog.

If you want the simplest version, check availability online for a self-contained campervan, choose a vehicle length you are comfortable parking in country towns, and give yourself one extra night. That spare night is where most good road trips happen.