The Broome to Bendigo campervan route, minus the fairy dust

The fast version is about 9 or 10 driving days, but that is grey-nomad heresy unless you enjoy arriving with square eyes and a cranky fridge. A better broome to bendigo drive is 12 to 16 days, with proper rests at Port Hedland or Karijini country, Kalgoorlie, somewhere on the Nullarbor, and Mildura before the last run into central Victoria.

The main sealed line is Broome to Port Hedland, Newman, Meekatharra, Leonora, Kalgoorlie, Norseman, across the Nullarbor to Ceduna and Port Augusta, then east through the Murray–Mallee to Bendigo. It keeps you off the big 4WD-only icons like the Gibb River Road, Tanami Track and Gunbarrel Highway, which are generally not allowed in standard motorhome hire agreements.

• Do: plan around 350 to 600 km on normal days, with one or two longer transit days if the weather is kind.
• Do not: assume every roadhouse is open late, stocked with LPG, or happy to take your rubbish.
• Reality check: the Nullarbor alone is about 1,200 km from Norseman to Ceduna.

The route is sealed, but it is still remote. Between Broome and Port Hedland you are looking at about 286 km to Sandfire Roadhouse, then roughly another 325 km into Port Hedland. South of Newman, the useful stops include Kumarina Roadhouse before Meekatharra. In the Goldfields, the Meekatharra to Mount Magnet stretch is about 336 km, which is one of the bigger planned fuel gaps on this run.

Most 2-berth and 4-berth campervans have workable ranges on sealed highways, but headwinds, air-con, heat and a heavy right foot can make the fuel gauge drop faster than your patience behind a caravan convoy. Treat half a tank as your cue to start caring, not your cue to start gambling.

• Broome to Sandfire Roadhouse: about 286 km.
• Port Hedland to Auski area: about 260 km, then about 190 km to Newman.
• Newman to Kumarina: about 230 km, then about 180 km to Meekatharra.
• Norseman to Balladonia: about 191 km; Balladonia to Caiguna: about 181 km.
• Do: top up in major towns even if the tank is not empty. Do not: rely on phone reception to solve poor fuel planning.

Road trains up here can run to 53.5 metres and they do not stop like a hatchback at the school gate. On the Great Northern Highway and across the Nullarbor, let them work. Hold your line, do not drift onto the gravel shoulder, and only overtake when you can see a long, empty stretch. If a road train is overtaking you, ease off a little and let the big fella go.

The sneaky danger is not the highway; it is the little side road that looks harmless on a map. A short unsealed access road to a lookout or camp may be fine in dry conditions, but many motorhome hire contracts restrict unsealed driving, beach driving and flooded roads. After rain, red dirt turns from postcard to cake mix in about three minutes.

• Do: check tyre pressures cold, especially before the Pilbara and Nullarbor stages.
• Do: carry at least 10 litres of drinking water per person for the remote days, separate from your van tank.
• Do not: take a hired 2WD motorhome onto Cape Leveque Road side tracks, the Gibb River Road, or any closed wet-season road.

There is a good mix of caravan parks, roadhouse campgrounds and legal low-cost or free camps along this broome to bendigo motorhome road trip. In the north and the Nullarbor heat, powered sites are not indulgent; they are sometimes the difference between sleeping and slow-cooking. Expect many powered sites to sit broadly in the budget-to-mid range, while some shire or roadhouse camps are cheaper and simpler.

Dump points are available in or near major towns such as Broome, Port Hedland, Newman, Meekatharra, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Norseman, Ceduna, Port Augusta, Mildura and Bendigo, though access rules vary. Some are public, some are inside caravan parks, and some require you to be a guest or pay a small fee. Empty early; nobody has ever improved a long drive by nurturing a full cassette through 38°C heat.

• Free camping: use signed rest areas only, obey maximum-stay signs, and do not set up like you have bought the place.
• National parks: book camps where required, follow generator rules, and remember pets are usually not allowed.
• Water: refill in towns, not from random taps at roadhouses unless signed potable.
• Do not: dump grey water or toilet waste in the scrub. Apart from being feral, fines can be painful.

The Nullarbor is not empty; it is just very good at making humans feel small. From Norseman to Ceduna is about 1,200 km of roadhouses, saltbush, limestone plain, wedge-tailed eagles and the occasional driver who has forgotten how cruise control works. The 90 Mile Straight between Balladonia and Caiguna is about 146.6 km of ruler-flat road, which sounds boring until a crosswind arrives.

Good overnight breaks include Balladonia, Madura, Eucla, Border Village, Nullarbor Roadhouse and Ceduna. Whale season at the Head of Bight usually runs roughly June to October, and the sealed access road makes it manageable for most campervans, but always check opening hours and conditions before banking on it.

• Best rhythm: Norseman to Balladonia or Madura, then Eucla or Border Village, then Ceduna.
• Wildlife: avoid dawn, dusk and night driving; roos, emus and stock do not care about your itinerary.
• Wind: keep both hands on the wheel when passing road trains or crossing exposed plains.
• Do: buy fuel when available. Do not: compare Nullarbor prices with suburban Bendigo and get emotional.

After Port Augusta, the country changes from huge and harsh to farmed, mallee-lined and quietly civilised. A common final approach is via Burra, Renmark or Mildura, then down through north-west Victoria to Bendigo. Mildura is a sensible last big reset: supermarket, bottle-o, dump point options, water top-ups and a riverbank walk to remind your legs they are not just throttle accessories.

Bendigo is an easy place to finish a long hire if your booking allows it, with fuel, supermarkets, laundries and caravan parks on the edge of town. Before returning or parking up, give the van a proper clean, empty the waste, refill fuel as required by your hire terms, and check cupboards for the lonely tin of beans that has crossed half the continent.

• Best season: May to September is generally kinder across the Pilbara and Nullarbor.
• Watch-outs: northern wet-season flooding from November to April, and summer Nullarbor heat above 40°C.
• Final tip: check availability online early for one-way hires, as long repositioning routes can book out in peak grey-nomad season.