A Broome to Melbourne campervan run for people who actually sleep in the van

The cleanest sealed route runs Broome to Halls Creek, Kununurra, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Adelaide and Melbourne. It is roughly 5,000 km, depending on camp detours and where you overnight. In a motorhome, treat it as a 14 to 18 day minimum; 21 to 28 days is much kinder on your tyres, your fridge and your travelling companion.

The myth to bin early: you do not need the Gibb River Road, Tanami Road or Oodnadatta Track to make this a proper adventure. In many hire campervans those roads are off-limits anyway, and after rain they can turn from “bucket list” to “insurance argument” in one thunderstorm.

• Best sealed route: Great Northern Highway, Victoria Highway, Stuart Highway, Princes/Western Highway into Melbourne.
• Minimum comfortable fuel range: plan for 500 km, even though you should refuel far more often.
• Vehicle reality: a 7 m motorhome is fine on the highways, less fine in tight urban car parks and low-clearance supermarket basements.
• Do: book Broome pick-up and Melbourne drop-off early, then check availability online before flights.
• Don’t: assume a sealed highway means frequent towns. Some “towns” are a servo, a toilet and a dog asleep in the shade.

On this Broome to Melbourne motorhome road trip, fuel planning is not dramatic theatre — it is just adult behaviour. The long sections are manageable, but servos can close early, pumps can be out, and a headwind across the Barkly or Stuart can make a thirsty van even thirstier.

Real-world spacing to keep in your notebook: Broome to Halls Creek is about 685 km if you roll through Fitzroy Crossing; Halls Creek to Kununurra is 359 km; Kununurra to Katherine is 514 km with Timber Creek and Victoria River as useful stops; Katherine to Tennant Creek is 674 km, but broken by Mataranka, Daly Waters, Elliott and Renner Springs. Alice Springs to Coober Pedy is 687 km via Erldunda, Kulgera and Marla.

• Top up whenever you drop below half a tank north of Port Augusta.
• Carry drinking water separately from your tank: 10 litres per person as a sensible emergency buffer.
• Expect diesel to cost more at remote roadhouses than in capital cities; that is freight, not robbery.
• Use daylight hours. Kangaroos, cattle and wandering camels do not wear reflective vests.

A small story from the road: the driver who says “we’ll make the next one” is often the same driver standing beside a bowser at 7:03 pm, reading a sign that says it closed at 7. Be boring. Fill up early.

Powered holiday parks are the easiest first-night option out of Broome and the most reliable way to reset the van: charge batteries, run the air-con, fill fresh water and empty the cassette. Budget loosely around $35 to $70 a night for a powered site in many regional towns, with higher rates in peak dry-season Kimberley months.

Free and low-cost camps exist along the highways, especially rest areas and roadhouse paddocks, but read the signs like they were written by someone with a ticket book. Some places allow 24-hour rest only. Some ban fires. Some allow self-contained vehicles but not tents. National parks usually require pre-booked sites, and generators are often restricted or banned.

• Reliable dump-point towns: Broome, Kununurra, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Port Augusta and many larger council areas.
• Water fills: use signed potable taps at parks, visitor centres, dump points or servos; do not assume every tap is drinkable.
• LPG: easiest in larger towns; swap-and-go bottle access is not guaranteed at every roadhouse.
• Do: empty the cassette before remote stretches, not after the warning light starts blinking.
• Don’t: set up chairs, awnings and a washing line in a “no camping” rest area and call it resting.

Road trains in WA, the NT and northern SA can run over 50 m long. If one sits behind you, keep your speed steady and let it pass when safe; if you are overtaking one, you need a long, clear view and more patience than ego. The blast of air as it passes is normal. White knuckles are optional.

Season matters. The Kimberley and Top End wet season, roughly November to April, can bring road closures, flooded floodways and 35–40°C heat. The dry season, May to September, is easier for driving but busy in Broome, Kununurra and Alice Springs. Desert nights in winter can drop near 0°C, so yes, pack a jumper even if Broome made you sweat through your hat.

• Check Main Roads WA, NT Roads and SA outback road reports before long legs.
• Quarantine rules apply at state borders: fruit, vegetables, honey and plants may need to be surrendered, especially entering SA and Victoria.
• Most 2WD campervan hires are for sealed roads only, with short access roads allowed only where the agreement permits.
• Avoid night driving outside towns; wildlife damage can end a trip faster than a bad playlist.

The smart play is simple: slow down, arrive before dark, and give the van a walk-around each morning — tyres, mirrors, water, waste, gas bottle, fridge latch. Grey nomads do this because they have already learned the expensive version.

After Coober Pedy, the country changes mood. Port Augusta is the great regrouping point: fuel, supermarkets, dump point options, tyre shops and the first feeling that capital-city traffic is creeping back into the story. From there you can run to Adelaide, then follow the Western Highway corridor through Bordertown, Nhill, Horsham and Ballarat into Melbourne.

Melbourne is where campervan habits need tightening. Watch height limits in car parks, keep clear of tram lanes unless signed, and check toll-road rules before you accidentally pay for a scenic financial lesson. If you are dropping off a motorhome, allow time to empty waste, refill fuel, clean the living area and return bedding or gear as required.

• Coober Pedy to Port Augusta: about 541 km; start early and do not underestimate heat.
• Port Augusta to Adelaide: about 309 km; easy by outback standards, busy by outback standards too.
• Adelaide to Melbourne: about 727 km via the inland highway; break it at Bordertown, Horsham or Ballarat if you are tired.
• Do: check availability online for one-way Broome to Melbourne campervan hire well ahead of dry season.
• Don’t: plan a same-day flight after drop-off unless you enjoy cleaning a cassette toilet under time pressure.