Broome to Port Macquarie campervan: the big diagonal run

The direct sealed route is roughly 5,250 to 5,400 km depending on where you overnight and how you enter NSW. You can technically belt it out in 10 or 11 hard driving days, but that is how people end up eating servo pies in the dark and arguing with the fridge door. For a campervan trip, 16 to 21 days is the civilised range.

The broad line is Broome, Fitzroy Crossing, Kununurra, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Mount Isa, Longreach, Roma, Toowoomba, New England and Port Macquarie. It is a proper Big Lap-style crossing, not a coastal dawdle with a latte every 40 minutes.

• Do: plan around 350–550 km on normal days and add rest days at Kununurra, Katherine, Longreach or Armidale.
• Don’t: count Google Maps drive time as your day length. Add fuel, food, toilet, dump point and roadworks stops.
• Rule of thumb: if the van’s fuel range is 600 km, still treat 400 km as your comfortable planning range in the north-west.

The first half of the trip feels properly remote. Broome to Fitzroy Crossing is about 396 km, Fitzroy to Halls Creek is 290 km, and Halls Creek to Kununurra is around 358 km. These are sealed highways, but they are narrow in places, hot, and busy with caravans, cattle trucks and road trains that do not brake like hatchbacks.

From Kununurra to Katherine is about 514 km via Timber Creek and Victoria River. The WA/NT border has quarantine rules, so finish or bin fresh fruit, vegetables, honey and some plant products before crossing. The wet season, roughly November to April, can bring flooding and closures across the Kimberley and Victoria Highway even when the map looks cheerful.

• Fuel notes: Kununurra to Timber Creek is about 226 km; Timber Creek to Victoria River is about 90 km; Victoria River to Katherine is about 195 km.
• Camp rhythm: take powered sites every second or third night if daytime temperatures are sitting above 35°C.
• Do: pull fully off the road before letting road trains pass where safe. They throw stones and wind like a bad mood.
• Don’t: tow your hire motorhome into the Gibb River Road, Bungle Bungles access road or other dirt detours unless your hire conditions specifically allow it.

Katherine to Tennant Creek is about 674 km on the Stuart Highway. Break it at Mataranka, Daly Waters, Elliott or Renner Springs rather than trying to be a hero. The country opens right out here; dusk is kangaroo o’clock, and cattle do not wear reflective vests.

Tennant Creek to Mount Isa is around 661 km via the Barkly Highway. The big planning number is Barkly Homestead to Camooweal: about 260 km between fuel stops. That is not terrifying with a sensible fuel range, but it is long enough to make topping up look cheap compared with ringing roadside assistance from a bar of reception.

• Fuel notes: Tennant Creek to Barkly Homestead is about 210 km; Barkly Homestead to Camooweal about 260 km; Camooweal to Mount Isa about 189 km.
• Do: keep drinking water separate from your van tank — at least 10 litres spare is sensible out here.
• Don’t: drive after dark unless you enjoy wildlife roulette and explaining bonnet damage.
• Overnight idea: roadhouse campgrounds are not glamorous, but they solve fuel, toilets, hot food and a legal sleep in one dusty package.

From Mount Isa, the route runs through Cloncurry, Winton and Longreach before swinging south-east through Barcaldine, Blackall, Tambo, Augathella, Morven, Mitchell and Roma. Mount Isa to Longreach is about 647 km; Longreach to Roma is about 693 km. Split both if you are not in a hurry — which, in a motorhome, you should not be.

The last push from Roma to Port Macquarie is roughly 1,000 km depending on your preferred line. The practical sealed route runs via Toowoomba, Warwick, the New England tablelands and then down the Oxley Highway from Walcha/Wauchope to Port Macquarie. The Oxley is scenic, twisty and steep in sections, so use lower gears, let faster traffic pass, and do not expect highway speeds in a tall van.

• Fuel notes: Roma to Toowoomba is about 352 km; Toowoomba to Warwick about 84 km; Armidale to Port Macquarie about 250 km via the Oxley.
• Do: check brakes, tyre pressures and fridge latch before the range descent. Gravity has opinions.
• Don’t: park under low trees or old pub awnings without checking height; many motorhomes sit around 3.1–3.4 m high.
• Good split: Roma to Toowoomba, Toowoomba to Armidale, then Armidale to Port Macquarie makes the final section far less feral.

This is a long self-contained run, but it is not a free-for-all. In WA, NT, Queensland and NSW, you need to use legal camp areas, booked national park campgrounds, roadhouse sites, showgrounds where permitted, or holiday parks. Some council areas enforce no-camping signs hard, especially near beaches and town centres.

Dump points are generally available in larger towns and many holiday parks along the route: Broome, Kununurra, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Mount Isa, Longreach, Roma, Toowoomba, Armidale and Port Macquarie are the sort of places to plan around. Carry a hose for potable water, a separate sullage hose, gloves and toilet chemicals. Nobody wants to be the traveller who turns a dump point into a crime scene.

• Powered sites: useful every few nights for air-con, battery recovery and proper laundry.
• Free camps: often basic; arrive early, pack out rubbish and do not run a generator beside someone’s pillow.
• National parks: book ahead online; Queensland camping permits are typically around $7–$8 per person per night, while NSW prices vary by campground.
• Before booking: check your campervan’s length, height, toilet setup and whether it is approved for unsealed-road travel.