Campervan supplies Hobart: stock up without wedging the van

Hobart’s CBD is compact, hilly and fond of short-stay bays. A 2-berth campervan may fit some street parking, but anything taller than about 2.1 m should treat underground supermarket car parks like crocodiles: interesting, but best viewed from a distance.

For supermarkets Hobart campervan drivers can actually use, think suburban strips and retail parks: New Town and Moonah north of the city, Glenorchy on the Brooker Highway side, Kingston for southern runs, and Sorell or Cambridge if you are heading to the airport, east coast or Tasman Peninsula. Arrive before the 4 pm school-and-commuter tangle if you can.

• Do: park in open-air edge bays and walk the extra 80 metres. Your rear overhang and neighbour’s trolley will both survive.
• Do: buy heavy items first: 10 L water cask, long-life milk, pasta, tins, breakfast, coffee, toilet paper, bin bags and a couple of easy first-night meals.
• Don’t: trust CBD multistorey car parks unless you have checked the exact height against your hire vehicle, including roof vents and aerials.
• Don’t: fill the fridge for 10 days in one hit. Tasmanian towns are small, not imaginary; just keep a 24–48 hour food buffer for late arrivals and closed servos.

There are plenty of fuel stations Hobart-wide around the Brooker Highway, airport/Cambridge, Kingston, Glenorchy and Sorell. The trick is not finding fuel in Hobart; it is leaving Hobart with enough range for the next leg when the weather turns, roadworks appear, or you get distracted by a bakery and take the long way.

Use 300 km as a sensible minimum fuel buffer for a campervan in Tasmania. Hobart to Strahan is about 300 km via Derwent Bridge and Queenstown; Hobart to Coles Bay is about 195 km; Hobart to Port Arthur is about 95 km; Hobart to Cockle Creek is roughly 120 km, with limited services once you are past the Huon towns. In the highlands and west, some servos close earlier than mainland brains expect.

• Do: leave Hobart with a full tank, especially for the west coast, Bruny Island, Cockle Creek, Lake Pedder or Great Lake.
• Do: check whether your van takes diesel or unleaded before the first servo stop. It is written in the hire paperwork for a reason.
• Don’t: assume 24-hour fuel outside larger towns. Card bowsers exist, but not everywhere, and mobile reception can be patchy.
• Don’t: sit behind a road train or log truck too closely on wet roads. Tasmania is not the Nullarbor, but heavy vehicles still throw spray, stones and surprises.

A lpg refill Hobart stop is easiest during normal daytime hours at larger servos, outdoor/hardware stores and caravan-service areas; not every forecourt refills bottles, and some only swap common sizes. Hire vans vary: some have a removable 4.5 kg or 9 kg bottle, while larger motorhomes may have a fixed LPG system or diesel/electric cooking setup.

Before you leave the depot, look at the bottle location, connector type and shut-off valve. Also check the test date on the bottle if it is removable; in Australia, gas bottles must be within test date to be legally refilled. That tiny stamp matters when you are hungry in the rain.

• Do: ask at handover whether your bottle is refill or swap, and where the gas isolation valve is.
• Do: turn LPG off before refuelling and for ferry travel where required, including the Bruny Island ferry instructions.
• Don’t: wait until Sunday evening to chase gas. Hobart has options, but opening hours still exist.
• Don’t: cook inside with poor ventilation. Tasmania can be 8°C and sideways-raining, but carbon monoxide is not a souvenir.

Most campervans carry somewhere around 50–100 L of fresh water, depending on the layout. Two careful adults can stretch that for two or three days if they are not showering in the van like they are at home. Fill before you leave Hobart; national park taps may be rainwater, untreated or absent altogether.

For a dump point Hobart stop, use your holiday park facility, signed public dump points shown on current council or RV apps, or caravan parks that allow non-guest use where advertised. Never empty a cassette into a public toilet, stormwater drain or bushland. Apart from being foul, it is the sort of behaviour that gets good camps closed.

• Do: fill potable water from signed taps only, preferably with your own hose and tap fitting.
• Do: empty the cassette and grey-water tank before heading to Bruny, Cockle Creek, Mount Field or the west coast.
• Do: carry a 10 L drinking-water cask as backup; it costs little and saves arguments.
• Don’t: assume every free camp has bins, water or dump facilities. Many have none, and that is the point.
• Don’t: release grey water unless the site specifically permits it. Self-contained means carrying your mess out.

A laundromat Hobart errand is easiest in suburbs such as North Hobart, Sandy Bay, Moonah, Glenorchy or Kingston, where you can usually find street parking nearby without threading a motorhome through the waterfront. Dryers matter here: a sunny morning can turn into damp socks by lunch, especially under kunanyi/Mount Wellington.

Provision for Tasmania as if it will change seasons twice before dinner. Summer Hobart may sit around 20–24°C, but the highlands can be 10°C colder; winter nights commonly drop near 3–6°C in town and below freezing inland. The wet west coast is not joking either.

• Do: pack layers, a proper rain jacket, spare socks, thongs for shared showers and a warm beanie even in summer.
• Do: keep $1 or $2 coins handy for older laundries, showers or camp honesty boxes, even if card payment is common.
• Do: stock pegs, a small clothesline, washing powder sheets, matches/lighter, head torch, insect repellent and a basic first-aid kit.
• Don’t: bring mainland firewood into sensitive areas or collect wood in national parks. Buy local firewood only where fires are permitted.
• Don’t: leave wet towels over bedding while driving. The van will smell like a cave by Queenstown.