Geelong to Sunshine Coast campervan route for self-drivers

The most useful Geelong to Sunshine Coast drive is not straight up the Hume to Sydney, then into the Pacific Highway circus. For a campervan, the inland run via Shepparton, Narrandera, Forbes, Dubbo, Moree and Toowoomba is calmer, easier to camp along, and far less likely to donate your afternoon to city traffic.

Expect about 1,780–1,850 km depending on your Sunshine Coast finish point: Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore or Noosa. Driving it in three days is possible in the same way eating a whole family pavlova alone is possible — technically yes, but nobody needs to watch that happen.

• Best pace: 7–10 days, with 250–400 km driving days.
• Main roads: Midland Highway, Goulburn Valley Highway, Newell Highway, Gwydir Highway, Gore/Warrego approaches, then south-east Queensland arterials.
• Vehicle fit: fine for 2WD campervans and motorhomes when sealed-road routes are followed.
• Don't: trust the map when it suggests a back-road shortcut after rain; black-soil country can turn a nice detour into a tow-truck donation.

A relaxed Geelong to Sunshine Coast motorhome road trip works best with a first night around Shepparton or Tocumwal, then a steady push through the Riverina and Central West before the hot-spring reward at Moree. By Toowoomba, the weather feels different, the hills get serious, and the Sunshine Coast is close enough for everyone in the van to start arguing about beach towels.

If you're travelling with kids, pets, or a nervous first-time driver, keep your first two days shorter. The van is wider than your car, fridges rattle, and reversing into a site is easier before dusk and before everyone is hangry.

• 5 days: doable, but long days and little time for repairs, swims or supermarket faffing.
• 7 days: the sweet spot for most hires, with manageable kilometres.
• 10+ days: add Dubbo, artesian baths at Moree, Bunya Mountains or the Glass House Mountains.
• Do: book Friday and school-holiday camps early, especially near the Sunshine Coast.

The inland route is not remote by outback standards, but it still deserves respect. The Newell has big trucks, long straight sections and towns that can roll up early on weekends. A motorhome using 11–15 L/100 km will not thank you for pretending half a tank is plenty.

Use the bigger servos in Shepparton, Narrandera, West Wyalong, Forbes/Parkes, Dubbo, Coonabarabran, Narrabri, Moree, Goondiwindi and Toowoomba. The longest common sealed-road gaps on this plan are manageable — Dubbo to Coonabarabran is about 155 km, Narrandera to West Wyalong about 139 km, and Moree to Goondiwindi about 126 km — but headwinds, detours and a heavy right foot change the maths.

• Fuel rule: refill by half a tank once you're north of the Murray and west of the ranges.
• Road trains: give them room, avoid sitting in their blind spots, and only overtake when you can see a very long way ahead.
• Rest stops: use them before fatigue gets cute; 15 minutes with the kettle beats drifting over a white line.
• Don't: pull onto soft shoulders after rain; a heavy van sinks faster than your enthusiasm.

This is a good route for mixed camping: holiday parks when you need laundry and a powered site, showgrounds for plain-value overnights, and selected free camps when your van is self-contained and the local signs allow it. Free camping is not a national right; councils set the rules, and fines can easily top $100–$300 if you camp where the sign says no.

Dump points are commonly found at showgrounds, visitor information centres, larger caravan parks and some council rest areas. Plan cassette emptying around Shepparton, Narrandera, Forbes/Parkes, Dubbo, Moree, Goondiwindi and Toowoomba rather than waiting until the Sunshine Coast, where beach-town parking is tighter and tempers are shorter.

• Powered site nights: useful in summer for air-con, especially Moree to Queensland where 35°C days are ordinary.
• Unpowered sites: fine in shoulder seasons if your battery and fridge are behaving.
• Water: top up whenever you dump; don't assume every free camp has potable taps.
• Pets: many national park campgrounds in NSW and Queensland do not allow dogs, even if they are small, charming and wearing a bandana.

April to October is the kindest window: cooler nights inland, fewer sticky Queensland afternoons, and less chance of summer storm cells making creeks rude. In January, interior NSW can sit above 38°C and the Sunshine Coast can be humid enough to make your sheets feel like a damp handshake.

The sealed main-road route suits standard hire campervans. The trouble usually starts when someone sees a scenic camping app pin down a dirt road and says, 'It'll be right.' After heavy rain, unsealed approaches around rivers, reserves and black-soil paddock country can become 4WD-only in practice, even if the sign does not say so.

• Summer: book powered sites more often; fridge load and cabin heat matter.
• Winter: inland nights can drop near 0–5°C around the Central West and Darling Downs.
• The wet: Queensland summer storms can close local roads quickly; check state road updates before leaving Toowoomba.
• Do: know your van height, usually around 2.7–3.3 m for many campervans and motorhomes, before entering car parks and older service stations.

The final run from Toowoomba to the Sunshine Coast is only about 230 km, but it can feel busy after the open inland roads. You'll swap grain trucks for commuter traffic, roundabouts, low car-park entries and beach suburbs where a long motorhome is about as subtle as a brass band in a library.

Arrive with grey water sorted, fresh water topped up and your first coastal site booked. If your hire ends in Queensland, leave time for cleaning, refuelling, LPG checks if required, and the noble art of finding every sock that escaped under the rear bed.

• Coastal parking: use signed long-vehicle bays where provided; don't wedge a 7 m motorhome into a beachside car space and hope for kindness.
• National parks: book Queensland Parks campgrounds online in advance; many have limited sites and strict vehicle-length rules.
• Supplies: major supermarkets, servos, dump points and bottle-os are easy to find once you're on the coast.
• Next step: compare layouts and check availability online before locking in your travel dates.