Melbourne to Perth campervan route: the long way done properly

The sealed route is roughly 3,400–3,650 km depending on whether you hug the Great Ocean Road and Adelaide or take the more direct inland line. In a campervan, 10 days is the brisk version, 14 days is sensible, and 18–21 days lets you stop without setting the alarm like a FIFO worker.

The biggest trap is pretending the Nullarbor is just another highway day. Eucla to Norseman is about 710 km, and Norseman to Perth is another 725 km, so split them if you value your concentration, your tyres and your relationship with whoever is in the passenger seat.

• Minimum: 8–10 days, mostly driving and powered sites.
• Comfortable: 12–14 days with beach nights, laundry, dump points and shorter Nullarbor legs.
• Best pace: 18+ days if you want the Great Ocean Road, Eyre Peninsula and the Goldfields without rushing.
• Don’t: plan 900 km days in a hired motorhome; wind, heat and fatigue make that a mugs’ game.

From Melbourne, the pretty start is via Torquay, Apollo Bay and Port Fairy, then across to Robe or Mount Gambier before Adelaide. It adds time, but it gives you your first few easy van nights before the country opens up and the distances get serious.

After Adelaide, the run becomes a classic Big Lap chapter: Port Augusta, Kimba, Ceduna, then the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor to Eucla, Balladonia, Norseman and Perth. It is sealed 2WD road the whole way, but sealed does not mean soft. Road trains can be 36.5 metres long, crosswinds can shove a high-roof van around, and roos are at their worst near dawn and dusk.

• Do: fuel at Port Augusta, Ceduna, Border Village or Eucla, Balladonia and Norseman even if the tank looks half polite.
• Do: book Adelaide and Perth holiday parks ahead in school holidays.
• Don’t: take rental campervans onto beach tracks, station roads or 4WD-only cliff tracks unless your hire conditions clearly allow it.

The longest signed gaps between roadhouses on the Eyre Highway are usually under 220 km, but that does not mean you can run the tank down to fumes. Hours, card machines, wind and detours all matter. A typical campervan or motorhome may use 11–16 L/100 km; a headwind across the plain can make it drink like a shearer at knock-off.

Carry drinking water separately from your onboard tank, especially from Ceduna west. Public dump points are commonly found in or near bigger stops such as Port Augusta, Ceduna, Norseman, Kalgoorlie and Perth, while smaller towns may have seasonal access or key systems. Check current listings in your camping app before you commit to a night.

• Ceduna to Nullarbor Roadhouse: about 300 km via Penong and Nundroo.
• Nullarbor Roadhouse to Border Village: about 184 km, with the famous cliff lookouts nearby.
• Border Village to Balladonia: about 510 km with fuel options at Eucla, Mundrabilla, Madura and Cocklebiddy.
• Balladonia to Norseman: about 192 km; do not skip both unless you enjoy maths under pressure.

This drive has every kind of van night: beachside holiday parks in Victoria and South Australia, town RV stops across the Eyre Peninsula, roadhouse camp areas on the Nullarbor, and proper caravan parks when you need a shower that doesn’t involve rationing 12 litres of water.

Free camping is not a national right; it is a local permission. Use signed rest areas, stay the posted limit, keep awnings and chairs within reason, and only use roadside stops overnight where camping is allowed. National parks in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia generally require booked campsites and fees, and many have no dump point or potable water.

• Powered sites: useful every 2–3 nights for batteries, laundry and air-con in hot weather.
• Unpowered sites: fine if your fridge, lights and water pump are behaving.
• Free camps: best for self-contained vans; leave no grey water puddles and no toilet paper archaeology.
• Do: arrive before dark; wildlife and unfamiliar campground layouts are a bad combination.

April to October is the friendliest window. Summer can push 40–45°C on the Nullarbor and in the WA wheatbelt, while winter nights can be surprisingly cold inland. The coastal start may be windy and wet, then two days later you are buying extra sunscreen at a roadhouse beside a giant fibreglass whale.

At the South Australia–Western Australia border, quarantine rules are real. Fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, plants and some seeds can be restricted or taken, so cook or eat supplies before the checkpoint near Border Village. It is easier than donating your carefully planned van salad to the bin.

• Best months: April–June and August–October for moderate driving temperatures.
• Watch: strong crosswinds, smoke, roadworks and sudden storms on the Eyre Highway.
• Phone signal: patchy between Ceduna and Norseman; download maps offline.
• Don’t: drive tired after sunset; roos, wombats and wandering stock do not carry reflective vests.