The perth to geelong campervan run, minus the guesswork

Perth to Geelong is roughly 3,400 km by the sealed inland route: Great Eastern Highway, Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, Eyre Highway, then across South Australia and western Victoria. You can do it in 7 driving days if you are disciplined, but 9 to 12 days is the sweet spot for a campervan because pack-up, dump points, shopping, showers and servo queues all eat daylight.

The Nullarbor is not difficult in good weather, but it punishes wishful thinking. Summer days can sit above 40°C, winter mornings can be single digits, and crosswinds on the Bunda Cliffs can make a high-roof van feel like a sail with cupholders.

• Minimum sane pace: 7 days, mostly 450–650 km days.
• Better pace: 10 days, with time for Kalgoorlie, the Bight lookouts and a proper laundry stop.
• Do: start early and be parked before dusk, when roos and wombats start freelancing.
• Don’t: plan a 700 km day after your first night in the van. That is how marriages learn new vocabulary.

Fuel is available often enough for a normal 2WD campervan if you fill sensibly, but it is not city driving. The biggest useful gaps on this route include Norseman to Balladonia at about 191 km, Balladonia to Caiguna at 181 km, Eucla to Nullarbor Roadhouse at about 196 km if you do not top up at Border Village, and Ceduna to Port Augusta at around 470 km with fuel options through Wudinna and Kimba.

Nullarbor roadhouse fuel is usually noticeably dearer than Perth, Adelaide or Geelong — often tens of cents per litre more — so budget with a buffer. Treat half a tank as the new empty once you leave Norseman. A headwind can lift fuel use in a high-roof motorhome from a comfortable 12–14 L/100 km to something closer to 16–18 L/100 km.

• Reliable fill rule: top up at Kalgoorlie, Norseman, Balladonia, Eucla or Border Village, Ceduna and Port Augusta.
• Carry water: at least 10–20 L of drinking water separate from the van tank.
• Do: check roadhouse opening hours before relying on a late arrival.
• Don’t: gamble on arriving on fumes because “it’s only another 80 km”. Out here, 80 km is still a long sulk.

This perth to geelong motorhome road trip gives you all three classic sleeping styles: powered holiday parks in towns, roadhouse camping across the Nullarbor, and basic roadside or cliff-top free camps where allowed. Powered sites commonly sit around $35–$60 a night depending on season and location, while many rest areas are free but have no water, no bins and no forgiveness for bad behaviour.

Western Australia and South Australia both have designated rest areas along the highway, but signs matter. Some allow overnight stays, some are day-use only, and national parks have their own booking and fee rules. In Victoria, councils are often stricter near towns and beaches, so do not assume a quiet car park is a legal camp.

• Good first-night idea: Merredin or Kalgoorlie, not a random gravel pull-off while still learning the van.
• Nullarbor classic: Bunda Cliffs camps are spectacular but exposed, unfenced and facility-free.
• Self-contained means: toilet, greywater managed properly, rubbish carried out and no dishwater in the scrub.
• Don’t: empty a cassette toilet anywhere except a dump point. The Nullarbor has enough natural hazards without you adding one.

A cassette toilet is usually 17–20 L, which means two people may want a dump point every 2 to 3 days. Plan them like fuel stops. Public dump points are commonly available around larger towns such as Merredin, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Norseman, Ceduna, Port Augusta, Murray Bridge, Horsham, Ballarat and Geelong, though access can change with works, events or council rules.

Potable water is not guaranteed at every servo, and some roadhouses rightly protect their limited supply. Ask before filling the van tank, use a drinking-water hose only, and never block a bowser while doing a full domestic reset. LPG arrangements vary by hired vehicle: some have swap bottles, others have fixed cylinders that must be filled at compatible outlets.

• Dump point habit: empty before the Nullarbor, again at Ceduna, and again before the Victorian run.
• Water habit: refill when available, not when desperate.
• LPG habit: check the hire handover notes before leaving Perth, especially if you plan several unpowered nights.
• Do: carry gloves, toilet chemical and a spare roll of the correct cassette paper.

The sealed route is fine for most 2WD campervans and motorhomes, but the shoulders can be ragged, the distances are big, and road trains may run over 50 metres long. If one is coming the other way on a narrow section, ease left without dropping wheels into soft gravel. If one is overtaking you, hold speed steady and let the professional do their work.

Quarantine is real on this crossing. Expect restrictions on fruit, vegetables, honey, plants and some fresh produce when moving between WA, SA and Victoria, with inspection points and bins along the way. Eat the bananas before the border or donate them to the bin, not to the glovebox museum.

• 2WD route: stay on Great Eastern Highway, Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, Eyre Highway, Dukes Highway and Western Highway.
• Dirt-road caution: cliff tracks, station roads and beaches may breach hire conditions and can become ugly after rain.
• Wildlife risk: highest from late afternoon through early morning.
• Do: slow down for roadworks and loose stones; windscreens are expensive souvenirs.
• Don’t: follow a map app onto a “short cut” unless the hire agreement and road conditions both say yes.

After Port Augusta, the calmer campervan line is usually via the Adelaide fringe, Murray Bridge, Bordertown or Nhill, Horsham, Ballarat and down to Geelong. It keeps you mostly on major sealed highways and avoids threading a tired driver through central Melbourne in a van with a higher roof and a wider turning circle than your hatchback at home.

Geelong is a useful finish point for a Big Lap leg: dump points, supermarkets, mechanics, bottle-o runs, laundries and the Bellarine Peninsula nearby if you have a spare night. Before locking dates, check availability online for one-way hire rules, relocation limits, included kilometres and any restrictions on unsealed roads.

• Final approach: Horsham to Geelong is about 297 km via Ballarat.
• Watch: variable weather, fog around Ballarat and busy commuter traffic closer to Geelong.
• Do: clean, refuel and empty waste before handback if your booking requires it.
• Don’t: arrive with a full toilet cassette and a heroic story. Depot staff have heard them all.