Sydney to Melbourne down the coast in a campervan: what we did

Can you do it in a 2WD van?

Yes. Ron is a 2WD, and as we say on our essentials page, we stick to sealed roads and firm tracks. The main roads we drove between towns were sealed. The problems were the short unsealed bits to campgrounds and farm gates. Here's how the places on our route stack up (official pages checked 2 November 2026):

Our habit for anything unsealed: check what the road looks like on Google Street View first. If it doesn't have Street View, there's usually a reason for it.

How long, when, and our route

We started at Jervis Bay in the NSW spring school holidays of 2025 and drove onto the Spirit of Tasmania at Geelong in January 2026. That includes a couple of months working in Merimbula, through Christmas and New Year. Spring meant whales and wind: some days were warm and sunny, and on others the wind was cold enough for jumpers, even on the beach. By December it was hot.

Our route, north to south:

1. Jervis Bay: Honeymoon Bay, Callala Beach, Huskisson and Hyams Beach.
2. Pretty Beach in Murramarang National Park, Batemans Bay, Congo, then Tuross Head and Dalmeny.
3. Central Tilba, Bermagui and Mimosa Rocks National Park.
4. Inland to Canberra for two days.
5. Back to the coast at Tathra, then Merimbula, where we lived and worked.
6. From Merimbula, up into the Snowy Mountains for Kosciuszko and Thredbo.
7. Eden, the last town in NSW.
8. Into Victoria: Lakes Entrance and Raymond Island.
9. Wilsons Promontory, then Melbourne, St Kilda and the ferry at Geelong.

If you're not stopping to work, you could do this in a couple of weeks. We'd still give the Sapphire Coast as long as you can.

Jervis Bay: Honeymoon Bay, Huskisson and Hyams Beach

• Honeymoon Bay. Our first night of the lap. It's on the Beecroft Peninsula, which is Defence land, and we went in the NSW school holidays. We watched kangaroos go into the sea (see it in our video) and saw dolphins from the bay (see it in our video). Drones weren't allowed when we went.
• Callala Beach and Huskisson. Callala Beach looked like one of the best beaches in Australia to us. Its only two cafés were shut the day we went (they opened on Wednesday). Huskisson, round the bay, is the main town, with cafés and the whale-watching boats (see it in our video).
• Hyams Beach. Famous for some of the whitest sand in the world. We parked at the roadside and walked down, and it's a hill back up to the van. It was the school holidays and busy, but the water was so clear we went back on a calm day to paddleboard (see it in our video). The water was cold.
• The whale-watching tour from Huskisson. We only saw whales once the boat got out of the bay, near the peninsula, and it got cold in the wind out there, even on a sunny day (see it in our video).

Pretty Beach, Batemans Bay, Congo, Tuross Head and Dalmeny

• The water tank disaster. After the hump on the way to our campground near Hyams, we spent a night in a caravan park so Luke could take the tank out and plastic-weld the crack. Just getting the tank out took him at least an hour (see it in our video).
• Pretty Beach and Congo campgrounds. On the way down we stayed at two national park campgrounds: Pretty Beach in Murramarang National Park, north of Batemans Bay, and Congo in Eurobodalla National Park, south of Moruya.
• Batemans Bay. We needed to refill the tank and found a tap that WikiCamps said people had filled up at. Everything around Batemans Bay felt expensive, so we kept heading south for cheaper camping (see it in our video).
• Lavender Bay, Tuross Head. A calm spot for the paddleboard, with jellyfish in the water and pelicans by the boat dock (see it in our video). That morning there was a big spider in the van.
• Check for branches before you pick a spot. We drove to a campground at Lake Brou, but there weren't many level van spots and some trees had broken branches, so in the wind we moved on (see it in our video).
• Dalmeny. We stayed at Dalmeny Campground. From the headland right by it, we watched whales and seals, and got the drone up on the calmer evening (see it in our video).

Central Tilba, Bermagui and Mimosa Rocks

• Mystery Bay Campground. We spent two nights here before Tilba. In the video we call it a national park, but it's actually a council campground surrounded by national park (see it in our video).
• Central Tilba. A cute historic village. We went on a Monday, when a lot of it was closed, but the dairy shop was open. Probably the best cheese we've had in Australia, and an ice cream the next day (see it in our video).
• Take the old road to Bermagui. That was a local's tip in Tilba, and it was a lovely drive (see it in our video).
• Whales around Bermagui. We watched whales from Sunrise Point and Dickinson Point. Look for the spray first, then the splash (see it in our video). We'd also seen them from the van at our campsite the day before.
• The Blue Pool. A cold plunge was our wash after a couple of nights without a shower. The wind was cold, but we got in anyway (see it in our video).
• Gillards campground, Mimosa Rocks National Park. South of Bermagui, with the sea right in front of our spot, a wallaby with a joey, and more whales on the drone (see it in our video).

Detour: Canberra

We came inland from the south coast and spent two spring days in the capital, with highs of 24 to 25°C. We stayed at the campground at Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), in Mitchell. It's right next to public transport, which makes it an ideal spot to leave the van for the day and head into the city.

• Hire e-scooters. Canberra is spread out. We picked up hire scooters by Commonwealth Park and rode around Lake Burley Griffin and up Anzac Parade. Helmets were provided and you have to wear one (see it in our video).
• The Australian War Memorial and the National Sculpture Garden filled most of day one. Old Parliament House closed at 5pm and we ran out of time, so check opening hours.
• The National Botanic Gardens. The parking is paid by the hour, and we ended up extending ours. The rainforest gully, made from a dry creek with misting in the 1960s, was full of water dragons (see it in our video).
• Mount Ainslie lookout. We drove up for the view straight down Anzac Parade to Parliament. You can see how the city was planned: a man-made lake, a design competition, and a capital put between Sydney and Melbourne.
• The Sunset Cinema. We spotted it being set up at the Botanic Gardens, and later came back from Kosciuszko to go.

Tathra and Hobart Beach

• Where the Bega River meets the sea. At Lions Park the current was strong, so take care if you wade in (see it in our video). The beach sand squeaks.
• Tathra Wharf. Built in 1862 and used until 1954, with a café and a small museum that was open at weekends. Whales come close to the wharf in season, there were seals in the bay, and a sign explains the East Australian Current (see it in our video).
• Headland walk to Chamberlain Lookout. About 45 minutes each way (see it in our video).
• Stingrays at Kianinny. At about 11am, stingrays came in at the boat ramp while fishermen cleaned their catch (see it in our video). Watch from the side and leave them be.
• Hobart Beach campground. About 20 minutes from Tathra, on Wallagoot Lake in Bournda National Park. It felt hidden away, with fire pits at the sites and kangaroos and wallabies around (see it in our video).

Merimbula, and Christmas in the van

We lived and worked in Merimbula for a couple of months, through Christmas and New Year. We worked and stayed at NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort, on the headland above the beach.

• Bar Beach and the kiosk. We kept going back, and we'd been at least three times (see it in our video).
• A beach you can otherwise only reach by boat. A walk with steep steps takes you down to a tiny secluded beach (see it in our video).
• Paddleboarding with stingrays. We paddled out to look for the stingrays we'd seen earlier, and watched from the board.
• The oyster boardwalk. We walked to the end, where Sunny's is (see it in our video).
• Merimbula Gourmet Oysters. Luke's first ever oysters. The road in is unsealed and the car park is small (see it in our video).
• Potoroo Palace. A wildlife sanctuary run by volunteers, with dingoes and flying foxes. We got a feed bag and fed the kangaroos, which was an unexpected highlight.
• Christmas Day in Merimbula. Our first Christmas living in the van, with no family or friends here. The plan for the beach didn't go to plan, and it was a really windy day (see it in our video).

Detour: Kosciuszko and Thredbo

At the start of summer we drove from Merimbula up into the Snowy Mountains, which took us about two and a half to three hours. Thredbo is also a couple of hours from Canberra.

• Ngarigo campground. We stayed the night before, with no power or water, and saw deer for the first time in Australia (see it in our video).
• The chairlift and the summit walk. We took the Kosciuszko Express chairlift up from Thredbo, then walked about 13 km there and back to the summit. It took us about two and a half hours up and 1 hour 36 minutes down. The last lift down was at 4pm when we went, so check the time (see it in our video).
• Snow in summer. There were patches of snow by the path, and our shoes had no grip on it (see it in our video).
• The UV lesson. It was only 19°C, but the UV was extreme. Luke got badly sunburnt, even though we'd put sunscreen on that morning. Check the UV forecast and cover up, however cold it feels.

Eden

The last town in NSW. We met a fellow van lifer who gave us most of the tips below.

• Cruise ship days. A cruise ship was in, and we were told they can nearly double the town for the day. Snug Cove wharf had the information centre and market stalls (see it in our video).
• The Eden Killer Whale Museum. Watch the video at the start, which explains what you'll see in the museum. It tells the story of the orcas and the whalers working together (see it in our video).
• Rotary Park lookout. A view across to Boyd's Tower, and we timed it with the cruise ship leaving (see it in our video).
• Aslings Beach rock pools. A local tip for cooling off on a hot day, with a boardwalk next to the beach (see it in our video).
• Food. The Hotel Australasia, newly renovated, does wood-fired pizza.

Gippsland: Lakes Entrance and Raymond Island

• Lakes Entrance. We drove through, and got the drone up over it (see it in our video).
• Lake Tyers Beach Tavern. The best deal ever. The pub has a little camp area set up for its customers, and we stayed for free, on power, with water, toilets and showers. You don't actually have to buy anything, but we did, because we wanted to support such fantastic campsite hosts, and we loved the pub (see it in our video).
• Raymond Island ferry. We left Ron in the car park in Paynesville and walked on. It was free on foot and only a couple of minutes across (see it in our video).
• Koalas. We'd seen one within ten minutes of starting the Koala Trail, and counted eight by the end, including on the Abbey loop. Look where other people are looking up (see it in our video). Bring insect repellent for the mozzies.

The tavern's own website doesn't cover the camping, so call or ask at the bar before you arrive (Lake Tyers Beach Tavern).

Wilsons Promontory in a day

We only had one day, because storms were forecast, and it was the school holidays. We packed in a lot.

• Fairy Cove. From the Darby River car park. A sign said it takes about 47 minutes. There's a steep bit, and we went slightly off course near the end. The swim at the end was worth it (see it in our video).
• Picnic Bay and Whisky Bay. Picnic Bay was only about 300 m from the car park (see it in our video).
• Squeaky Beach. Even whiter than Hyams Beach, to us. The car park is close and the walk is easy, so it was busier (see it in our video).
• Tidal River. There's a visitor centre and a massive car park. The campground was fully booked, so we stayed on a powered site at BIG4 Wilsons Prom Holiday Park in Yanakie, outside the national park (see it in our video).
• Before the Prom. We spent the three nights before at free camps (see it in our video). There are so many amazing paid, donation and free camps along this coast; check WikiCamps for where they are and all the details.
• Mount Oberon. The Telegraph Saddle car park was closed, so we caught the shuttle from Tidal River. We power-walked to the summit, just missed the last bus down (5:45pm when we went, in the school holidays), and had a long walk back down the road. Check the last bus time and leave yourself plenty (see it in our video).
• Wildlife. We hoped to see wombats on the Prom Wildlife Walk, but after about 45 minutes we'd only seen kangaroos (see it in our video).

Melbourne, then Geelong for the ferry

• Viewers' recommendations. We'd been to Melbourne before, so this time we tried to do what our viewers suggested: Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane and the Botanic Gardens.
• Check the night market days. We went to the Queen Victoria night market on a Saturday, and it turned out it was only on a Wednesday (see it in our video).
• St Kilda. Our first visit. Parking wasn't free, and we got lucky and saw a penguin (see it in our video).
• Eat your fruit before the ferry. Tasmania's biosecurity rules are strict, so we finished ours before driving to Geelong (see it in our video). Our Spirit of Tasmania guide covers the crossing.

Whale watching on this coast

We saw whales from the tour boat out of Huskisson, off Dalmeny headland, from our van near Bermagui, at Sunrise Point and Dickinson Point, and from Gillards. Tathra Wharf is another spot where whales come in close in season.

• Look for the spray. You usually see the blow before the whale.
• Pick a calm day. We went back to Dalmeny headland when the wind dropped, because the whitecaps make them hard to spot.
• On a boat, wrap up. It was sunny on land and cold on the water.

Where we stayed, and the booking rules

Ron is self-contained, so we mix free camps with booked campgrounds and the odd paid night. There are so many amazing paid, donation and free camps along this coast, and we recommend WikiCamps for checking where they are and getting all the details. We don't name most of the free camps we used. Our free camping guide explains how we choose them. On this stretch we stayed at:

• Honeymoon Bay Campground, Beecroft Peninsula (Defence).
• A campground near Hyams Beach at the end of the unsealed road with the hump.
• Pretty Beach campground, Murramarang National Park.
• Congo campground, Eurobodalla National Park.
• A caravan park for the water tank repair.
• Dalmeny Campground, our favourite on this stretch.
• Mystery Bay Campground near Narooma, for two nights (a council campground).
• Gillards campground, Mimosa Rocks National Park (now closed until mid-2027).
• Hobart Beach campground, Bournda National Park.
• Ngarigo campground, Kosciuszko National Park.
• Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) for the Canberra detour, and NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort while we worked in Merimbula.
• Lake Tyers Beach Tavern, the pub with free camping for customers.
• BIG4 Wilsons Prom Holiday Park, Yanakie.

Driving, wildlife and signal

• Get out and look. On anything unsealed, have one person out of the van to spot the humps and dips. That would have saved our water tank.
• Wildlife on the road. We saw kangaroos, wallabies and deer. We avoid driving at night when we can, and Parks Victoria asks you not to drive at the Prom between dusk and dawn.
• Spiders. We had a huntsman at Jervis Bay and a redback near Tuross. Check your shoes and the visors.
• Signal. We were on Optus and had really good signal down the coast. NPWS says there's no mobile coverage at Hobart Beach campground and only limited service at Pretty Beach. Download your maps before you head into the national parks.
• Don't just follow Google. Check Street View before an unsealed road, and check opening days for markets and attractions. We turned up to the Melbourne night market on the wrong night.

Sources

Our own experience comes from our drive between the spring of 2025 and January 2026, and the videos linked above. Official information was checked on 2 November 2026. Things change, especially campground closures and booking rules, so check the official pages before you go.

• Defence: Beecroft Weapons Range and Peninsula (Honeymoon Bay Campground)
• Parks Australia: camping at Booderee
• Parks Australia: Booderee park passes and permits
• Destination Kiama: Kiama Blowhole
• NSW National Parks: Barunguba Montague Island Nature Reserve
• NSW National Parks: accommodation and campground booking terms
• NSW National Parks: Gillards campground
• NSW National Parks: Picnic Point campground
• Mystery Bay Campground
• NSW National Parks: Hobart Beach campground
• NSW National Parks: Kosciuszko National Park visitor info
• NSW National Parks: Ngarigo campground
• Thredbo
• Eden Killer Whale Museum
• NSW National Parks: whale migration, the facts
• Sapphire Coast Destination: whale watching on the Sapphire Coast
• East Gippsland Shire: Raymond Island ferry
• Visit East Gippsland: Raymond Island Koala Trail
• NSW National Parks: Pretty Beach campground, Murramarang National Park
• NSW National Parks: Pretty Beach campground visitor info
• NSW National Parks: Congo campground, Eurobodalla National Park
• Dalmeny Campground
• Eurobodalla Council: camping grounds (Mystery Bay and Dalmeny)
• Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC): camping
• EPIC: parking and transport
• NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort
• Lake Tyers Beach Tavern
• BIG4 Wilsons Prom Holiday Park
• Parks Victoria: Wilsons Promontory National Park
• Parks Victoria: Mount Oberon
• Parks Victoria: Squeaky Beach
• Parks Victoria: Tidal River Campground
• Parks Victoria: bookings release schedule

More guides

• Our Great Lap route: where this drive fits in our lap of Australia.
• Spirit of Tasmania with a campervan: the ferry we caught at the end of this drive.
• Tasmania road trip in a campervan: our three weeks on the island.
• The Great Ocean Road in a campervan: heading west from Melbourne.
• Free camping in Australia: how we find spots and the unwritten rules.
• All our guides.