Travelling in Australia with a car or campervan – the ultimate (working) holiday

After working in Perth for six months, I realised it was time for something new. A new adventure, something I’d never done before. The title of this blog probably already gives it away: it was time for the ultimate Australian experience: a lengthy road trip through Australia with my own car.

In my head, the plan sounded simple: buy a car, make a plan and go. As easy as one, two, three. I would like to say it worked out that way, but then I’d be lying.

Renting a car in Australia is easy, but it was never really an option for me. I wouldn’t have enough freedom and, more than that, it would completely drain my budget. I saw it a bit like buying a house instead of paying rent: at least buying a car would give me the opportunity to get some of my investment back. Going on a road trip with someone else could have been fun, but again, it would mean less flexibility.

Looking for a car to buy in Australia

First things first. A road trip wouldn’t be a road trip without my own car, so it was time to start looking.

From what I’d heard, finding a car in the eastern states of Australia isn’t too difficult. Western Australia, however, is much less visited and therefore has far less on offer, especially in the low season (winter and rain), when many backpackers avoid WA altogether.

I wrote down my wishes (four-wheel drive, rooftop tent or a nicely built-in bed, solar panels and battery, less than 250,000 km and at least some service history) and my budget (AUD 7,000), and started looking. Little did I realise this was quite a list of demands.

I kept an eye on Facebook Marketplace, a platform heavily used in Australia, and it seemed like the best place to start. New listings appeared almost every day, mostly family cars. Backpacker cars were much more scarce and hardly ever fulfilled all my wishes.

Being under time pressure made it even more frustrating. Only rarely would I see a car that met some of my requirements, and when I did, it was often sold before I could even go and inspect it. Only once was I the first person to view a car. We discussed the price, but I waited too long to decide, and someone else showed up with cash the next day.

That was the moment I realised I needed to move faster, and rethink my approach.

So I became more lenient with my wishes and slowly increased my budget. Week by week, my demands changed, and my budget followed.

Change of plans

I quit my job at the start of September, convinced I’d be on the road within one or two weeks. Instead, a full month passed without any progress, and without any income.

Doing this all by myself was hard, and the longer it took, the more desperate I became. I eventually got over my hesitation and started visiting dealerships with a friend.

There were cars, but none of them were backpacker cars, and they all seemed more expensive than the ones I’d seen online. Gumtree showed options from both dealerships and private owners, but there too the selection was limited and didn’t meet my expectations. Service histories were missing, kilometre counts were high, or the price was simply too much.

As my departure date approached, I needed to be in Adelaide by mid-October, I didn’t know what to do anymore. With some pain in my heart, I started letting go of the idea of a backpacker car altogether. At this time of year, I realised, it just wasn’t going to happen within my budget.

Should I maybe just fly to the east coast and rent a car after all?

Not the car I was expecting, but the one I needed

To keep it short: I eventually found a 2011 Honda CRV family car that met most of my requirements. It had less than 250,000 km, was under AUD 10,000 (although it was listed at 10,000, I managed to get the price down to 9,000), and seemed to have a good service history.

I messaged the seller immediately, made an appointment to inspect it the next morning, told him straight away that I was interested, and paid a AUD 500 deposit. The next day, I returned with a mechanic and decided to buy the car.

And just like that, I owned a car, though not the one I’d originally imagined.

Making a family car road-trip ready

So now what? I had a family car, no insurance, no bed or rooftop tent, not even a roof rack. No extra battery, no solar panel, and only one week left before I really had to leave.

The only option was to make it as liveable as possible, preferably with a bed frame inside, a big challenge for someone with no carpentry experience whatsoever.

I spent days searching Google, Reddit and other forums for suitable bed frame designs for my car. The seats in this model didn’t fold flat, which made things more complicated. Eventually, I made up my mind, went to Bunnings (a large hardware store in Australia) and bought wood, screws, latches and everything else I thought I might need.

A week of building with a friend later, I had a three-piece, removable bed frame in my car and even two built-in tables. I decided not to remove the seats for extra space, as that would reduce the resale value. Instead, we found a way to build around them.

In the meantime, I spent practically 24 hours a day on Facebook Marketplace looking for camping gear, second-hand bedding, a mattress, pillows, storage boxes and anything else that could make the car feel a little more like home.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t perfect. But it worked.

Tips & tricks from my road trip experience

• Buying a car is surprisingly easy. It is finding one to buy which is hard.
• Be flexible with your “dream setup.” In Western Australia, especially outside peak season, backpacker cars are rare. A reliable family car can be a much better starting point than waiting endlessly for the perfect van.
• Facebook Marketplace is essential. Most private car sales in Australia happen there. Good cars sell quickly, so check often and don’t hesitate too long.
• Time pressure changes everything. Searching without a deadline feels very different from searching when your job has ended and your next destination is fixed. Budget extra time, or extra money.
• Lower your expectations, not your standards. Letting go of things like solar panels or a rooftop tent doesn’t mean you should compromise on service history or mechanical condition.
• A DIY setup doesn’t need to be fancy. My car setup wasn’t totally Instagram-worthy, but it was functional, removable and good enough to get me on the road.
• Buying a car is only the beginning. Insurance, registration, gear and small upgrades add up quickly. Always keep a buffer.
• You don’t need the perfect setup to leave. If I’d waited until everything was “ready,” I might still be in Perth.

What I’d do differently next time

• I’d start looking earlier, even while still working full-time. At least before I’d give up my job.
• I’d set a more realistic initial budget, knowing how limited the market can be in WA.
• I’d focus sooner on reliability and worry less about the setup.
• And I’d remind myself earlier that any car that gets you on the road is better than the perfect car you never find.

Why I’d still do it all again

Buying a car, building it myself and heading off into the unknown was stressful, messy and far from smooth. But it gave me something renting never could: complete freedom.

Freedom to change plans.
Freedom to follow the weather.
Freedom to stay longer when a place feels right.

And for me, that’s exactly what a roadtrip in Australia is all about.