Essential van life tips to know before you hit the road

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Doing a Big Lap of Australia (or any long road trip for that matter) often involves calling a campervan or caravan home for a while.

 

Here, we get some tips and hacks to living life on four wheels from those behind the hugely successful Van Life Diaries blog (and now book).

Van life interior
Van life certainly has its perks

1. Find those hot showers

Having a hot shower option when living full-time or part-time in a van is a big thing for me that makes it feel more like a home.

2. Try to camp for free

Look for free camp options in nature as often as you can. I love the van lifestyle of travelling and exploring Australia as it cuts down on accommodation costs. I always have all the gear I need with me, and, most importantly, I have my bed with me wherever I go!

3. Have some respect

If you are in a city or town and you want to free park for the night, find a safe place to park, don’t be loud and bother those with homes, leave early and don’t leave rubbish or clean your teeth on their sidewalk.

4. Don’t be shy

Start conversations with fellow travellers along the way to build community and find out about the best waterfalls, beaches, lakes and walks from them, and from the locals too. I enjoy having conversations with the local community, raising awareness about our conscious van-living community who care about nature and people and want to have a minimal impact on the places they enjoy.

5. Utilise op shops

Being light packers, we buy 90 per cent of our essentials from thrift stores, [from] bedding to kitchenware, and additional clothes depending on the season. Generally we will take one jumper, a jacket and, if it’s colder than expected, buy another one there.

6. Unpack

Unpacking and ‘moving in’ to the van is like coming home. When everything has its place and I am not digging through my suitcase like a madman, I can immediately absorb experiences faster and feel more present and relaxed.

7.  Embrace change

Travelling in a van is for those open to change. You can journey at your own pace, savouring experiences with the people you cherish, or seek a different path, creating a once-in-a-lifetime trip of your own design.

8. Choose your own adventure

When looking for an adventure vehicle, ask yourself what kind of adventure you want to go on. You might already own a car or truck that can take you where you need to go, and you might be able to build it out for the type of trip you’re looking to go on. Also, don’t underestimate smaller rigs. It’s been nice travelling in a van like the older Toyota ones because I use my outdoor space as an extension of my living space.

9. Network

Attend [traveller] gatherings or meet-ups if they are close by or on your route. It can be quite lonely travelling around in a van and it’s nice to find like-minded people to be able to share conversations and meals with.

10. R&R

Take periods of rest; travelling can be tiring on the body. Find areas where you can camp for more than a few days, whether that’s national parks or a friend’s backyard. Every so often, it’s nice to take a hot shower, do a load of laundry and clean out your rig.

 

Vanlife Diaries: Finding Freedom on the Open Road by Kathleen Morton, Jonny Dustow and Jared Melrose (Hardie Grant, $39.99) is available now.

 

Thinking of attempting The Big Lap of Australia? Check out our ultimate guide you’ll want to read before you hit the road…
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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington , like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.