Australia
Motorhoming Australia: A parallel RVing world "Down Under"
By Gail Bennett

Australia is an island continent similar in size to the United States. But with a population of 20 million, that's only six percent of the 300 million people in America. Australia is a land of vast contrasts with the usual populated and vibrant metropolises of the big cities, the outback where you can travel for some time without seeing another person or vehicle, and all the small- to medium-sized towns in between.

Away from the more populated East Coast you can free-camp in the middle of nowhere and see not another soul for a few days. Most times, though, if you do pull up in the middle of nowhere, but near a road in the middle of the afternoon, within a short time you will have a few camp companions who are looking for safety in numbers.

With such a small population (in comparison to the USA) our roads need not be freeways from city to city. Whilst you will drive on freeway conditions between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne the rest of Australia is two lane highways (one lane in either direction). Whilst you can see the "real Outback" if you stay on the bitumen you can also spend many kilometres on outback dirt roads and tracks if your motorhome is suitably set up for such conditions.

Being in the southern hemisphere we travel north for winter instead of south as the Americans do. During the months of May through September the Outback and far north comes alive with travelers and friends who tour these parts either regularly, as "full timers" or as the "trip of a lifetime." Many couples or family groups take three months paid long service leave to travel "around the block" that is "travelling around Australia," as we Aussies call it. Others take many years to do the same lap.

We have a great family in the motorhoming fraternity with two Australia wide clubs whose main focus is meeting people and having a great time. The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) has 46,000 members and fosters a very close 'family' relationship which is exemplified by its famous motto, "Laugh More – Live Longer."  This sense of belonging extends throughout the nation where the club's network of chapters provides a solid support base for members on the move and a strong social framework for those in the same region. With this many members you do not go far without finding a familiar blue sticker of a club member.

With this family atmosphere you will often meet up with someone you met at a free camp either the night before or a few nights ago. You catch up -- find out where the best deals are, where the cheapest fuel is and where the next free camp is. You can find yourself meeting up with the same people again and again around Australia. For me traveling and motorhoming is just as much about the people you meet as the places you see. We have met many great people in our motorhoming outings either with our local chapter of the CMCA or on our long term trips "around the block" and many of these will remain life long friends.

This is just a very brief overview of motorhoming in Australia. I look forward to expanding these and many other topics in coming articles. See my website MotorhomingLifestyle.com for articles and information about RVing in my part of the world.

A big rally "Down Under" can look a whole lot like a similar one in North America. Two major rallies are held each year in Australia with 1,000 to 1,200 motorhomes participating for the week-long affairs.

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