Airlie Beach is a popular destination to hire a campervan and makes for a great base to explore sites such as the Abel Point Marina (Australia’s largest marina) and Shute Harbour. Once you decide how many beds (berths) you will need in your RV or motorhome rental, simply compare the cheapest rates on camper hire with VroomVroomVroom.
Airlie Beach serves as the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. Known for its bars, clubs, live music, stylish restaurants, shops and luxurious accommodation options, Airlie Beach is also one of the most popular places for backpackers, with many affordable options to choose from. Airlie Beach is a great destination to explore in a campervan, with wonderful weather and activities on offer year-round.
BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort is situated at 25-29 Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach. The establishment is a multi-award winning resort, known for being one of Australia’s prime holiday parks. Its campsite facilities include a waterslide park, a kids craft club, minigolf, outdoor cinema and more. The park has a range of accommodation options, including unpowered campsites, ensuite powered sites, cabins, villas, luxury cottages and luxury condos.
Tasman Holiday Parks Airlie Beach lies along Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach. It is very close to the town centre and is an ideal base to explore the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. Its campsite facilities include barbecue areas, swimming pool, WiFi, laundry services, bike and pedal kart buggy hire and a tour desk. Choose from a range of cabins, glamping and campsites, though only the camping is pet-friendly.
Coral Sea Marina sits along Shingley Drive, Airlie Beach. The award-winning marina (previously Abell Point Marina) acts as the gateway to both the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands. The marina has a collection of shops, stylish restaurants and venues for water activities such as diving tours, cruising, sailing and snorkeling.
Airlie Beach Lagoon can be reached via the Shute Harbour Road. The site is nestled in the heart of Airlie Beach and is famous for its outstanding leisure facilities. The lagoon features a sandy beach, swimming pool, landscaped gardens, grassy knolls, clear waters and fantastic areas for sunbathing, picnicking and having a barbecue.
Boathaven Beach is within the area’s new peninsula named “The Beacons” and features over 60,000 cubic metres of white sand leading it to be hailed as Airlie Beach’s prime all-tide beach. Visitors are welcome to swim and have fun at the beach all year round.
Caves and Canyons Dive Site can be found at Hook Reef within the world renowned Great Barrier Reef. The site offers everyone an adventurous diving experience among beautiful coral gardens, crystal clear waters, a 60 metre wall and a 20 metre shelf. Caves and Canyons Dive Site is amazingly rich in marine life, and divers have a good chance of seeing tuna, mackerel, Indian steephead parrotfish and whales.
Conway National Park is located at Shute Harbour Road, under 10km south of Airlie Beach. Conway is a popular coastal national park with a great view of the Whitsunday Passage, valleys, forest and the Dent, Hamilton, Henning and Long islands. The park is known for its abundant flora and fauna, friendly camping sites and beautiful pebbly beach. The orange-tooted scrubfowl and Proserpine rock-wallabies inhabit the area. Bird watching, animal viewing, leisure walking and snorkeling are some of the activities on offer within the site.
On hiring a campervan in Airlie Beach
Unlike when hiring a rental car, people tend to book a campervan a bit further in advance, and there are a few reasons for this.
When you’re hiring a campervan, you’re not simply hiring something with four wheels to buzz around a city for a few days, instead you’re hiring a vehicle that you could well be living in for days, weeks, or even months. As such, people tend to have far more specific needs — some may require a certain number of berths, perhaps an onboard kitchen, or more comfortable living space. All this means that doing your research to find the right campervan for you can pay off handsomely — but it also means that supply is more limited. When supply is limited, it is a good idea to book as far in advance as possible so that you know that the campervan you need will be waiting for you when you arrive.
With this in mind, while it isn’t unusual for people to book a hire car the day before they need it, with campervans, people often book their vehicle months in advance. So our advice to you is if you’re planning to rent a campervan, start researching today, and when you find the right campervan for you, book it!
One more point, another way campervan rentals differ from regular cars, is that bookings are not instant. Once you make a campervan booking it will need to be approved by the provider. Yet another reason not to leave your campervan rental until you’re sitting in the airport boarding lounge.
If you’re new to campervans and not sure where to start, please give our campervans for beginners page a read as it explains many of the basics you’ll need to know to make an informed decision.
We could start off by telling you that a typical customer hiring a campervan in Airlie Beach tends to look at campervans with two or four berths (including a toilet and shower). This isn’t really all that helpful though, as they type of campervan you should hire in Airlie Beach depends very much on the type of campervan you — rather than a typical customer — needs. Consider the following questions:
How big is your travel group? What is your budget? What facilities do you need — or not need? Where are you planning to go? How long for? Knowing the answers to these questions — and plenty more — is the best way to make sure the campervan you hire in Airlie Beach is the right one for you.
Solo travellers or couples might find a compact campervan to be more than enough, while families — especially those with young kids — or larger groups might prefer a more spacious motorhome with multiple sleeping areas.
Next, consider the facilities you need and the facilities you want. These might sound the same, but they are very different! Basic campervans often include a bed and simple cooking gear, while more luxurious options feature kitchens, bathrooms, and comfortable bedding. For example, if you’re planning on camping, perhaps paying the extra for comfortable beds isn’t really necessary, but if you’re not even packing a tent, then the extra expense required to get more comfortable beds might be a smart choice.
Where you’re going also matters. If you’re planning to just potter around Airlie Beach and its immediate surrounds, then you could probably get away with a standard campervan. That said, if you’re planning to drive from Airlie Beach to Adelaide — or Perth — something more spacious would be a sound investment.
Think about your budget, as campervans vary in cost depending on size, amenities, and rental duration, and while shortening the length of your trip might bring different options within your budget, spending more to get a bigger van may mean you’ll spend even less on hotels. Either way, do the math!
In conclusion, when you’re booking a campervan for pickup from Airlie Beach, it pays to be honest when considering what you need versus what you want, along with what fits with your budget and overall travel plans. It’s the best way to maximise your chance of getting the perfect campervan for you.
For most rental caravan providers, the minimum age to rent a campervan is the same as for car rentals — 21 years of age. Depending on the campervan rental supplier, those under 21 may only be able to rent certain vehicles. Double check with the campervan rental provider to see what their specific requirements are.
In most cases, you won’t need to present a special type of licence to rent a campervan — you’ll only be asked to present your standard and valid full Australian driving licence. Keep in mind that a probationary, learner permit, or provisional licence are not accepted for campervan hire. If your licence is in a language other than English, you’ll need to provide an International Driving Permit in conjunction with your valid licence. If you’re unsure as to whether your licence will be accepted, you should contact your prospective campervan provider prior to booking.
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