Great value rentals from Australia's most trusted campervan hire providers
Driving to Cairns in a campervan? Or collecting a campervan in Cairns and doing the great road trip south along Queensland’s eastern coastline? Either option sounds like a great plan for anyone wanting to travel in Australia, as booking a campervan or motorhome for an epic road trip has always been a great way to holiday. With more Australians now wanting to travel domestically, now is a great time to book your Cairns campervan rental and start exploring.
As the gateway to Tropical North Queensland, Cairns is surrounded by beautiful rainforest, lakes, gardens, and the impressive and world-famous Great Barrier Reef. There are plenty of areas to explore if you are willing to travel including Mission Beach, which is only a short drive away via the Bruce Highway/A1. With an array of different holiday parks, exploring the Cairns region is easy with a campervan.
Make the most out of your campervan rental by keeping these recommendations in mind:
Many people book a campervan rental in Cairns around the Christmas season, so if you are planning to rent one over the holiday period, it’s best to arrange your travels at least a month in advance in order to be sure of securing your preferred camper.
Booking earlier also lets you secure your preferred motorhome model at usually better rates, or before they sell out.
Look into the features of the campervan model you are considering to ensure that it is well-equipped, so that you can have an enjoyable and comfortable trip.
Enjoy the scenery! Cairns offers amazing driving routes you can explore with your campervan.
Cairns Holiday Coconut Resort is located at Bruce Highway and Anderson Road. Just fifteen minutes from central Cairns, the resort covers 28 acres of land filled with rainforest areas, tropical gardens, and open space. Its facilities include a disabled and family bathroom, campers kitchen, recreation room, pool table, tour bookings, 24-hour reception, mini-mart, laundromats, dump point, tour buses call, tropical dining cafe, barbecues, gas refills, van storage, and daily housekeeping.
Crystal Cascades Holiday Park can be found along Intake Road in Redlynch. It has three types of campervan camping sites; ensuite sites, powered sites, and unpowered sites. All of the sites are surrounded by beautiful views and have ample facilities. Stay here for a memorable experience.
NRMA Cairns Holiday Park is situated in the centre of Cairns. This is the only spot where two World Heritage-listed areas meet, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The park has a wide range of great facilities such as a swimming pool, free WiFi, kiosk, air-conditioned TV room, tropical fruit and herb garden, camp kitchen and extensive tour desk.
Cairns Museum can be found within the School of Arts Building, corner Lake and Shields Street. It is an interesting venue that contains a lot of information about Cairns’ history, and the story of its people throughout time. Learn about the Aboriginal and Islander locals, as well as details about the arrival of the Chinese. Exploring the museum will open your eyes to how much the city has changed over time.
Daintree Rainforest lies north of Cairns. It is Australia’s largest tropical rainforest and forms part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Site. The rainforest was named after the Australian geologist and photographer, Richard Daintree. It homes abundant flora and fauna and a number of leisure facilities that enables everyone to get involved and enjoy nature. See the crocodiles at the Daintree River, the rocks at the Mossman Gorge, go walking through the forest and see the picturesque sights from Flagstaff Hill Lookout.
Lake Placid sits between Cairns and Kuranda, forming part of the Barron Gorge National Park. The lake belongs to the Djabugay people who believe that the water fairy Bannnunda lives within it. Having a picnic on the banks, leisure walking and relaxing are just some of the activities to do while at Lake Placid.
Machans Beach dates back to 1885, making it one of the oldest beachfront communities in Cairns. Its name was taken from Richard and Cristina Machan, the first white settlers in the area. Machans Beach is popular for its friendly locals, picturesque sights as well as watching the moon rise over dinner.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway offers everyone the opportunity to see Australia’s World Heritage-listed tropical rainforest from above with its safe and comfortable six-person gondola cabins. Skyrail’s Caravonica Terminal is just 15 minutes drive from the city centre.
On hiring a campervan in Cairns
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 Cairns 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 Cairns 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 Cairns 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 Cairns and its immediate surrounds, then you could probably get away with a standard campervan. That said, if you’re planning to drive from Cairns 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 Cairns, 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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