13 Most Memorable Van Life Moments

Life on the road is one big adventure, and definitely the best way to explore Australia. Cruising around Australia in a van is a right of passage, and it is awesome to see how many people are enjoying van life. Living out of a van gives you the freedom to explore every beach, waterfall, lookout point and city. It also allows you to get off the beaten path and create the best memories. While not always the most luxurious, living out of a van makes you appreciate simple things like hot showers and going to bed with clean feet. In the end, all of the slight inconveniences are outweighed by the amazing and unique van life moments.

I bought a Toyota Tarago in Australia and lived out of it for 6 months (could’ve easily been more). Bessie carried me up the entire East coast of Australia, including a loop around Tasmania. There’s definitely ups and downs to van life, but that’s what makes it the best experience. You never know what you’re going to encounter and the whole journey is an adventure. Here are my unforgettable van life moments.

1. Showering in Hungry Jacks (AKA Australian Burger King)

I will never forget the night I showered at Hungry Jacks and camped out in the parking lot next to a herd of cows. Showers are not always easy to come by when you’re on the road. It had definitely been a few days since my last shower so I was stoked to find that the Hungry Jacks offered free hot showers. Nothing better than a Whopper and a steamy shower. There was even a grassy field where we were able to stay that night, and wake up next to the cows.

2. Free beach front property

One of my favorite van life moments was camping on a secluded beach in Victoria. Some locals pointed us in the direction of this spot and we had our own private beach front real estate that night. I remember the sunset was incredible and the stars were amazing. Living in the van allowed us to find these amazing hidden places.

Spaghetti never tasted so good

3. Dinner with a view

My van came equipped with a propane stove so I was able to cook food anywhere. We usually tried to settle down in a beautiful place and enjoy the view. Views like this made us forget that we were just eating spaghetti.

Lakefront Camping View

4. Getting attacked by mozzies

This was one of the less positive van life moments that occurred in far north Queensland just south of Cairns. It was so hot that night so we couldn’t sleep without the doors being open, and our mosquito net was not adequate enough to keep the mozzies out. I murdered at least 40 mosquitos on the ceiling of my van that night and literally felt like I was under attack.

One of the many waterfalls we chased in the van

5. Scenic Roads and Waterfalls

Australia does a great job at creating scenic roads that get you off the boring highway and allow you to see some of the best little towns, water falls and other points of interest. I would have never seen half of the waterfalls and beaches that I got to check out if I wasn’t living in the van. This was especially true on our Tasmania road trip. We experienced some of the most dramatic scenery in Australia here, and having a van was a must!

My cozy little home

6. Sneakily Sleeping in cities

This was always an adventure because there is a much more likelihood of getting caught when you try to sleep in the van in a city. Places like Byron Bay are almost impossible to get away with, but with the right planning and a van that looks like a mom’s mini van we made it happen. Saved us a lot of money on accommodation.

Bessie and the toys

7. Sleeping in the sand

Another difficulty of sleeping in a city. It was so hot the week we were in the Gold Coast. I remember feeling like I was in an oven cooking at 1 AM in the morning. We couldn’t take the heat anymore so we drove up to the beach, grabbed our blankets and passed out in the sand.

Finding Pristine Beaches

8. Wombats!

Definitely my favorite Aussie animal and potential spirit animal. We pulled into a campground late one night and saw these boulders that looked like they were moving. Turns out there were a bunch of wombats wondering around. I loved watching them do their nightly routine.

Surfing Noosa

9. Awesome Surf Spots

The van allowed me to access a bunch of really fun surf spots along the coast. Taking detours off the main highway in search of waves always paid off. Scored some un crowded fun ones.

10. Three people can not sleep in the van together

This was another homeless experience in Newcastle. We tried to sleep 3 people in the van, needless to say that was a sweltering mess. I ended up sleeping on a grassy hill. Although I didn’t sleep to much that night I woke up to the most beautiful sunrise of my life.

11. The people you meet

There is a whole network of campsites in Australia, and you can view them all from an app on your phone. Since we were on a budget we always tried to find the free camp spots. Some places get pretty popular and you end up meeting some cool people along the way. Nothing beats sharing wine and stories from parking lots, cliff sides or grassy fields.

12. Eating the best Pies in every town

What better reason to take a break from driving and stretch your legs/stomach. I loved trying all the local pie shops around Australia. All were good, but some were extraordinary!

12 Apostles Great Ocean Road

13. The freedom of having a home on wheels

I will never forget my van life experience in Australia. I felt so free being able to go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted knowing that my home was always coming with me. My van was so cozy to snuggle in at night and surprisingly handled every hill and gravel road pretty well. I loved not being attached to any specific location, and being able to move around with everything I owned (obviously not a lot).

The End of the Road

Everyday was a new adventure in the van. I mean, I never knew if she was even going to be able to get us from point A to B. For anyone visiting Australia or even living there, I totally recommend experiencing van life. If you can’t by your own van, there are tons of places to rent a van and create your own adventure.

I hope to one day explore more of Australia by van, or even take my van life to Central America.

Here are some resources to help you experience van life.