Campervans
A campervan turns the drive north into part of the holiday. You collect it in Brisbane, drive up the Bruce Highway, and sleep wherever you stop.
Hervey Bay has no rental counter, so the vehicle you drive up here comes from the Brisbane depot at Woolloongabba. That sounds like a complication and is really an opportunity: the 288 km north stops being a transfer and becomes the first two days of the trip.
A campervan means you do not need to book accommodation for every night, you can eat out of the back, and you can follow the weather. On this coast that matters, because the good days are the ones you spend outside.
What it does not do is go onto sand. If K'gari is the reason for the trip, read what the island requires before choosing a van.
Seven vans, from a two-berth with a kitchenette to a five-seat mini camper with a rooftop tent. Unlimited kilometres on most of them.
Campervan A high-top two-berth with standing room at the back and a proper kitchenette. The most comfortable choice for two people doing the Brisbane run with a few nights on the coast.
Best for: Two people, a week or more, cooking most nights
Full specifications
Campervan A five-seat car with a bed inside and a tent on the roof. The cheapest way to move a small group, and the manual gearbox is the trade-off.
Best for: Three people on a budget who can drive a manual
Full specifications
Campervan A compact automatic two-berth with a fridge drawer under the bed. Easy to park in town and easy to drive if you have never handled a van.
Best for: Two people who want an automatic and short hops
Full specifications
Campervan The standard two-berth: bed, kitchenette and unlimited kilometres. Pick this if you want the lowest daily rate that still has a kitchen.
Best for: Two people, unlimited kilometres, cooking your own food
Full specifications
Campervan The two-berth layout stretched to seat and sleep three. Three adults sharing one bed is tight, so it suits two adults and a child better.
Best for: Two adults and one child
Full specifications
Campervan Three berths split between the van and a tent on the roof. Gives three people their own space instead of one shared bed.
Best for: Three friends who would rather not share a bed
Full specifications
Campervan A two-berth with a raised roof, so you can stand up to cook and change. Worth the step up if you are sleeping in it for more than a few nights.
Best for: Two people who want headroom without a bigger van
Full specificationsHervey Bay is a long strip of suburbs along the esplanade — Point Vernon, Pialba, Scarness, Torquay and Urangan, in that order from west to east. Caravan parks sit behind the beach in most of them, which puts you a short walk from calm water.
Further south, the Burrum Coast National Park and the beaches around Woodgate are quieter and cheaper, and the camps at Inskip Point put you next to the K'gari barge.
Where you can camp around Hervey Bay covers the options and what access each one needs.
The Bruce Highway is dual carriageway for long stretches and single lane in others. Overtaking lanes come and go. If you have never driven a van, the first hour out of Brisbane is the worst of it, and then the road opens up.
Fuel is easy — Gympie and Maryborough both sit right on the highway. Fill up before you turn off towards the coast if you are heading somewhere quiet.
No. The nearest depot is in Brisbane, at Woolloongabba, and the van is driven north from there. Nothing is collected in Hervey Bay.
Caravan parks along the esplanade at Torquay, Scarness and Pialba are the practical option, with national park camping further down the coast. Free camping is limited and enforced, so plan for a paid site.
In summer, yes, if you want to run a fridge without draining the battery. The vans have a fridge and a cooker; a powered site keeps both going comfortably.
Not onto the sand. The island's tracks need a high-clearance 4WD with low range. If K'gari is the point of the trip, look at the 4WD campers instead.
Rental terms, driver age rules and the current rate for your dates are set on the operator's side — campervan hire in Brisbane lists the depot and the conditions.
