Caravanning through WA is no longer just for grey nomads, it’s fast becoming a popular choice for parents looking to share WA’s natural beauty with their kids. Caravanning and camping in WA is a great option for families looking to travel at their own pace and explore WA’s coastline, northern national parks, luscious south-west or historical goldfields.
For the first time caravaners, or just first time travellers to WA, we’ve put together an easy guide on travelling to WA in a caravan with everything from choosing your caravan to tips for travelling with kids.
How to select the best caravan for your family trip to WA
There are hundreds of different options available for caravans, campers, motorhomes and just plain ol’ camping, so how do you know which option if going to be the best for your family. First, you’ll need to know which features you’ll need for your holiday.
How many people are travelling in the caravan?
This should be an easy enough one to answer and it will help you eliminate a lot of caravans immediately, purely because they don’t have the capacity to sleep your whole family.
The more people sleeping in a caravan can also mean less space, a pro-tip is to look for beds that can be packed down during the day so you can have more space inside the caravan. Double or triple bunkbeds that can pack down are particularly popular for families of 4 or 5.
Don’t forget enough space for your pet to sleep if they’re coming to WA with you.
How long will your trip be and when?
If you’re planning to travel around all of Australia, or even just WA, you’ll need more storage in your caravan compared to a long weekend away. If you’ve got a long trip in WA planned, make sure to look for a caravan with ample storage spaces.
Travelling for a long time also means you’ll be travelling through seasons and will need to be prepared for wet weather and intense heat. WA can be both hot and wet, depending on the time of year. For travellers heading to north WA, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got shelter to protect you from the sun, and in the rain in the wet season (October-March).
You can create shade and shelter near your caravan with an awning, or for more space, an enclosed annex. An annex will create an entire room outside your caravan to be used as a dining room, bedroom or just extra storage for when you’re parked. An enclosed annex will also help keep the bugs and mosquitoes out.
There’s always somewhere hot in WA, the south west can get over 40°C in summer (November-March) and the Kimberly still reaches over 30°C in the middle of the year. Look into an air conditioner to help you sleep at night, no matter where you are in WA.
Will you be staying at caravan parks in WA or free sites?
How often you are near a power source, showers and a laundry will determine if you need to buy a caravan that has:
- Solar panels
- Batteries
- Potable water storage
- Toilet
- Shower
- Washing machine
- Fridge
All of these things might be needed if you’re not planning to stay at powered caravan parks in WA. If you’re mostly staying at free caravan sites in WA, you will need to stock up on water and power, and carry a way to clean yourselves, clothes and dishes.
Also…
Where will you store your caravan when you’re not using it? This will help you determine the maximum size of the caravan.
What towing capacity does your car have? On your trip through WA, your car will be just as important as your caravan, so make sure you’ve checked the towing capacity of your car before you buy a caravan.
Caravan Features to Make Your Life Easier
Fridge
Travelling with kids means more food is getting eaten every day and the last thing you want is to run out of food when you’ve got a hungry and grumpy kid. Invest in a large fridge if possible and you’ll always have something one hand for hungry little mouths.
Carrying your own food will also give you the freedom to be able to choose where you buy your food. Travelling through regional WA can mean that you don’t go through a large town for days and you might be forced to buy food in a small town for a higher price, and potentially lower quality.
Toilet
Not only will having your own toilet on board allow you to travel for days without having to come into a WA town, but it also means you don’t need to get up in the middle of the night to take your little one to the outside toilets.
Bike racks
Taking your bikes with you on your WA caravan trip means your kids will always have something to do and a little bit of freedom wherever you park. Not all caravans have a bike rack equipped but you can easily add a bike rack to most caravan setups.
Annex
Travelling in a caravan with your family can get a little cramped for any family, so adding an annex to your caravan will give your family a bit more space and an extra play area for the kids. If you’re planning on spending a few nights in each location this will give you some extra storage space and free up some room inside the caravan.
Perth’s closest caravan park
If you’re planning to stop in Perth during your caravan trip through WA, Perth Central Caravan Park is a family-friendly and pet-friendly caravan park located near the Swan River and only minutes from the city. We’re the closest caravan park to Perth, WA so you’ll easily be able to enjoy all that Perth has to offer.
Perth Central Caravan Park has powered sites to suit any size caravan, camper, motor home or tent and our premium facilities are perfect for families on a caravan trip. Our staff can help you book a trip to Rottnest Island or plan your sightseeing around Perth or relax in the shade of the caravan park as the kids swim in the full-length pool.
Book your site online for the lowest rates or speak to one of our friendly staff about your booking.
Image source: abc.net.au