Renting in July and August

Are you planning to travel from Perth to Darwin v.v. by 4WD camper in July and August? Please keep in mind that the request for 4WD campers starts early. Early bookers book their desired 4WD camper as soon as they have got the possibility to book their flights, this is usually 10 till 11 months upfront. The 4WD campers which are fully booked the first are the so called family campers. These are the models that are suitable for 4 or 5 persons. The main cause is that many European families travel in July and August because of the school holidays in their own country. Models like the Hilux 4 berth, Landcruiser Vortex and Hilux with two roof tents for July and August are mostly fully booked before the end of October of the previous year.

If you preferred choice goes to the more common models which are more easily available, like the Cheapa 4WD or Safari Landcruiser, you have got more time to book. However, because the demand is always higher than the availability we strongly recommend to book a model like this before the end of January, so you are ensured of a 4WD camper. What many travellers from outside Australia are not aware off is the two week school holidays in July for Western Australia and the Northern Territory which lead to an even higher demand for 4/5 berth 4WD campers besides the fact that Australians are the biggest group of hirers.

In Australia there are around 1400 registered 4WD rental campers from several suppliers, which might seem a considerable number. But if you put the interest from the German speaking countries (which is huge), the US, Canada, England, France and Scandinavia next to the interest from Australia and New Zealand one can guess the available 4WD campers can run out fast. An additional disadvantage is that the later you book, the higher the flex-prices can be. The above applies not only for the route Perth-Darwin but for Darwin-Perth, Broome-Darwin, Darwin-Broome, Perth-Broome, Broome-Perth and Cairns-Cairns as well. About 40 per cent of the entire fleet consists of models that are suitable for 4 or 5 people. 

Essentially these are some important things you need to keep in mind as a future 4WD hirer. Book your 4WD camper as soon as your holiday plans for July and August are defined so you do not belong to the large number of travellers that yearly book too late and miss out. The only option is then to travel by 2WD camper which cannot be driven on the Gibb River Road and similar roads, to Purnululu NP, on the Eighty Mile Beach, in Karijini NP, to Steep Point, in Francois Peron NP, etc. So waiting long and/or booking late can have a big impact on the success of your holiday.