Campervan Vs hostels????

Hi Guys

Myself and two friends are planning to travel the East Coast Oz in a January 2010..Were seriously undecided whether to rent a campervan or stay in hostels..

Which would work out cheaper in the long run..when one takes into acc petrol cost/use of shower facilities in campsite etc..?

I take it you have to pay extra for use of shower facilities??also how much does the average night in campsite cost...also are there many cheap campsites to park the campervan close to the major towns/cities??

And finally would we still meet as many ppl when campervaning rather than stayin in hostels??

Pls pls pl all your advice is greatly needed!!!

Caz

Hi Campervanning is a lot of fun and gives you a heap of freedom. We use a discount campervan company called Backpacker Campervans here in Australia. And if you rent from them you get 10% discount from Big 4 Holiday Parks. Rates at Holiday Parks range from $28 - $35 per night for a powered site and use of amenities. Caravan Parks are usualy located within 5km of regional town centres and up to 15 km from major city centres. Usually though the caravans are near the beach which is cool. The caravan park people tend to bunch campervans together in their parks so you get to meet other travellers. I like the abaility to go whereever I want in the campervan and if I feel like camping by the beach or on the side of the road I can. If you hire a Britz or Maui Campervan you can get a shower and toilet in the campervan.

Although campervan-ing it is great fun and you can do it at your own pace, I do think the East Coast of Oz is so accessible by bus that it would work out cheaper to do it by bus and stay in hostels.

I've done both - did from Cairns to Sydney by Greyhound Bus and hostels then got a camper van in Sydney and travelled down the coast and got the ferry to Tasmania and back to Sydney.

If memory serves me correctly the camper van aspect was quite expensive, not the rental itself but the fact that they GUZZLE gas. We were stopping nearly every day or every second day. we did have an amazing time and saw some amazing sights but for the east coast itself I would probably recommend getting the bus and staying in hostels.

Also, depending on your budget 3 in a camper van can be quite cramped, there was 3 of us, and you will get sick of trying to cook in the cramped quarters.

Either way you'll have an amazing time, whichever you decide