These 20 essentials to travel Australia are all about things that make life easier and serve a useful purpose. Travel essentials for a happy camper…
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, we use most of these products ourselves. If you like a gift idea and click on a handful of links on this page, we might collect a tiny percentage from the sale if you choose to purchase online. Also, FYI, prices are accurate at the time of publication.
Insulated Drinkware
Ditch plastic drink bottles for good! Yeti have produced an outstanding stainless steel reusable bottle designed to keep your cold drinks icy cold and your hot drinks hot until the very last drop.
The double wall vacuum insulation, combined with kitchen grade 18/8 stainless steel makes them puncture and rust resistant.
The 10oz low ball tumbler is a good all rounder for caravanning and camping. Perfect for a coffee in the morning and doubles as a wine or spirits tumbler for the evenings around the camp fire. One the most used essentials to travel Australia.
Retails from $24.95 at yeti.com.au
Nanopresso Portable Coffee
Are you a coffee lover or have you got a coffee lover to buy for? The Nanopresso coffee machine delivers quality crema WITHOUT power! Using your favourite coffee grind and hot water, the Nanopresso is just like a barista made coffee. It uses 18 bar pressure to extract the delicious coffee everyone craves when they are on holidays. One of my favourite essentials to travel Australia.
Get one delivered to your door from their warehouse in Melbourne, at nanopresso.com
Aqua Shoes
An absolute must for the avid camper who loves to chase waterfalls, rock pools and hot springs! There is no need to worry about sharp oyster shells and rocks ruining your day out in the water.
Decathlon make super affordable aqua shoes. Make sure you go for ones like Subea, that have small holes in them to release any water.
Retails for only $14 at decathlon.com.au
Sand Free Beach Towel
Tesalate use exclusive AbsorbLite™ fabric technology to create stylish sand free beach towels. Ultra absorbent and super compact, Tesalate towels also dry in half the time of a regular beach towel. This proudly Australian business grew from selling towels at local markets and is now a global business.
We love the Into the Wild Towel for Two. Its gorgeous Aztec inspired print has you and the fam covered from lazy days at the beach to picnic days by the river.
The towel for two retails for $139 and single towel for $79 from tesalate.com.au
Led Lenser Head Lamp
German engineered Ledlenser head lamps take lighting up camp to a supersonic level. With an amazing 7 year warranty, these torches are designed to endure extreme situations. We own several types and each has performed well over the years. Our handheld torch has even been run over by a forklift and it still works fine, just a little dented!
The Ledlenser H3.2 is reasonably priced and gets the important jobs done, like cooking dinner over a fire, searching for things in the back of the ute and letting the kids use it to explore near camp. The H3.2 retails for $64.95.
If you want to splurge on yourself, a loved one or a friend, go for the Ledlenser H14.2.
1000 Lumens, 300 metre range and a rechargeable battery make this one a cracker, we use this one all the time! Retails for $284.95.
Quality head lamps are definitely important essentials to travel Australia.
Take a look at the complete LedLenser range here ledlenser.com.au
Collapsible colander
Leave bulky kitchenware at home and embrace camp friendly collapsible products.
We have the IKEA silicone colander and it is awesome. It has three different heights, easy to store as it is so compact and collapses flat. I’ve been using it for two years now and I use it all the time. It’s such a useful item in the caravan.
A bargain at only $7.99 from ikea.com.au
Car Seat Organiser
When you’re travelling, the inside of your vehicle can become quite the battleground of stuff. Having at least one car seat organiser is one of the best ways to combat a messy interior. Ideal for keeping iPads, matches and insect repellant at the ready.
The Navigator Seat Buddy has versatile storage options and looks so neat. Get a Navigator car seat organiser from adventure awaits.com.au for $99.95.
WikiCamps – Spotify – Sky Guide – Apps perfect for camping.
WikiCamps Australia – free, low cost and caravan park listings with review, comments and photos from the community who uses them. A one off purchase price, available on the AppStore for $7.99
Spotify – Play every song you’ve ever heard of with Spotify Premium or endure ads with the free version. Spotify premium has a monthly membership fee starting at $9.99.
Sky Guide – the ultimate guide to the night sky, you’ll never have to wonder what or where any object is in the galaxy. A one time cost of $4.49. Its totally worth it!
If you’re looking for more apps that are essentials to travel Australia, read my 15 Best Apps for Travelling Australia blog post.
GoPro Waterproof camera
Take your holiday memories to a whole new level with the Go Pro Hero Black. With its HyperSmooth 4K video and insanely high resolution images, you’ll love looking back on your moments captured on the Go Pro.
We use a GoPro Hero Black with the optional accessory Adventure Kit. The kit comes with a foam handle that floats! Our Hero 7 Black has made taking images and videos to the next level and is so fun to use.
From GoPro.com
Camping Table with 4 Seats
This simple and reliable table and chairs set is an excellent compact solution. With a laminated and aluminium framed table, this set fits four people comfortably and is super easy to set up and pack down.
It’s easy to clean and still looks great after heavy use. High quality fabric seats still look as good as new and so handy to take fishing or just parked up on a beach enjoying the sunset.
Get the set here at decathlon.com.au – Retails $129
Read our detailed review here –
Lapping Oz Decathlon-camping-table-4-seats-review
Fishing Shirts
A long sleeve fishing shirt is a must have when camping and fishing. Our kids practically live in fishing shirts as they are breathable in hot weather and protect them from Australia’s harmful UV rays.
Just look for any brand that uses SPF 50+ fabric technology and you’ll be right.
Fishing shirts start at 49.95 at bcf.com.au
Dometic CF 50 Compressor Fridge
The CF 50 has your cold beers all sorted. Even if you travel with a fridge in your caravan, having the extra fridge is a real lifesaver. Not only does it keep heaps more beers cold, if your caravan fridge fails, you have a back up for all your perishable foods. Forget an esky cooler, compressor fridges are absolute essentials to travel Australia.
The CF 50 has the right internal dimensions to stack beers cans neatly and snugly. Having the fridge in the car makes our travelling lifestyle super easy, simply throw in a few things to make a cheese platter or sandwiches by a river or beach and life is good. Retail $699 incl cover.
Get one from anaconda.com.au
Car Side Awning
We are a ‘lil bit jealous when we see a family pull up at the beach and pull out their side awning. The shade is provides can not be over estimated. Oh, the convenience compared to setting up a tarp!
The Wanderer Awning 2x3M, comes complete with rip stop canvas, aluminium poles and guy ropes. We’ve seen these in action and its a winner! We see lots of travellers with car side awnings across Australia.
Wanderer awning are available at bcf.com.au
Ultimate Ears Portable Speaker
Bring your favourite tunes to camp with a waterproof portable speaker that pumps out your favourite music.
The Ultimate Ears Boom 3 pumps out 360 degree sound and features a USB rechargeable battery.
Retails for $199, available at jbhifi.com.au
Double Hammock
All you need are two appropriate trees at a set distance apart and you’ll have the ultimate afternoon nap.
The Decathlon Double Hammock invites you in for a lazy afternoon. It is super compact when not in use, easy to clean and dries super fast, unlike other cotton versions. It features a handy side pocket to store your book or magazine.
A great price, only $49 from decathlon.com.au
Cast Iron Camp Oven
From roasts, to pasta bakes, to Nutella filled damper, to bacon and cheese pull aparts there is nothing better than a meal cooked on a fire in a cast iron camp oven.
The Pioneer pre seasoned 4.5 quart cast iron camp oven is our favourite. Its the right size for a family of four.
Retails for $59.99 at bcf.com.au
Thermacell Insect Repellants
Do you suffer or know someone who always get annihilated by mosquitos when camping and caravanning? Thermacell insect repellants are the gift that keeps on giving – a defence against annoying itchy bites.
While we don’t have one, we have met fellow campers who totally rate the Thermacell Insect Repellant. We have seen them in action and have seen them working! Perfect for someone who wants to avoid using chemical repellants on their skin. Read how they work at Thermacell Repellants.
Available from your local Bunnings.
Snorkelling Gear
Bring the magic of an underwater wilderness to yourself or a loved one with a rad new mask, snorkel and flippers.
The underwater world of the Australian coastline is one of my favourite parts of travelling Oz.
I am loving my Subea flippers from Decathlon, they are soft and flexible around your feet and are long enough to allow strong free diving action.
Dive fins available for delivery to your door at Decathlon for just $65.
Leatherman Multi Tool
Every handyperson’s dream is in the Leatherman Multi Tool. An iconic tool that is so well made and versatile, it will no doubt be passed on from father to son.
See the full range from leatherman.com.au
Zorali Pack and Carry Fire Pit
If you can think of the ultimate portable fire pit, then Zorali have designed it! It comes complete with a grill plate, legs and keeps the fire off the ground. Zorali are a new Australian outdoor brand that has committed to planting 10 trees for every item purchased from their website.
A total splurge item that will make you the envy of the whole campground. Retails $219.95
Available from zorali.com
