I just returned from a 10 day campervan trip around Queensland, Australia with Spaceships Rentals. The campervan was great, not only to drive but to live in as well, and it really made me realise that travelling by camper van is the best way to see Australia! Here is all you need to know about Spaceships Rentals if you are thinking about hitting the road in Australia!
Spaceships Rentals In Australia
Spaceships is one of the most popular and affordable camper van rental companies in Australia.
There are Spaceships locations throughout the country: in Airlie Beach, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney.
Spaceships Fleet
Spaceships has several different types of camper van so you can find one perfect for your budget and needs. All their camper vans are converted people carriers, from the cheapest camper the Alpha all the way up to the 4-Berth family camper vans that come with a rooftop tent on the top of the car!
We hired the Beta 2S Premium Campervan as it was more than adequate for the two of us. The converted Toyota Estima car comfortably sleeps two people and has enough space for their luggage.
Spaceships camper vans all come with 24/7 roadside assistance, bedding, curtains, gas stove and fridge, unlimited mileage and more!
Spaceships Campervan Features
- What’s great is that the Spaceships vehicles are compact camper vans – Toyota Estima cars converted into camper vans! So you don’t have to worry about driving a big vehicle (which can be quite daunting!) as it’s just like driving a car but it converts into a campervan – how amazing is that?!
- As the Spaceships vehicles are compact camper vans they are a lot more fuel efficient than other camper vans. With the cost of fuel these days, who isn’t keen to keep petrol costs down! To fill up the full 60 litre tank cost me around $100 (August 2022 prices – 157.9).
- All Spaceships campervans are automatic, which makes driving easier for everyone! Automatic transmission makes it SO much easier when you have lots of winding roads to navigate!
- Spaceships vehicles have a large locker space underneath the bed to place all your luggage away from view. It’s big enough for a big suitcase plus a carry on bag, or two cabin sized suitcases plus two rucksacks.
- Spaceships camper vans come with curtains and blacked out windows in the back so you can get privacy when you sleep or need to change outfits. The curtains are really good at keeping out light too – if you do fancy a lie in!
- Seating for 4 people – this is great if there are 4 of you travelling! Obviously there is only space for 2 of you to sleep inside the vehicle (the other two would have to find other overnight accommodation or make sure you get one of the 4-Berth camper vans with the roof tent). It is really handy to have the extra car seats if you’re a family or group of friends travelling. Some of the camper vans also have capability for baby seats.
The website shows the different specifications and features for each campervan so you can pick the one that suits your plans – whether you’re after the cheapest campervan, or one for the whole family!
What Does Spaceships Provide?
- All bedding (doona/duvet and cover, bed sheet, 2 pillows + pillowcases) is included.
- Built in fridge
- All cooking equipment (kettle, frying pan, saucepan, gas camping stove + gas canisters) included.
- All kitchen utensils (forks, knives, teaspoons and tablespoons, plates, bowls, cups, chopping board, can opener, vegetable peeler, kitchen knives) included.
- Large 10 litre water container so you always have water even if you’re in remote areas.
- 2 camping chairs.
- Cleaning supplies – washing up liquid, scourer, tea towels.
- Rear awning for more ventilation. This is like a tent structure you can add to the back of your vehicle when it is parked, which can be very useful when sleeping in the campervan in the hot summer months.
- Free 24 hour roadside assistance.
You can also choose to add on items to your rental for an additional cost, such as a table, GPS, mosquito nets or a solar shower!
Why You Should Book a Spaceships Rental For Your Next Campervan Trip In Australia
- Spaceships doesn’t charge you any fees for one-way trips! This gives you more flexibility when planning your trip as you can pick up your rental vehicle in one city and drop it off in another at no extra charge! This is perfect if you want to do a one way road trip (and save a lot of time and petrol by not having to drive back on yourself!). Many rental companies often charge a few hundred dollars extra if you want to return your camper van in a different location to the one you picked your vehicle up in, so it’s really good Spaceships offers this for free.
- Basic insurance is included in the price of your Spaceships rental! There is of course an option to upgrade if you wish.
- It is free to change your booking – I had to postpone my trip a couple of days before it was due to start, and needed to select a later date. Spaceships were super flexible with that which is great – especially in this age of travel.
- Spaceships gives you unlimited kilometres. I can’t stand the rental companies that give you a set amount of kilometres you can’t go over (otherwise they charge you per km!). Australia is a big country and I want the total freedom to decide how far I want to drive on my road trip.
- No extra fees for drivers under 25 years old. Many companies charge an excess for younger drivers – or don’t even allow them to drive at all, but Spaceships doesn’t discriminate like that! So long as you are over 18 years old and have a valid driving licence you can hire a Spaceships campervan!
- Extra drivers are included in the price, yay – so there’s no need for one of you to do all the driving or to pay a fee to add an additional driver!
- Spaceships often have offers on their website – so it’s always worth to keep checking their website when you are planning to book a campervan! Sometimes they have good discounts for relocations of vehicles, or they have off-peak deals for great prices!
- You can pick-up and drop-off your vehicle after hours or at the weekend for no extra cost, which is so handy. You can pick up your vehicle whenever it suits you.
- A Spaceships rental is suitable for friends, family, a couple or for solo travellers!
Why Travelling Around In A Campervan Is The Best Way To See Australia
Australia is a big country. Everything is spread out. Having a rental vehicle is often the easiest, most flexible and most efficient way to get around.
By staying in a rental vehicle, you are cutting you costs down as you aren’t having to pay for hotels or hostels. Plus, it gives you so much more flexibility as you can sleep anywhere you want.
When you’ve got a campervan you don’t need to have fixed plans and you can even change your itinerary last minute if you wish! You don’t have to plan your itinerary out so much as you would if you were staying in hotels or hostels each night (especially during peak seasons when you have to book in advance!).
With a campervan you can be flexible with your itinerary and stay an extra day somewhere if you like, without having to worry about accommodation you booked as you know you’ve always got your bed for the night sorted and you can always free camp if there isn’t a campground!
Plus my favourite reason – you don’t need to pack your suitcase up each time you move to a different location when you are in a campervan – hooray! Just throw your things in the back of the van and hit the road!
Picking up my Spaceships Campervan in Brisbane, Australia
Brisbane’s Spaceships Office is located in Eagle Farm – both close to the airport and convenient to reach by public transport or taxi. Alternatively Spaceships offers a free shuttle service to and from the airport if your trip is 21 days or longer (must be arranged when doing your booking)!
My vehicle was ready and waiting for me when I arrived. Spaceships offers a contactless pick-up (which actually many of us prefer these days – less people to deal with!). You are sent an email with the instructions on which car is yours and how to get the car keys, and inside the car you’ll find some instructions and important information such as the checklist form. Check the form is all correct, sign it and place one copy in the Spaceships letterbox. The other copy is for you to keep.
Our car was called ‘Spock’ – all Spaceships vehicles have different names printed on the side of the doors by the wing mirror so you definitely know which vehicle is yours!
SPACESHIPS AUSTRALIA CAMPERVAN REVIEW
Easily Convert The Back Seats Into A Double Bed
Spaceships will email you the manual for the car about how to convert the back of the car into a bed. It is surprisingly easy to convert the Spaceships vehicle into a campervan!
The whole process including putting the bedsheet, doona (duvet) and pillows on took me just a couple of minutes – it was super quick. You just swing the seat backwards using the handle, open up the metal holders and place the wooden slab on the holders. Then you place the mattress parts and duvet on top.
Honestly I could not believe how comfortable the matters and duvet were. And the pillows were just right. Nobody likes a sad flat pillow, or one that’s so hard you feel like you’re sleeping with your head on a brick!
There were even conveniently placed USB charge points next to the bed as well as in the front of the van so you can charge your phone overnight but still access it easily.
For the duration of the trip I kept the bed folded out. It was just more convenient and time efficient than moving the back seats forwards and backwards for no purpose, especially if I wanted to have a quick afternoon siesta!
The windows in the back were blacked out so people can’t really see inside which is great! Curtains were also included for the back and side windows and to block off the drivers seats from the back. The curtains did a really good job of blocking out any outside light and providing privacy.
Cooking On The Road In A Spaceships Campervan
At the back of the van there is a portable gas cooker complete with a spare gas cylinder, all pots pans utensils and cleaning equipment, as well as a small fridge – big enough to be able to store food for couple of days. Having a fridge was a lifesaver as it meant I could have lots of healthy, fresh food on my trip and not have to resort to packaged and processed food.
Some evenings I would cook kebabs or a burger on the free barbecues you see all around Australia (tip: remember to pack some tin foil so there is less cleaning at the end!). Other nights I would whip up a nice stirfry or something similar in the pan on the camper van stove.
In the mornings in my van I would boil the kettle, have a cup of tea and make hard boiled eggs and bacon, and at lunch time I would prepare a sandwich or salad usually.
I loved that you don’t need to change your diet and you aren’t restricted to just cooking basic repetitive recipes or stodgy meals in the camper van – you can still be creative with your cooking and make delicious meals.
And of course it was great that all the kitchen equipment was included as it meant I didn’t need to worry about bringing any of that on the trip! They even included cleaning products, a tea towel, a kettle, a can opener, a scourer and a dustpan and brush!
Having all cooking and kitchen equipment available was great as it meant I could cook my own meals in the evenings and I didn’t have to eat out at all if I didn’t want to. Honestly if you are travelling on a budget or wanting to socially distance from people then a camper van is one of the absolute best ways to do it!
There isn’t a sink, but you don’t really need one. When you want to wash up your dishes you can use the big water bottle to clean them after you have eaten. Alternatively you’ll find taps in campground facilities or even by many beachside toilets.
Comfortable To Drive
As the Spaceships Campervans are essentially cars, they are a lot easier and more pleasant to drive than regular camper vans – which can be daunting for some people to drive as they are so big and long! Plus having a reverse mirror at the back of the car was great for when I had to reverse and manoeuvre into tight spaces.
Storage Space
There is a decent amount of storage space inside Spaceships campervans for all your luggage. Even with two people and their luggage there is enough space for two people to comfortably live in this camper van. If you have a lot of luggage you may have to put your luggage in the front seats at night time to make space for you to sleep though, so it’s best to not bring too much luggage!
Not Too Obvious As A Campervan
One thing I love about the Spaceships campervans is that they don’t look so obvious as a campervan compared to other campervan companies.
Also, there is plenty storage space in the Spaceships camper vans so don’t leave any valuables in sight. If you are a bit messy, at least put the curtains up or throw the duvet over your things when you are parked during the day so nobody can see inside. There’s just no point tempting people, even if it is just mostly clothes. Especially don’t leave things on display such as phone charging cables in the front.
Add Ons
Spaceships also offers additional items for you to rent during your trip, such as extra camping chairs and a folding outdoor table. It’s definitely worth renting them out as you’ll most likely be using them every day! They fold away easily and can be stored when you are not using them.
Spaceships also offers GPS Sat Nav for $5 a day if you need it, but most people tend to use the maps on their phones these days for navigation (just make sure if you do this that your passenger is holding your phone, or that you place your phone in a phone holder in the car).
When you do your booking you will select which excess package you want (you can always upgrade later if you prefer). You can go for the free basic cover, the partial risk excess at $20 a day, or the all-inclusive cover at $30 a day. Totally up to you which one you feel comfortable taking.
No Need To Hook Up To Electricity In The Evenings
What’s also great is that unlike many camper vans you DON’T need to hook Spaceships camper vans up to a powered site to charge overnight as it charges itself when it is driving as it has a smart battery system!
With a Spaceships campervan you can stay in unpowered sites (which are cheaper than powered sites) or go freedom camping for extended periods of time!
Most other campervans will need to be connected to power every 2 or 3 nights to recharge, but this isn’t necessary with Spaceships campervans which is great. As long as you drive the Spaceship each day it will remain charged, meaning the fridge is always on and you can charge your electronics overnight.
How To Know Where To Park Your Spaceships Camper Van Overnight In Australia
Make sure you download either Wikicamps Australia or Campermate on your phone before your Spaceships trip. These apps will show you caravan parks as well as free camping spots.
Both these apps are really helpful and easy to use and best of all they are free (Wikicamps is free for your first two weeks only). They also work offline so you can still use them even without any signal or service!
They will show you not only caravan parks and camping areas, but also the price it costs, what facilities are available such as whether there are hot showers or not, and people leave really helpful tips and reviews on places.
During the current global situation this was most definitely helpful as some campgrounds are still closed so people would let you know if they tried to visit and it was still closed. You can also narrow down the search with filters to match specific requirements you are looking for.
Australia is quite strict on overnight camping and if you park in an unauthorised place overnight you could land yourself a big fine so it is crucial you have one of these apps downloaded so you know where the official spots are if you plan to freedom camp. Always double check any signs around if you aren’t sure.
It’s best to have a rough plan of places you want to stay at, especially if they are popular locations or it is the school holidays when places can book up quickly. However it is still perfectly doable to have no plan or itinerary and just pick a location that evening!
Our Planned Route Around Queensland, Australia In A Spaceships Campervan
As we only had 10 days and had to return the campervan in the same location, we didn’t want to cover too much ground. We drove 3.5 hours north of Brisbane to Hervey Bay – known as the whale watching capital of the world!
We spent a few days in Hervey Bay – going jet-skiing, visiting the desert island ‘Pelican Banks’ and going on whale watching tours. We also did a day trip tour over to K’gari (Fraser Island) which was amazing as it is the world’s largest sand island!
After a few days around Hervey Bay we drove down to Rainbow Beach to see the rainbow sand coloured sand dunes. We also spent time in Tin Can Bay to feed the wild dolphins, Noosa – to swim in the Fairy Pools, and The Glasshouse Mountains to do some hiking before heading back to Brisbane!
Returning the Spaceships Campervan
Even though it was only 10 days, I loved our little home on wheels and was sad to be ending our Spaceships Roadtrip!
Returning the Spaceships Campervan was very easy and hassle free – just make sure you have topped up the fuel and have the van clean inside and out. Also make sure all the kitchen equipment is clean, the fridge is empty and clean.
Returning Spaceships Campervans are done contactless, so all you have to do is park up, lock the vehicle and pop the keys into the dropbox. You’ll get an email the following day to confirm your drop-off was successful. Simple!
Who Are Spaceships Campervans Perfect For?
Spaceships Campervans are perfect for:
- those who want to camp but don’t want the hassle of having to pack everything you need for camping such as bedding, cooking equipment, tent and utensils.
- those who want to camp but want the additional security of being in a locked vehicle as opposed to just a tent (whether for safety reasons, animals or weather reasons).
- people who want to camp but in a bit of a more glamorous way to basic camping.
- people who want to socially distance from others whilst travelling.
- female solo travellers who don’t want to draw attention to the fact they are travelling alone.
- those who want the flexibility to explore at their own pace
- those who want to travel in an economic but fun way!
Spaceships Campervans are very reasonably priced and are a great camping option whether you are travelling Australia alone or with a friend, partner or family!
In Conclusion: Should You Hire A Spaceships Campervan In Australia?
Yes! We had a great time in our Spaceships and felt it was a great way to explore Australia!
This article was part of a content creation package I provided for Spaceships Australia. All views expressed are my own.