Campervan Hire Adelaide — Barossa, Kangaroo Island, Flinders Ranges and Tips for 2027

Adelaide is a relaxed starting point for a campervan trip: the city is easy to leave, there are no toll roads in South Australia, and within two hours you are in wine country, on the beach or on the ferry to Kangaroo Island. Further north, the outback begins with the Flinders Ranges, and Adelaide is also where the long roads to Uluru, to Perth across the Nullarbor and along the coast to Melbourne start. This guide covers routes, overnight stops and the rules that visitors most often run into.

Short trips from Adelaide

• Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf (about 30 km): the oldest surviving German settlement in Australia, cool-climate wineries and the Mount Lofty lookout above the city.
• Barossa Valley (about 70 km, one hour): one of Australia's best-known wine regions, with Tanunda, Nuriootpa and the Mengler Hill lookout. If you plan to taste wine, stay overnight in the valley and drive on the next day; random breath testing is common.
• Clare Valley (about 140 km): Riesling country and the Riesling Trail, a cycle path on an old railway line.
• Fleurieu Peninsula (Victor Harbor about 85 km): McLaren Vale wineries, the beaches south of the city, Granite Island and, in winter, southern right whales off the coast.

Kangaroo Island

The SeaLink car ferry leaves from Cape Jervis, about 110 km south of Adelaide, and takes around 45 minutes to Penneshaw. The ticket for a campervan is not cheap, and some rental companies do not allow the crossing or add a fee, so check the contract first. On the island: the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park, sea lions at Seal Bay and long empty beaches. Three to four days are a good minimum. Roads on the island are partly unsealed, and kangaroos and wallabies are on the road at dusk, so avoid driving after sunset.

Longer routes

• Flinders Ranges (Wilpena Pound about 430 km, five hours): red ridges, gorges and a natural amphitheatre surrounded by mountains. On the way you can stop in the Clare Valley; on the return, drive through Quorn and Port Augusta.
• Coast to Melbourne (about 1,000 km by the coast): the Coorong lagoons, Robe, Mount Gambier with its Blue Lake and then the Great Ocean Road. See our guide to campervan hire in Melbourne.
• Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas: quiet beaches, Innes National Park and seafood around Port Lincoln.
• Stuart Highway to Uluru (about 1,550 km via Coober Pedy) and the Nullarbor to Perth (about 2,700 km): these are expeditions of several days, with roadhouses hundreds of kilometres apart. More in our guide to campervan travel in Australia and to campervan hire in Perth.

Where to stay overnight

• Caravan parks. In and around Adelaide there are several, from the beach at West Beach and Glenelg to parks closer to the city centre. They have powered sites, showers and a camp kitchen, and are the easiest choice for the first night.
• National park campgrounds. In South Australia most of them, including those in the Flinders Ranges and on Kangaroo Island, are booked and paid online in advance through the National Parks and Wildlife Service website.
• Free sites and rest areas. Some councils allow short stays at designated sites, often only for self-contained vehicles. Sleeping in a vehicle on the street or in beach car parks in Adelaide's suburbs is usually not allowed, so read the signs and use a camping app to check the current rules.

Driving tips

• Left-hand traffic. Take the first day slowly, especially on roundabouts.
• Quarantine. South Australia restricts fresh fruit and vegetables brought in from other states because of fruit fly. If you arrive from Victoria along the Sturt Highway or from Western Australia, you will pass checkpoints at Yamba and Ceduna; eat or throw away restricted produce before them.
• Animals and distances. Outside the cities, kangaroos are most active at dawn and dusk. In the outback, fill up whenever you can and carry extra water.
• Unsealed roads. Rental contracts often forbid gravel roads such as the Oodnadatta Track, and insurance usually does not cover damage there.
• Heat and fire. Summer days in Adelaide often pass 35 °C and inland can reach 45 °C. On days of total fire ban open fires are prohibited; check the Country Fire Service before you light a barbecue.

When to go

Spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) are the best seasons: mild days, wildflowers in the Flinders Ranges in spring and the grape harvest in the Barossa in autumn. Summer, from December to February, suits the coast and Kangaroo Island, but it is very hot inland. Winter in Adelaide is cool and wet, but it is the best time for the outback and for whale watching on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

A campervan in Adelaide through Crystalium Booker

We are still building our campervan offer in Adelaide. Send us your dates and group size through the contact page and we will look for a vehicle for you, and keep an eye on the campervans in Adelaide page for new listings. Do you rent out a campervan in or around Adelaide? List it with us.