Most of Australia’s best campervan country is empty road, but you usually start in a big city. That is where campervan hire in Australia throws up an unexpected admin task: electronic toll roads. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all have motorways and tunnels with no cash booths, and a visitor can drive through several without noticing.

This guide explains how cashless tolling works in general, how rental companies tend to handle it, and a few other city-driving surprises. We have not driven these routes in a van ourselves, so we rely on the rental listings and on widely known road rules and say where you should check the details. For basics on hiring a van, start with our campervan rental guide.

Why tolls are a rental-van issue

In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, many of the fastest routes between the airport, the city and the coast are toll roads or tunnels. They use cashless tolling: cameras read a tag in the windscreen or the number plate. There is no booth to stop at, so a driver can use a toll road without realising until the bill arrives.

With a rental van the question is who pays and how. The rental company is the registered owner, so the toll operator bills them, and they pass it on to you. Rules differ: some include an electronic tag and charge tolls at cost plus an admin fee, some charge a fee per toll or per day, and some ask you to pay the operator directly within a short deadline. Read the toll clause in your booking terms before pick-up.

How to avoid surprise charges

Start by asking three questions at pick-up: does the van have an e-tag, how are tolls charged, and is there a per-toll or per-day admin fee? Take the answer in writing if the terms are unclear. Then decide whether you actually want to use toll roads.

• Plan your first drive. Use the navigation app’s “avoid tolls” setting for the trip from the depot to your first campsite.
• Check which crossings charge. Sydney’s harbour crossings are tolled, and some of the city’s motorways and tunnels are too; Melbourne and Brisbane each have their own network.
• Watch for deadlines. If you must pay the toll operator yourself, there is usually a short window, often only a few days, before penalties apply.
• Keep records. Note the days you used toll roads in case of a dispute.

On a long road trip tolls disappear almost entirely, which is a good reason to leave the city on a toll-free route if you can.

Where to pick up, and what it costs

The Australia campervan page lists eight pick-up locations including Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Cairns and Perth. Each city has its own toll and traffic quirks, and a depot near the airport often puts you on a motorway within minutes.

The price picture is clear in our November 2026 search. Campervan hire in Australia started from about €43 a day, and for a 7-night rental the typical (median) daily price was €112 in June, €128 in March and €141 in January. That works out at about €784, €896 and €987 for a week. Prices rise at Christmas, New Year and school holidays, so book early. For Sydney, the Sydney campervan hire page showed vans from about A$70 a day at the time.

Our code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY20 takes €20 off at checkout through our links.

Driving on the left, and Melbourne’s hook turns

Australia drives on the left, and the first hour in a large van is the hardest. Roundabouts run clockwise; the driver sits on the right of the vehicle. If you have never driven on the left, pick up your van in the morning, practise in a quiet area and avoid the city centre on your first day.

Melbourne has a quirk visitors remember: the hook turn. In parts of the central city, a right turn must be made from the left lane. You wait at the left kerb at the intersection, then turn across when the light on the cross street turns red. Look for the “right turn from left lane only” signs. Trams also share the road, and you must give way to passengers getting on and off at stops without a safety platform.

If you start in Melbourne, our Melbourne campervan hire page shows what is available, and a short drive out of the city turns all of this into open road.

Height limits, parking and fines

A campervan is taller than a car. Check your van’s height on the sticker near the driver’s seat and keep it in mind for tunnels, multi-storey car parks and low bridges. Car parks in city centres often have limits that exclude most campervans, so look for street parking or depot-style lots outside the centre.

Fines are the other hidden cost. The Australia page says speeding fines start at around A$250 and can reach several thousand dollars for serious offences. Typical speed limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 km/h on most highways and 110 km/h on some freeways, and speed cameras are widespread. Penalty notices for parking, tolls and speeding go to the rental company, which passes them on with a handling fee.

Getting out of the city

Once you are out, the driving is a different world. East coast routes such as Sydney to Cairns (the listing counts 14 to 21 days and about 2,500 km), the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne and outback tracks west of Perth all have little or no tolling. The most important thing is fuel: on remote routes, stations can be a long way apart, so fill up when you can.

For a Sydney start, our Sydney campervan hire guide covers the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley and the south coast, and our Australia campervan cost guide works through prices per day and per week.

Booking checklist

Before you pay, check the toll and e-tag terms, the excess and bond, the kilometre allowance, the one-way fee if you drop off elsewhere, and what is in the kit. Ask about pick-up hours: arriving late at an airport depot is a common way to lose a day.

When you are ready, compare Australian campervans for your dates and book through our links. A booking made within 30 days of your click is credited to us, and it keeps this site going.