Tiffany Lawrence: solo female camping & 4WD adventures

Tiffany Lawrence is no stranger to going against the grain. Or as she puts it: ‘I’m not really someone who likes doing what they’re told.’ Having started a YouTube travel channel in the middle of the pandemic, she’s one of a handful of women making waves in Australia’s 4WD scene and we love keeping up with her adventures.

Earlier this year, Tiff and her mate Maddie took a road trip up the Queensland coast, towing a Jayco trailer hired through Camplify. We checked in with her to talk about her love of waterfalls, exploring on four wheels, and her advice for other solo female travellers keen to hit the road.

How did you get into 4WDing?

I’ve always been an outdoorsy person. I love discovering secret places and waterfalls, and growing up, my family would always head out on road trips. I was introduced to 4WDing by an ex-partner and I realised it’s like a key to freedom. You can access places you wouldn’t be able to in normal cars, though I don’t do hardcore offroading or anything like that. If someone would teach me, I’d give it a go, but I just love the freedom to drive down a dirt road and see where it goes, or seek out a waterfall that’s difficult to get to. The car gives you that little bit extra, plus the ability to tow.

What about solo camping? Have you always gone solo or did you have to build up to it?

I always went places with other people, with friends who maybe weren’t as experienced as me. I was having to show them how to do things, which made me realise I can actually just do things by myself. That definitely helped build my confidence. The first time I went solo camping, I went to Bribie Island because I knew there’d be people around and that I’d have phone reception. From there, I started going to more and more remote places.

I still take friends along on a lot of my trips. I always make sure it’s somewhere nice, and that they’re going to have a good experience that isn’t too extreme. My style of camping is more glamping, to be honest. You’ve got to have a little luxury; a shower and a rooftop tent, at least.

What inspired you to start sharing stories about your trips?

Australia has so much natural beauty. I’ve spent a lot of time backpacking overseas, but I drove around Australia and it really made me fall in love with travelling in our own backyard. Once the pandemic hit, I realised that there were no girls really doing what I enjoyed, so I thought: stuff it, I’m that girl, so I’m going to share what I love doing.

I started off with an iPhone and GoPro and taught myself how to use Premier Pro and edit videos. I went to a couple of waterfalls around my area, and people began messaging me on Instagram to ask where they were. That’s probably when I realised that there was a hunger for that kind of thing. I started with little waterfall trips and things grew from there.

Are there more women in the 4WD world now than when you started?

Two years ago, at the start of the pandemic, there wasn’t much content from female 4WDers. I’ve noticed that it’s really starting to take off though. Australia is the safest place I’ve travelled through and I think girls are sick of waiting for people to be ready. It feels amazing to have the confidence to just go out and do it. Go set up camp, experience a beautiful sunrise and sunset on the beach.

Talk us through your recent trip.

My friend Maddie and I grabbed a Jayco camping trailer and towed it behind my own 4WD. My car isn’t set up for touring, so grabbing a trailer like this one made things so much easier. It had a bed, a kitchen, extra water – basically everything we needed.

We drove from the Gold Coast to Brisbane to pick up the trailer, then up to Cairns over a couple of days. We consider ourselves waterfall queens, so we hiked to all the beautiful spots along the way before arriving at Mission Beach. From Mission, we drove south to Townsville and Airlie Beach for a fishing trip. We then caught sunrise at Cape Hillsborough, just north of Mackay, and checked out Byfields National Park in Rockhampton.

The weather had changed by the time we got to Rocky – more cold and wet than tropical – so we were glad to have the Jayco to jump into at the end of the day. It charged while it was connected to the car, so we could read at night and it also had a fan and fridge. As I said, I like to have some luxuries, and sometimes you just want to jump into bed instead of setting up a tent in the rain. We were on the move almost every day, but when we weren’t, we could disconnect the trailer and leave it at camp while we explored the local area.

Sounds like an amazing trip. Do you have any hot tips for a solo female traveller looking to get started in the 4WD world?

Take a deep breath and give it a go. Do your research and reach out to other female travellers, like myself. There are heaps of community groups and pages on Facebook and Instagram, so don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to someone you don’t know. Start talking and ask questions; where have you been, is it safe, and so on. The more the merrier, I reckon.

Looking to replicate Tiff’s adventure to northern Queensland? Check out our range of campervans, caravans and motorhomes in Queensland . And don’t forget to subscribe to Tiff’s adventures on YouTube .