Pack the RV, follow the story: 47% of Aussies are planning literature-inspired trips

Nearly half of Australian travellers have booked, or would consider, a trip inspired by literature. According to Skyscanner's 2026 Travel Trends, 47% of Aussies are ready to follow in the footsteps of their favourite fictional characters and explore the real-world settings behind bestselling books.

An RV gives you the freedom to chase literary connections at your own pace. Park up where Tim Winton's characters roamed the Perth streets. Stand on the Hawkesbury River where Kate Grenville set her historical epic. Drive through the Brisbane suburbs that Trent Dalton brought to life. You don't need to own a van to do these trips — just hire one from a local owner through Camplify and the story becomes yours to explore.

Perth and Fremantle, WA—Tim Winton's coastal Western Australia

The Book: Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Distance from Perth: Fremantle is 30km from Perth CBD (25 minutes via Stirling Highway)
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Tim Winton is arguably Australia's most celebrated contemporary novelist, and his 1991 masterpiece Cloudstreet regularly tops lists of Australia's best-loved books. The novel chronicles two working-class families sharing a rambling house in Perth over twenty years (1943-1963), capturing the essence of Western Australian life with vivid, poetic prose.

While Cloudstreet is set in Perth, Winton's deep connection to Western Australia's coastline runs through all his work. Born in Perth and raised in Albany, he's spent his life exploring WA's rugged beaches and small coastal towns—settings that feature prominently in novels like Breath (set in a fictional town inspired by Albany and the south coast) and Dirt Music (showcasing the wild beauty of the WA coast and the Pilbara).

Perth's historic neighbourhoods, the Swan River, and the working-class suburbs provide the backdrop for Cloudstreet's magic realism. Drive through the suburbs, visit Fremantle's heritage-listed streets and maritime precinct, then head south along the coast to get a feel for the landscapes that shaped Winton's writing. The beaches between Perth and Albany—where Winton grew up—offer some of Australia's most dramatic coastal scenery.

Camp here: Discovery Parks – Woodman Point
Located just 15 minutes from Fremantle in Munster, this park puts you close to both Perth's urban heart and the coastal beauty that defines Winton's work. Direct beach access, swimming pool, jumping pillow for kids, and camp kitchen facilities. Fremantle's cafes, historic sites, and vibrant markets are a short drive away.

Brisbane and surrounds, QLD—Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe

The Book: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Distance from Brisbane: Filming locations span Brisbane suburbs including Darra (15km west, 20 minutes), Beenleigh (40km south, 35 minutes), and Sunshine Coast (100km north, 90 minutes)
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Trent Dalton's 2018 semi-autobiographical novel Boy Swallows Universe became an instant Australian classic, selling over a million copies worldwide. The story follows 12-year-old Eli Bell growing up in 1980s working-class Brisbane, navigating a world of drug dealers, criminals, and family chaos with heart, humour, and hope.

Set in Brisbane's western suburbs—particularly Darra, where Dalton grew up—the book captures the gritty reality of life on the urban fringe while celebrating the resilience of ordinary Australian families. The Netflix adaptation (released January 2024) brought these locations to life, filming across Brisbane, Beenleigh, the Gold Coast hinterland, and the Sunshine Coast.

Brisbane's heritage sites feature prominently in the story, including Boggo Road Gaol and Brisbane City Hall. The working-class suburbs of Darra and the surrounding areas provide the authentic backdrop, while day trips to the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hinterland offer natural beauty to balance the urban grit.

For fans of the book and series, you can trace Eli's journey through Brisbane's western suburbs, visit the filming locations around Beenleigh and the Sunshine Coast beaches at Maroochy, and explore Brisbane City Hall where the final episode's dramatic scenes played out.

Camp here: NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort
Positioned perfectly on the Gold Coast in Biggera Waters—just 70km south of Brisbane and 10 minutes north of Surfers Paradise—this family-friendly resort offers everything from powered sites to safari tents and cabins. Swimming pool, kids' activities, jumping pillow, and easy access to both Brisbane's urban locations and the Gold Coast hinterland that features in the Netflix series.

Hawkesbury River, NSW—Kate Grenville's The Secret River

The Book: The Secret River by Kate Grenville
Distance from Sydney: Wisemans Ferry is 100km from Sydney CBD (90 minutes via Old Northern Road)
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Kate Grenville's 2005 historical novel The Secret River is one of the most important Australian novels of the 21st century. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize and winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, it tells the story of William Thornhill, a convict transported to Australia in 1806 who settles on the Hawkesbury River—and the violent clash that follows between settlers and the Indigenous people whose land they occupy.

The novel was inspired by Grenville's own family history. Her great-great-great-grandfather Solomon Wiseman was a Thames bargeman convicted of theft and transported to New South Wales in 1806. After receiving his pardon, he settled on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at what's now known as Wisemans Ferry, approximately 100km northwest of Sydney.

The Hawkesbury River remains one of NSW's most beautiful waterways. Surrounded by Dharug, Yengo, and Marramarra National Parks, the river winds through sandstone cliffs and pristine bushland. Wisemans Ferry itself is a historic settlement where you can still cross the river on the same route Wiseman used over 200 years ago.

The area offers bushwalking, river activities, and a profound sense of Australia's layered history—both the ancient Indigenous connection to country and the complex, often violent story of European settlement that Grenville's novel confronts head-on.

Camp here: Del Rio Riverside Resort
Set on 3km of Hawkesbury River frontage at Wisemans Ferry, this resort offers riverside camping (powered and unpowered sites), waterfront cabins, and facilities including swimming pool, river activities, and cafe. The location puts you right in the heart of the landscape Grenville describes in The Secret River. Note: Cafe operates Friday-Sunday (closed Monday-Thursday except school holidays).

Alternative: Carinya Ski Ranch (3km from Wisemans Ferry town) offers riverside camping and is popular with water sports enthusiasts.

Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania—Jane Harper's The Survivors

The Book: The Survivors by Jane Harper
Distance from Hobart: Port Arthur is 100km from Hobart (90 minutes via Arthur Highway)
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Jane Harper's 2020 thriller The Survivors is set in the fictional coastal town of Evelyn Bay on Tasmania's coast, where a devastating storm fifteen years earlier claimed three lives and left a community haunted by guilt and secrets. When a new body is discovered on the beach, the past comes rushing back.

Harper created Evelyn Bay from elements of several real Tasmanian coastal towns, but the Netflix adaptation (released June 2025) filmed extensively around the Tasman Peninsula, particularly at Eaglehawk Neck. This dramatic location, where the peninsula hangs by a narrow isthmus, provided the gothic landscape the story demanded—towering sea cliffs, pounding ocean, sea caves, and wild coastal beauty.

The Tasman Peninsula is one of Australia's most spectacular regions. The dramatic coastline features some of the country's highest sea cliffs, accessible via the famous Three Capes Track. The area is also home to the Port Arthur Historic Site, Australia's most intact convict settlement and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Filming locations included Eaglehawk Neck's Fossil Island, Pirates Bay, Tasman Arch, and beaches around Hobart's southern suburbs. The fictional Evelyn Bay captured the essence of small Tasmanian coastal communities—tight-knit, isolated, and surrounded by raw natural beauty.

Camp here: NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park
Located just 1km from Port Arthur Historic Site and central to all the Tasman Peninsula filming locations, this award-winning park offers everything from powered sites to safari tents, cabins, and stargazing tents. Facilities include wood-fired pizza oven, camp kitchen, playground, and pump track. Perfect base for exploring the Three Capes Track, Tasman Island cruises, and the dramatic coastal scenery that makes Harper's thriller so atmospheric.

Alternative: For a more remote experience, try Deep Glen at Eaglehawk Neck (via Hipcamp) - a 5-acre property right at the gateway to the peninsula with hiking, surfing, and diving on your doorstep.

Harvey, Western Australia—May Gibbs' gumnut country

The Book: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs
Distance from Perth: Harvey is 140km from Perth (90 minutes via Forrest Highway)
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May Gibbs' 1918 children's classic Snugglepot and Cuddlepie introduced generations of Australians to the magic of the bush through the adventures of two gumnut babies and their friends (and foes—those menacing Banksia Men!). The book has never been out of print and remains one of Australia's most beloved children's stories.

What many don't know is that Gibbs drew her inspiration from the Western Australian bush around Harvey, where she lived as a child. After arriving in Australia from England at age four in 1881, her family settled first in South Australia, then moved to Perth. Young May spent her formative years exploring the bushland around Harvey, about 140km south of Perth, where she encountered the eucalyptus gumnuts, banksia flowers, and native flora that would later populate her stories.

The Harvey Visitor Centre now features wonderful displays celebrating May Gibbs' connection to the region, including Mr. Lizard telling stories to the gumnut babies, painted by local artists. The exterior walls feature four large murals depicting scenes from her books.

Harvey sits in the heart of WA's South West region, surrounded by jarrah and marri forests, wildflower country (spectacular in spring), and close to the Ferguson Valley wine region. It's also just 30 minutes from coastal towns like Bunbury and Australind.

Camp here: Harvey Rainbow Caravan Park
This family-friendly park in Harvey township offers powered and unpowered sites, cabins, swimming pool, and jumping pillow. Walking distance to the Harvey Visitor Centre where you can see the May Gibbs displays. The park is surrounded by the same jarrah and marri forests that inspired Gibbs' gumnut babies over a century ago.

Alternative: For those wanting to explore both Perth and the Harvey region, Discovery Parks – Woodman Point in Munster (south of Fremantle) makes a good base—Harvey is a 90-minute drive south. You can also visit May Gibbs' actual home, Nutcote, at 5 Wallaringa Ave, Neutral Bay in Sydney (now a house museum).

Why literature-inspired travel works perfectly in an RV

According to Skyscanner's data, travellers want more meaningful experiences. Books give us emotional connections to places before we even arrive. They provide context, history, and layers of meaning that turn a simple drive into something more significant.

The books become your roadmap. The landscapes become real. And the RV gives you the freedom to follow the story wherever it leads.

Ready to turn your favourite book into your next road trip? Browse motorhomes and campervans from local owners at Camplify and start planning your literary adventure.