5 Day Road Trip in Regional Victoria with Alex Spurway

With their mutual keen sense of adventure and a love of travel, it felt fitting for Brisbane based photographers Alex Spurway and Hannah Depper to head off on a 5 day road trip around regional Victoria. They rode in style and comfort (i.e. Henry the Hiace from @happee_vans) and stayed at some hidden gem campsites thanks to our pals at Hipcamp. From wind-whipped coastlines, to lush rainforests, to breathtaking mountain ranges, we spoke with Alex about their experience and top highlights from the road trip.

Our trip started in Melbourne - the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne to be exact, which was where our van was located. Our van of choice for this trip was Henry the Hiace by Happee Vans; a custom converted, 2 berth Toyota Hiace camper, which was absolutely perfect for our trip. We caught up with Brittany, the owner/builder of Henry for a pre-flight check and debriefing before the handover, which was a super easy and the seamless experience that we have come to expect from Camplify. Before we knew it, we were on the road and bound for the Coast!

After picking up the van, the remainder of the first day was spent getting acquainted with Henry on the drive down from Melbourne to the start of the Great Ocean Road. On the first day, we checked out the surfing town and famous beaches of Torquay, and the iconic Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet.

On our first night we were staying at Secluded Otways Forest Camp just inland from Lorne. Located on the edge of the Otways, this @hipcampau site has a little bit of everything - surrounded by beautiful bushland and wildlife, rolling hills and fog-filled valleys, and even glimpses of the ocean. The perfect spot to get away from it all, even for one night. We had the place to ourselves (plus the wildlife), and it was just so serene.

Over the next few days we only travelled a relatively short distance, however it was jam-packed with exploring and checking out all the gems of the Great Ocean Road. We ticked off some of my favourite spots, including Hopetoun Falls, the Beech Forest Redwoods Plantation, Gibsons steps and of course the iconic Twelve Apostles at sunset.

Day 3 was a bit of a driving day, broken up by the sights along the coast and country towns dotted around Western Victoria. Our destination? The Grampians (i.e. a bit of a change of pace). We arrived at our second Hipcamp for the trip - Old Man Emu Stay, located just out of Halls Gap. This Hipcamp was my favourite Hipcamp to date. The location was fantastic, the backdrop of the Grampians was stunning, and the wildlife (including, you guessed it, emus) on and around the property made it such a unique stay and experience, unlike any other Hipcamp I have stayed at. The reception was brilliant as well, as we got to meet the friendly hosts and have a chat with them about our plans for the stay. They gave us a bunch of suggestions which turned out to be genuinely great and very helpful! The hosts really showed their knowledge and love for the country they are based on.

For the remainder of our trip we took it slow, checking out all that the Grampians has to offer including some amazing lookouts, short hikes and some of Australia’s oldest Aboriginal Rock art, located just up the road from the Hipcamp. We loved our time in the Grampians so much, we couldn’t decide whether we liked the coast or the mountains the most!

Throughout the trip, Henry the Hiace was an absolute blast to drive! We were kept cosy and comfy in the back, and enjoyed all the little finishing touches in this van that made it super convenient, without being an overly large or cumbersome vehicle. We think Henry is a great little weekend van for those who like to keep things simple. In the back you’ll find a double bed, a full-time running fridge powered by a solar, all your kitchen essentials, plus a few extra creature comforts such as games and a projector for the rainy days. Having experienced all different types of camping setups of all sizes in the past, this one was by far the most fun and the most hassle-free - simply turn up at your site and you’re good to go 🙌🏼. We loved the simplicity of it all and being able to cruise around completely hassle-free, which is why we chose Henry as our van for this trip.

We love the variety of vehicles and styles of campers available on Camplify and the fact that we can do our own research, and pick and choose what we like. Having the ability to try out a variety of different campers of all shapes and sizes is great. What's more, is that you can pre-book a van from anywhere in Australia to pick up on arrival - super easy! Many thanks again to Camplify, Hipcamp, and to Brittany from Happee Vans for making our trip a smooth and successful one! For anyone in Melbourne looking for a cosy camper for a quick getaway, we can highly recommend them!