[Watch] Try before you buy: How Elise McLean tested caravan life without towing a thing

"Buying a caravan straight out, having never lived in one or towed one, can be so stressful... And I think this is such a cool way to help get you there," Elise shared.

Ever dreamed of owning a caravan but not quite ready to commit to the six-figure price tag? Travel creator Elise McLean from Elise's Travel Diary and her partner Isaac had the same thought — so she did something clever. She hired a caravan through Camplify, had it delivered and set up at a dreamy off-grid Hipcamp near Victoria's Great Ocean Road, and spent two nights testing the caravan lifestyle from scratch. No towing, no setup stress, no guesswork. Just two nights to test out an Ezytrail Parkes 15 to see if it’s their dream caravan.

For Elise and Isaac, caravan life has always been part of a bigger dream: finishing the lap of Australia that Isaac started solo before the two of them met — fittingly, on the Great Ocean Road. The plan is to do it together, in their own van one day.

But buying a caravan without ever having stayed in one? That felt like a risk not worth taking. This trip changed that. And by night one, Isaac was quietly browsing caravans for sale.

“The delivery method was such a cool experience and definitely worth trying if you’re thinking about buying a caravan” Isaac shared.

Camplify’s try before you buy advantage

Having always wanted a caravan of their own, Elise and Isaac had even bought a tow-ready car at the start of last year — mirrors, tow bar, the works. But the timing never quite aligned, and actually pulling the trigger on a van of their own felt like a big leap into the unknown.

When the opportunity arose to have a caravan delivered from Camplify, Australia’s largest van sharing platform, it felt like the perfect middle ground to have a real caravan experience, without the commitment of owning one.

"We've always wanted a caravan. We were like, 'let's test one out, see if we like it.' Our car is actually set up to tow — but this popped up and thought we should just try the delivery first and see how we go," Elise says.

Camplify is an aspiring caravan owner’s golden ticket to finding the perfect caravan and testing different manufacturers, setups and sizes in real scenarios without the pressure of commitment. Thousands of caravan owners across Australia have made their vans available to hire on Camplify, so you get the advantage of trying before you buy, learning the ropes from a real caravan owner, and deciding if it’s the one for you before you take out the bank loan.

Never hired a van on Camplify? Here’s how it works ->

The destination: An off-grid Hipcamp

Rather than booking into a traditional caravan park, Elise chose something a little more private and “off-grid because we wanted the full caravan experience.” They booked a campsite at Wurdale Waters, a Hipcamp property near Winchelsea in Victoria, just 10 minutes from the Great Ocean Road.

"It was almost like a farm stay, but you were staying in a caravan instead of accommodation. Even more connected to nature — there was roaming sheep, highland cows, a dam we swam in, and a canoe provided."

Their campsite was completely off-grid — no power, no toilets, no amenities — which meant the caravan needed to come loaded with everything they'd need to really test out the lifestyle properly. That’s where ‘Parky’, an Ezytrail Parkes 15 came in.

Parky is the perfect van for an off-grid adventure with a little luxury - comfortable beds, great power setup, everything you’d need for easy cooking, a TV and speaker, air conditioning and heating, and plenty more little touches that made it feel like home.

Hire Parky on Camplify and get delivery straight to your campsite.

How caravan delivery with Camplify works

If you’re someone who loves the idea of camping but wants a touch of luxury with zero effort, then caravan delivery is for you. Here’s how to make it happen:

1. Book your campsite

2. Search delivery vans on Camplify in your location and find your perfect van

3. Request to book.

4. Meet the van owner at your campsite, where the caravan is set up and waiting for you.

Parky’s owner Jack arrived at the site before Elise and Isaac. By the time they pulled up, he was already at work. Over the next 45 minutes, he levelled the van, deployed the electric awning, extended the flip-out bed, set up the stabilisers with his own tools, and ran the couple through everything — indoor and outdoor shower, lights, electronics, and of course, how to use the caravan toilet (a first for both of them).

When he left, the van was ready to live in. Elise and Isaac could have had a nap right then and there.

"It saved us all the time and physical labour — and it was really cool to actually see how he set everything up as someone who's never had a caravan before," Elise recalled.

For first-timers, there's an unexpected bonus in watching a pro set up: you actually learn what the setup involves. Stabiliser legs. Wood for levelling. Ladders for the roof. An electric awning. It turns out there's a lot to it — and having a real van owner and expert handling it all while you watch is arguably the best crash course you can get.

Read our Caravan Delivery Guide to learn more ->

Step out your door and into nature - this is what van life looks like.

Two nights of testing the dream

Once Jack had left, Elise and Isaac had everything they needed and nowhere they had to be. They made food, built platters, swam in the dam, took out the canoe, and visited the Highland cows. “We just used it as a very chill, enjoying our surroundings kind of holiday, and we had everything that we needed there. We didn't need to leave,” Elise recalled.

The caravan was equipped for full off-grid living: solar, a generator (they opted in just in case of a scorching day), air conditioning, indoor and outdoor shower, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, salt and pepper — the lot. The only thing they needed to bring was food, drinking water, warm layers for the cooler evenings, and themselves.

"We didn't have to leave if we didn't want to. We were already at a nice place. We're very fast-moving people usually, so it was a little bit harder than usual to just stay in the one spot — but we enjoyed it."

The ultimate room with a view.

The pack-up: Equally effortless

"He just said, 'Yep, leave it with me.' And we actually left. It was very smooth — really good communication the whole way through,"

At the end of the trip, Elise and Isaac handled one task: emptying the cassette toilet at the nearby dump point in Winchelsea (something they'd been briefed on, and which turned out to be far less daunting than expected). When they returned from the dump point, the owner was already on-site and packing down. They swept the van, cleaned the dishes, grabbed their belongings and linen, handed back the keys, and left him to it.

The awning went back in. The flip-out bed folded away. The stabilisers came up. None of it was their problem.

So, what’s next for Elise and Isaac?

Two nights was all it took. By the time Elise and Isaac handed back the keys and drove away from Wurdale Waters, the question was no longer if they'd own a caravan — it was when.

"It definitely pictured us saying we could live in one of these. We could do this," Elise reflected.

Their next step? Towing. Having ticked off the delivery experience, they're ready to graduate to the real thing — but true to form, they'll ease into it the same way. Hire first, commit later. "We'd like to try renting one out again but maybe towing it, because we've done the delivery. I think we're ready to — but we'd love to just try that out first."

Spend less time setting up the caravan and more time doing things you actually enjoy with caravan delivery.

It's a refreshingly practical approach to a purchase that, for many people, comes with serious financial and lifestyle stakes. As Elise put it, "a lot of the time there's no take backs with a caravan. So you want to be pretty set in your decisions."

And ultimately, all of this — the delivered van, the off-grid campsite, the highland cows and dam swims — is leading somewhere specific: finishing the lap of Australia together, in a van of their own. One careful, well-tested step at a time.

Elise's tips for your first caravan trip

After two nights off-grid, Elise has some useful advice for first-timers:

• Stock up before you arrive. The last thing you want is to leave your paradise to do a grocery run. Buy enough for your first couple of days at least, or bulk-buy near your site and come straight back.

• Don't forget drinking water. The van's water system is great for cooking, washing, and showering — but bring your own drinking supply, especially off-grid. It's easy to forget when everything else looks after itself.

• Pack for the weather (and then some). Elise admitted they could have packed more warm layers. Nights in Victoria can surprise you.

• Choose a van with everything you need. If you're going off-grid, make sure the van has solar, a generator option, toilet, shower, and cooking setup — so you genuinely don't have to leave.

Ready to find your dream caravan?

Whether you're a total first-timer like Elise, a family wanting a low-stress getaway, or someone eyeing up a big purchase and wanting to test the waters first, Camplify makes it possible.

And with thousands of vans available to drive, tow or have delivered right to your chosen campsite, you can show up, settle in, and see if this is the van for you — before you make the commitment to get your own.

Interested in learning more?

• Learn more about try before you buy with Camplify ->

• Thinking of getting a van and hiring it out when you’re not using it? See how a caravan gave one mum her time back ->

• Megalong Valley camping with caravan delivery ->

• Luxury camping at Seal Rocks with caravan delivery ->