Owner Awards 2025

Meet Australia's 2025 Legend Award Winner: Lauren from Outback 2 Sea Caravan Hire

The 2025 Camplify Owner Awards celebrate the people who make our community brilliant – and this year's Legend Award goes to an owner whose journey from "that's the craziest idea I've ever heard" to 2,200+ bookings is the stuff of Camplify legend.

When Lauren and her husband Greg finished their lap of Australia in 2017, they weren't sure what to do with their caravan. Someone suggested hiring it out. Lauren's reaction? She thought they were mad.

Then they heard about a Camplify owner information evening in Brisbane.

"We thought, well, might as well go and check it out," Lauren recalls. "I didn't even know caravan hire was a thing before we started this business."

Seven years and over 2,200 bookings later, Outback 2 Sea runs a fleet of 21 caravans – with more than 40 having cycled through over the years. From one van and zero experience to possibly the most bookings on the entire platform.

On how it all started...

Before Camplify, Lauren was a gymnastics coach juggling young kids and difficult hours. The lap of Australia was meant to be a break while they figured out what came next.

"This was what next," she laughs.

What started as a "might as well give it a go" experiment has become a thriving business built on systems, service, and a genuine love for what they do.

On building a fleet that works...

Over the years, Lauren and Greg have refined their approach. They've tried camper trailers, pop-tops, and those wind-up swans and eagles – but eventually settled on hard-body caravans only, mostly New Age models.

"There's less moving parts," Lauren explains. "When it's raining, you're not trying to show somebody how it works while standing outside for an hour. We wanted to streamline things so our processes and systems could be really solid."

Sticking to similar products means they know the vans inside out – parts, maintenance, user manuals, everything. Better knowledge equals better service.

On the operation behind 2,200 bookings...

Running 21 caravans requires military-level logistics. On their busiest days, Lauren and Greg deliver up to 13 vans on and off sites – in a single day.

"It takes quite a bit of military planning," Lauren admits.

Their secret weapon? A network of other Camplify owners who help each other out during peak periods. When someone has a heavy delivery schedule, they call on each other.

"We've built up really good relationships," Lauren says. "That's been really nice."

Every van that returns gets a deep clean from top to bottom – hatches swept out, everything repacked in a specific order, stock checked and replenished. A day or two before each hire, someone does a final pre-hire check: maintenance, water tanks, gas bottles.

"Depending where the hire is going, if it's a bit of a road trip or somewhere colder, we throw in extra blankets," Lauren adds. "Whatever's relevant to their trip – we try to think of all those things for them."

Their top tip for new owners...

Lauren's advice is practical: "Make sure you have good photos. Sit down and work out a good process – a system for yourself so you know how you're going to prep your van, hand it over, all of those things. Just so it feels organised and cohesive."

Being organised at the depot, she says, prevents having to drive back out somewhere to fix something hours later. Trial and error taught them that lesson.

On what surprised them most...

Two things: how easy it's become, and how low the damage rate is.

"People really do take care of the vans," Lauren says. "That was obviously one of the biggest concerns – you hear people say 'they'll just wreck your vans' – but that's really not the case. There's always things that go wrong, but it's always fixable. It's never intentional."

On that memorable salami delivery...

With 2,200 bookings, picking a favourite is tough. But one from this year stands out.

Lauren was delivering two caravans to an Italian family's property for their annual tradition: a whole-family salami-making weekend. The entire clan gathers, makes salami together, and divides it up for the year.

The only problem? It was raining. The ground was boggy. And there was a lake at the bottom of the hill.

"We realised we weren't going to be able to just reverse it down," Lauren recalls. "So we hooked up the winch to my car at the top of the driveway and winched Greg and the first van down to a level spot."

The second van made it onto a concrete pad at the front of the house. Crisis averted. Family tradition saved.

"I don't think we've come across a problem we haven't found a way around yet."

(No, they didn't get any salami. But Lauren did get a tour of the house and saw all the salamis hanging to dry.)

On why they love it...

The name "Outback 2 Sea" came from their lap of Australia – they wanted to help others experience everything from the red centre to the coast.

"We realised how amazing this country is," Lauren says. "Being able to share that with everyone has been really good."

And despite the logistics and the early starts, Lauren still finds joy in the work.

"When you're delivering and setting up, you almost feel like you're on a little holiday yourself. A mid-work break somewhere nice, and then you go back to the office afterwards."

Ready to explore from the outback to the sea?

Whether you're after a compact two-berth or a family-friendly five-berth, Lauren and the Outback 2 Sea team have you covered – with systems, service, and seven years of experience behind every booking. Check out the Outback 2 Sea fleet.

Meet all our 2025 Owner Award winners here.

Got a caravan sitting in the driveway? See how Lauren turned one van and a crazy idea into a thriving business. Learn how to list your van.