About Camperman Australia

Camperman Australia Review

Camperman Australia punches well above its weight for a budget campervan hire company. Operating exclusively on Australia's east coast — Cairns, Airlie Beach, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney — they've built a focused operation around one simple proposition: reliable Toyota HiAce HiTop campervans at honest prices, with none of the insurance drama that makes booking with the big operators such a headache.

The Fleet

Four models. The Juliette 2-3 HighTop is the entry point — manual transmission, no onboard bathroom, older (2009–2016 year range), but everything you actually need for the east coast run: a convertible double bed, overhead single, gas cooker, fridge, and all linen and kitchenware included at no extra charge. If you are two people on a budget, this is hard to beat.

Step up to the Maxie 3 HighTop (2010–2018) and you get a slightly newer vehicle with an extendable countertop — handy for alfresco breakfasts at a national park. Still manual, still no bathroom, but the improved build quality is noticeable.

The two shower-and-toilet models are where Camperman really differentiates. The Maxie 4 Deluxe (2010–2020, their newest vehicles) sleeps four inside and has an onboard hot and cold shower plus cassette toilet — making it genuinely self-contained for free camping away from powered sites. If you are planning a Whitsundays stop or want the flexibility of pulling into a national park without hunting for a shower block, this is the model to book.

At the top of the range, the Paradise Family 5 fits five seatbelted passengers, sleeps four inside and one in a supplied tent, and also has shower and toilet. It is built on older stock (2008–2013) but the Toyota HiAce mechanicals are famously long-lived — these things run 400,000+ km with routine servicing.

The $500 Bond

The headline number is the bond: $500. Compare that to Britz at $7,500 or Apollo at $5,000 and you start to understand why budget travellers gravitate to Camperman. Your credit card is not hostage for the entire trip, which matters when you are travelling on a tight budget and need that headroom.

They do not offer excess reduction options beyond tyre and windscreen cover ($100 with a $0 excess), so if you damage the vehicle you are up for a maximum of $500 out of pocket. For most people that is a fair trade for the lower bond and base rate. Pricing also includes unlimited kilometres and comprehensive insurance — no daily equipment fees stacked on top.

Age Policy

Camperman accepts drivers from 18 years old with a valid licence, including green P-plates. That puts them ahead of most of the market — many operators will not touch under-21 drivers, and the ones that do often apply punitive young driver surcharges. If you are a backpacker doing the east coast loop for the first time, Camperman is one of very few operators where your age does not price you out.

One-Way Hires and Relocations

One-way hires between depots are available, which is essential if you are doing the classic Cairns to Sydney run or flying into one city and out of another. It is also worth checking their relocation deals — Camperman occasionally offers near-free hire rates for moving vehicles between depots to rebalance their fleet.

Roadside Assistance

Roadside assistance runs 8am to 9pm daily (not 24/7, worth noting if you are planning remote legs). For the east coast route with its reasonable population density, this is generally fine — but pack some breakdown basics if you are heading into national park country far from the highway.

Depot Locations

Five depots: Cairns (440 Sheridan Street), Airlie Beach (Heart of Reef Shuttles, Cannonvale), Brisbane (Virginia), Melbourne (Coburg) and Sydney (Caringbah). The locations are not always central — Caringbah is about 30 minutes south of Sydney CBD and Virginia is north of Brisbane city. Budget time and possibly a taxi for pickup and drop-off. The Airlie Beach depot is a shared facility at a shuttle company in Cannonvale, which works fine in practice but requires a bit of coordination on arrival.

What the Reviews Actually Say

The reviews are mixed, and Camperman does not try to hide that. Outstanding five-star experiences sit alongside genuine complaints — usually around vehicle condition (older fleet) and depot logistics. The honest read: you are hiring a vehicle that has done considerable kilometres, and Camperman is upfront about year ranges during the booking process. Do your vehicle walkthrough thoroughly at pickup, note any existing damage, and you will almost certainly have a fine trip. Expect brand-new and you will be disappointed.

Bottom Line

For budget east coast travellers — especially young drivers, backpackers, and small families who want to keep the bond low — Camperman Australia is a genuinely good choice. The $500 bond, all-inclusive pricing, and 18+ age policy are real, meaningful advantages over larger operators. The fleet is older but reliable. If you want the newest campervans, go to Britz or Apollo and pay twice as much. If you want a solid east coast run without breaking the bank, Camperman delivers exactly what it promises.

Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

  • Low $500 security bond — far below the industry average
  • One-way hires available between all five east coast depots

✗ Cons

  • Older fleet — most vehicles are 2008 to 2018 year range
  • Depot locations are not always central to the city

Vehicle Fleet

Juliette 2-3 HighTop campervan
Juliette 2-3 HighTop
👥 3 berth🚙 Toyota HiAce HiTop⚙️ manual
👥3 Berth⚙️manual🍳Kitchen
Maxie 3 HighTop campervan
Maxie 3 HighTop
👥 3 berth🚙 Toyota HiAce HiTop⚙️ manual
👥3 Berth⚙️manual🍳Kitchen
Maxie 4 Deluxe Shower & Toilet campervan
Maxie 4 Deluxe Shower & Toilet
👥 4 berth🚙 Toyota HiAce HiTop⚙️ automatic
👥4 Berth⚙️automatic🚽Toilet🚿Shower🍳Kitchen
Paradise Family 5 campervan
Paradise Family 5
👥 5 berth🚙 Toyota HiAce HiTop⚙️ automatic
👥5 Berth⚙️automatic🚽Toilet🚿Shower🍳Kitchen

Features & Amenities

🍳Kitchen Facilities
🚿Shower / Toilet
☀️Solar Panels
❄️Refrigerator
🛏️Bedding Included
🔧24/7 Roadside Assist
📡GPS Navigation
🏕️Camping Equipment

Customer Reviews

✍️ Leave a Review
Extremely disappointed customer
📍 United Kingdom
★★★★☆
Avoid this company
Terrible customer service - since lockdown I have continually tried to get my money back off these people for my booking. I offered for them to keep the deposit as long as they refunded me the money they took immediately out of my visa account once I let them know that it was unlikely that I would be able to travel due to Covid19. I have tried everything with them but they insist on retaining the money as a credit for a future trip. I will now not be going to Australia in the future - I could understand if I lived closer but let's face it it's not exactly a short trip away for me - but I am still unable to get anything back from them and because they have held it in credit I can't even claim off my insurance, so I'm about £900 out of pocket for nothing!
Aug 2020
Paul185
📍 United Kingdom
★☆☆☆☆
Avoid, Avoid, Avoid
Avoid at all costs. Very poor customer service. Definitely avoid if you don't want to get stung with big charges for nothing - recommend you use one of the many other providers available. We had to cancel our booking because of the fourteen day self-isolation restrictions introduced in Australia due to the COVID-19 outbreak (with less than 12 hours notice given by government). Under this last minute legislation, it would have not only been impractical but entirely illegal for us to make use of our booked campervan when we were due to arrive in the country 2 days before. Camperman not only refused to return our deposit, but took extra money without authorisation to cover 50% of the outstanding cost. This charge was taken even after providing them with a clear and reasonable explanation of the situation (within 24 hours of the legislation being announced), with 9 days notice of the cancellation and then after they were expressly refused permission to add the extra charges onto our card. In short, Camperman seem happy to force their customers to either break the law, spread a pandemic and risk imprisonment or to cash in on their misfortune by stealing large sums from their accounts for providing nothing whatsoever. Again, just avoid at all costs.
Mar 2020
Linna B.
📍 France
★★★★★
Super road trip en famille
Juste un petit mot pour remercier l’équipe de Camperman Australia pour leur professionnalisme et pour leur support durant notre aventure australienne ? Pour notre voyage de Sydney à Cairns, nous avons choisi le model de camping-car Paradise 5 Shower / Toilet. Pour notre famille avec deux petits de 4 et 6.5 ans c’était une parfaite solution qualité /prix de déplacement et de séjour. Les sièges auto, le linge, tous les accessoires de cuisine sont fournis par agence. Au départ de Sydney nous avons reçu les instructions d’utilisation du véhicule. Le personnel a été de très bons conseils pour les visites et les activités de notre itinéraire. Les enfants ont adoré le concept d’habiter et de voyager dans « la petite maison ». Inoubliable.
Feb 2020
Anonym
📍 Germany
★★☆☆☆
Ones and never again
Hired a hitop van for 5 for 4 weeks. The problems already started on the first day. Our tyre popped after one hour. We didn't have a jack, so couldn't change it by ourself. So they sent us a RACQ and told us, they would pay for it. Now we have to pay for it. On the second day the oil lamp lighted up, 24 hour hotline couldn't tell us what oil number we need. We went to a garage, to get a new tyre and a oil. Camperman told us they will pay for it. Our aircondition didn't work from the delivery on. After more then a week, they organsied a garage to fix it, but we lost 5 hours. Also it was raining into the camper (we know of two other people with the same problem), the lower bed didn't work, it's not possible to build it up, the camper already had 550.000km, we needed 4 litres of oil, for 4000km,... Camperman told us they will pay for the tyre and oil and will give us a compensation for the lost hours. Now, 4 weeks after returning it, we still didn't get all of our money. They don't answer to any emails. Our german agency contacted them 1,5 weeks ago and don't get any response aswell. Will never hire a camper of Camperman again!!!
June 2019
D. Smith
📍 New Zealand
★★★★☆
Camperman great family budget option
Booking enquires seemed automated, repeated emails from them, didn’t listen when trying to change the hire dates, multiple emails for a simple change. Other than above the vehicle was great, suited our needs, it was an older van with a few very minor problems which was all over come. Rang the company once with what I thought was an issue ( it wasn’t ) but instance service to resolve my issue. I would use these guys again
June 2019
D. Grainger
📍 Canada
★☆☆☆☆
Terrible experience and poor customer service
My family of 3 rented a 5 berth campervan from Camperman for a week in January 2018 and were extremely dissapointed with both the vehicle and how they addressed (or didn't) our issues. Keep this in mind when looking at reviews, there may be less poor ones because the renters are bound by a confidentiality agreement. Summary: Shower/toilet and ladder to upper berth both broken on delivery. Check engine light and fuel light on when delivered. Van smelled like garbage due to rotting waterfowl in front grill on delivery. Blown head lights. When van died (fuel pump) they sent tow truck with 2 passenger seats (family of 3 and van for 5). Did not replace van for 2 days, and sent a car instead. Promised to reimburse for accommodations and vehicle down time and did not. Asked to sign release and confidentiality agreement. Details: We tried to book a standard 3 berth Camperman camper on-line and were told they only had one option left which was a significantly more expensive 5 berth camper with shower and toilet. Since we only had one choice we accepted the premium van. We picked the van up from Gypsy travel in Airlie Beach, Rich was great and provided us with advice on what to see along our travels. He walked us through the vehicle where we pointed out that the vehicle had 500,000KMs, the check engine light was on and the fuel light was on. He logged the check engine light and said "hopefully you have enough gas to get the gas station". We did the walk through in the side ally and assumed the garbage smell and flies was from the ally, not the van and thought nothing of it. Our first stop was a beach in Bowen for lunch and a hike. While sitting outside the van eating lunch we were overrun with flies and a terrible rotten/garbage smell. We were starting to think Australia smelled and was full of flies. We overnight and while setting up we discover the door to the toilet/shower does not work which basically makes this expensive upgrade non-functional. When it's time for bed we pull out the ladder for my son to climb up to bed and discover the rungs on the ladder are broken. So we need to help him up and down. The next morning we stopped in Townsville to swim in the public pool. Once again we are overrun with flies and the continuous garbage smell. After a closer investigation we discovered a large, dead waterfowl rotting in the front grill! After some work we were able to remove the bird and dispose of it. Smell and flies solved. We continue on with the non-functioning shower/toilet and ladder but we are able to make due by paying for campgrounds that have shower facilities, an added cost we didn't plan on but we manage. The next night in Babinda is uneventful. The following night we stop in Yungaburra make camp and then drive into town for dinner. When we return to camp in the dark and had difficulty seeing the road but drove slow. When spotting the van into the campsite we notice that one of the headlights is out. At this point there are too many issues and I contacted Camperman via email and outline the problems we discovered. We did not expect perfection (especially from a vehicle with half million kms) but we did wan the premium features we were forced to pay for at least work, and all safety equipment (lights) be functioning. For our troubles they offered us a refund for one days rental on the condition we sign an extensive release and confidentiality agreement. With no printer in the van I waited to sign the release. Two nights later we stay in Cape Tribulation (no cell service) and when we wake up the van won't start! We call Camperman and they say they will send roadside to investigate, I ask how they will handle the down time. They immediately respond with "don;t worry you will be compensated from any down time." to which I respond "good thing I didn't sign the release." We left on a tour in the morning and when we returned roadside had been and gone but did not update Camperman. We called Camperman and they had no update or plan to get us moving. Eventually they sent a flatbed tow truck which arrived late afternoon. It was getting dark and the driver wanted to get on the road but there was an issue. The tow truck only had 3 seats and there were 4 including the driver. We were faced with splitting up the family or one of us driving unbelted in the cab. Why send a tow for a camper that holds up to 5 and you know was rented by a family and not think about how to transport them safely? The two was instructed to tow us to Wonga but after explaining we needed to be in Port Douglas for another tour they arranged to have the van towed to a campground there. When I asked what was the plan for the following day, would we get a replacement, or a rental car they said they would be repairing the van in the campground. I wasn't confident that would happen and didn't want to spend another day waiting around for a tow and asked what the back up plan was. I was very specific that I didn't want to waste another day waiting around in a campground for them to come up with a plan. I was told by a hostile manager that I had no input and to trust that they had it all under control. So we camp in Port Douglas but have to eat out because our food spoiled in the non-functioning fridge and had to pay for cabs around town. "Don't worry, we will reimburse you". We called Camperman the following morning during our tour to get an update. They inform us that the van has been towed (with all our belongings) to a service center and to wait for an update. When our tour ended we called again to see if we should walk to the service center (near where we were) or go back to the campground and wait. The hostile manager told us that they couldn't fix it, they would send a car and to "wait by the van". After several clarifying questions he finally told us it was not at a service center but at the campground. Turns out they lied and never took it to be serviced and instead wasted the morning. The tow truck with the loaner car arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon, and as suspected we burned another day. Now that we have no campervan we needed a place to stay for our last night, they offered accommodations up to $100, despite paying $385/day for the van. We had a night booked at a hotel that was $109/night in two days and felt it would make sense to stay there and not waste more time moving between hotels. Camperman promised to reimburse us if we paid for it because it was over their $100 limit. "Don't worry your will be compensated". When we returned the loaner car, which turned out to be the managers my son left some pictures from a Koala experience in the back of the car. They informed us we could pick them up from their Cairnes office. We asked them to forward them by mail to our final hotel in Sydney instead, they did not. After another follow up they promised to send them to our home address in Canada, to date (March 23rd) we have not received them and assume we never will. Since we returned on a Saturday there was no manager on staff to address our promised compensation and we were assured that we would get a proposal on Monday. We did not. The following Thursday I proposed two days rental refund plus the $100 for hotel. Which I thought was reasonable, 1 day for the broken toilet/shower etc, one day for the two days of breakdown, and $100 for the hotel as promised. They flat out refused and only offered 1 day refund, no more than previous despite the additional problems and commitments. To date this is not resolved and since I have not signed the release I am free to share. Our experience was awful and to cap it off when they sent the final inspection of the vehicle none of the issues we identified were logged. This means as soon as they got it running again it was put back in service as-is for someone else to deal with! I'd rather tell everyone my story and forgo the $385. Keep this in mind when looking at reviews, there may be less poor ones because they are bound by a confidentiality agreement. Good luck if you decide to rent with these guys, you will be on your own.
Apr 2018

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