Travel Wheels

Travel Wheels Review: Budget Campervans Done Right on Australia's East Coast

Travel Wheels is not trying to impress you with flashy graphics, slick marketing, or a fleet of brand-new motorhomes. What they are doing — and have been doing from their Sydney depot for over 20 years — is getting budget travellers into reliable Toyota campervans at prices that leave money in the tank for actual experiences. If you want cheap and dependable east coast transport with a bed in the back, they are worth a serious look.

The Fleet: Three Campervans, No Nonsense

Everything in the Travel Wheels hire fleet is a Toyota — either a Tarago-based 2 person automatic or a Hiace HiTop for the 3 and 5 person models. That single-brand focus is not an accident. Toyotas hold their value, parts are cheap and available everywhere in Australia, and the Hiace in particular is the backbone of the entire Australian campervan industry. When something goes wrong three hours north of Cairns, you want a Toyota, not an obscure conversion no mechanic has seen before.

The 2 Person Automatic Campervan is the most popular model in the fleet, and it is easy to see why. It drives like a regular car — automatic gearbox, good fuel economy, easy to park in city streets — but converts to a proper double bed (1.70m x 1.35m) in under a minute. The kitchen is compact but genuinely functional: 35L fridge with dual battery, 2-burner gas cooker, 10L water tank. Not luxurious. But for a couple who want to spend their money on experiences rather than accommodation, it does exactly what it needs to do.

The 3 Person HiTop Campervan is where Travel Wheels earns its reputation as Australia's most popular campervan rental option in its class. The high roof lets you stand upright, the redesigned open-plan kitchen has a 55L fridge and a microwave (when connected to 240V campsite power), and the sleeping configuration — rear double plus single roof bed — means three people can travel together without anyone drawing the short straw on where they sleep. A 4kg refillable gas bottle rather than those tiny expensive canisters used by some competitors is a small but meaningful detail.

The 5 Person Automatic Campervan is the family and group vehicle. Automatic transmission, the largest bed in the fleet at 2.1m x 1.7m, an 80L fridge, two child seat anchor points in the rear, and enough lounge space that five adults can genuinely sit around the table together. Families consistently book this one out during school holidays and peak season — if you want it in December, book early.

Depots: Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne

Travel Wheels operates four depots along the east coast. The main office and sales yard is at 11-15 Clevedon Street, Botany, Sydney — not glamorous, but functional and well-located near the airport. Brisbane is at Northgate, Cairns at Parramatta Park, and Melbourne at Airport West. One-way hire between these cities is available, which matters if you want to do the classic Cairns-to-Sydney run without backtracking.

The multi-lingual team is a genuine differentiator. Staff speak English, Deutsch, and Français, and the website has dedicated versions in Dutch, Spanish, and Danish as well. A large proportion of their customers come from Europe — particularly Germany and France — and the ability to ask a real question in your own language before handing over a credit card imprint is worth something.

What You Actually Get Included

Travel Wheels includes more in the base price than some competitors do by default. Bed linen, sleeping bags, folding chairs, and a full cooking kit (pots, pans, plates, cutlery, can opener, kettle, washing liquid) come with all vehicles. Unlimited kilometres apply on the east coast. An extra driver is free. These things seem basic, but the market has players who charge for all of them, so it is worth noting when someone does not.

The Honest Assessment

Travel Wheels is not for everyone. The vehicles are older — Toyota Hiace models dating from the early 2000s — and the company is upfront about this. You are not getting a new build with USB charging on every surface and solar panels on the roof. The excess is $2,000 (reducible with their daily reduction options), which is standard for the budget segment. Some past customers have flagged slow deposit refunds, which is worth knowing going in.

What you are getting is a proven vehicle platform, a no-frills operation that has stayed in business for two decades, and some of the most competitive daily rates on the east coast. For backpackers, working holiday travellers, and budget-conscious couples doing their first Australian road trip, that trade-off works.

Pros and Cons

• Pro: Exclusively Toyota fleet — reliable, parts available nationwide
• Pro: Competitive pricing with honest inclusions (linen, cooking kit, extra driver free)
• Pro: Multi-lingual staff (English, Deutsch, Français)
• Pro: One-way hire available across four east coast depots
• Pro: Unlimited kilometres on east coast routes
• Con: Older vehicle fleet (2000s models) — no modern tech extras
• Con: No onboard toilet or shower on any vehicle
• Con: Some customer reports of slow deposit refunds
• Con: $2,000 excess unless you take a daily reduction option