With inflation driving up the prices of 4WD’s, caravans, fuel, food and caravan park accommodation, is it still possible to do The Big Lap in 2025 on a small budget?
Over the past few years we’ve seen prices for virtually everything rising relentlessly and it’s unlikely that prices for most things are going back to the way they were.
If you’ve been dreaming about doing The Big Lap then you may be thinking that the opportunity to travel around Australia has passed as it will simply cost too much money.
The good news is that it is definitely still possible to do The Big Lap on a small budget, but you will need to do some planning and have a solid strategy to make your dollars stretch for the full trip.
In this article I’ll show you how to do it!
So let’s get started.
Smaller Budget = Bigger Adventure!
Before we get into the nitty gritty I want you to think about doing The Big Lap as an adventure . . . quite possibly the biggest adventure of your life.
Adventure comes with challenges, obstacles and unpredictable outcomes that ultimately make it a rewarding and memorable experience that you will learn and grow from.
If it was easy and predictable then where is the challenge?
It would be a holiday and not an adventure.
The temptation for many people in life is to try and make things as comfortable, predictable and ‘soft’ as possible. A luxury vehicle, cosy caravan, grassy sites in swanky caravan parks etc.
Discomfort is looked at as something to be minimised or avoided altogether.
But all of this comfort comes at a price, not only in the extra dollars you will spend but also in the way it will diminish the ‘adventure’ aspect of your trip and the memories that come from overcoming obstacles and challenges.
In your quest to do your Big Lap on a small budget you’ll need to let go of some of the comforts and luxuries but you’ll be rewarded with a more challenging, memorable and ultimately character building experience.
Focus On Self-Sufficiency
The first step towards planning your Big Lap is to focus on self-sufficiency.
Self-sufficiency actually underpins the whole strategy.
Being self-sufficient so that you can live ‘off-grid’ will give you the freedom and flexibility to travel on your own terms and not be at the mercy of expensive services along the way.
Let’s break it down in more detail.
Free/Cheap Camping vs Caravan Parks
Caravan parks have become very expensive and can be $50 to $100 per night for a powered site.
If you stay in a caravan park every night for a year even at $50 per night you’ll spend close to $20,000.
Across Australia there are thousands of free or cheap camping opportunities but you need to be prepared to take advantage of them.
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The smartphone app ‘Wikicamps’ is a good place to find free and low cost camps.
Camping in roadside stops, national parks, state forests & bush camps, even if just for 3 or 4 nights per week, could save you more than $10,000 over a year.
But to do it sustainably you will need to be self-sufficient as most offer little in the way of services.
So what does it take to be self-sufficient?
Here are some of the things to consider:
Power – Solar and batteries
Being able to generate and store your own electricity is a great place to start.
Solar panels and lithium based batteries are very efficient these days and becoming more and more affordable.
Install solar panels on the roof of your vehicle or van or have a portable fold up solar panel that you can set up around your camp.
Install lithium batteries in your vehicle or van or have one or two portable power stations that you can charge from the solar or from the vehicle alternator while driving. These will give you power to keep the fridge, lights and other devices running overnight while you’re camped.
Water Tanks
Store water in several places on your rig including built-in tanks and portable jerry cans which you can carry to a water source (tap, river) and fill up.
Having 100-200 litres on board should last you several days.
By storing it over several tanks instead of one large one you reduce the risk of it all becoming contaminated or being lost if the tank leaks.
Shower & Toilet
Many caravans these days have built in bathrooms which definitely help you to be self-sufficient.
But if you have a van without a bathroom or you’re camping with a camper trailer, rooftop tent etc. then there are still options.
There are numerous camping showers on the market these days with the simplest being a small battery powered pump with a hose and shower head that pumps water from a bucket, like this one for under $100.
At the higher end of the price scale you can buy an LP gas powered water heater with a shower attachment that will give you a hot shower on demand.
The most comfortable option for a portable toilet is a chemical Porta-Potti type toilet that will cost a couple of hundred dollars and coupled with a pop-up shower tent for privacy is a fairly cheap and practical solution.
However there are simpler and even cheaper options like a small chair with a seat that you place over a hole in the ground.
Cooking & Food Preparation
Make sure you have a well setup and easily accessible kitchen and food prep area so that you can pull over under a tree and access and prepare lunch and snacks while you’re travelling.
This will help you to avoid needing to buy food and drinks at roadhouses and other remote shops where prices can be very high.
Camp Fridge
Invest in a decent sized fridge that either has a freezer section or can be run as a complete freezer. Having a good stock of frozen meat and veggies that you can buy economically at larger supermarkets will save you having to spend more money at higher priced remote stores.
Quick & Easy Camp Setup
Whether you’re planning to take a caravan, camper trailer, rooftop tent or any other set-up, always make the speed of set-up and pack-up a priority.
If your set-up takes an hour or two and your pack-up takes even longer then you’ll be reluctant to do quick overnight stops and more likely to spend multiple nights at the same spot.
This reduces your flexibility and freedom.
Knowing that you can easily pull into a free camping spot or national park site and be set-up and enjoy the sunset quickly and easily will mean that you are far more inclined to do it.
As a rough goal, aim to be able to set-up camp in 15 to 30 minutes and pack up the next morning in under 30 minutes.
Travel Light
The temptation when heading off on a trip around Australia is to pack loads of extra gear ‘just in case you need it’.
The problem is that all of that gear adds weight to your rig which means more fuel burnt and more stuff to deal with along the way.
As a general rule . . . if in doubt, leave it out. You can always buy things along the way if you really need them.
Look for lighter weight versions of products where possible.
Start your trip using a maximum of 80% of your available storage space to make it easier to setup and pack up camp and store things you pick up along the way.
Every kilogram less gear you take is saving you money on fuel.
To help you decide what to take and what to leave behind I created this Road Trip Packing List & Weight Calculator Spreadsheet which you can download for free and use to help in your planning.
It will give you a list of over 500 items to consider (you won’t need all of them) plus it has a column to add the approximate weight of each item you decide to take so you can keep an eye on the overall weight of your gear.
Reconsider taking your dog
It’s a tough call for dog lovers to consider not taking the dog but having a dog with you will reduce your opportunities to take advantage of many free and low cost camps.
Dogs are not allowed in national parks and many other destinations so you will be excluding some of the best places from your itinerary.
If you do take your dog you can take advantage of dog sitting services like MadPaws or Pawshake so that you can visit places like Kakadu and Uluru National Parks but these will come at a cost.
Buy A Second Hand Vehicle & Van
There are many ways to do The Big Lap and you definitely don’t need a 4WD or even a caravan – a reliable vehicle and a tent or swag or a van you can sleep in is the basic starting point.
However most people choose a 4WD because it opens up so much more of the country to explore that a 2WD can’t reach.
Likewise a caravan or camper trailer is the most popular accommodation choice for most Big Lappers.
If you listen to all of those weekend travel TV shows and the influencers on social media then you might be thinking that to do The Big lap you’ll need a shiny new Landcruiser and a brand spanking new high end off road caravan with all of the bells and whistles.
A setup like this could easily cost you over $250,000.
The trouble is that even though it will be comfortable and capable of going anywhere, you’ll be nervous about driving it down remote bush tracks in case it gets scratched or damaged which will result in you missing out on some of the best experiences of your trip.
You’ll spend a fortune on insurance and the resale value will be plummeting from the day you leave the dealership.
A better and far cheaper option is to buy a quality second hand 4WD and caravan or camper trailer.
Personally I think that this is a better strategy even if money was no object!
So many of the best places to explore in Australia are at the end of long, hot dusty and rough unsealed roads.
These roads will take a toll on your vehicle and your van, there is simply no avoiding it.
But you don’t want to miss them because that’s where the adventure is and some of the best days of your trip (best days of your life!) will be down those roads.
For example, the Gibb River Road that stretches across the Kimberley in northern Western Australia. It’s a rough unsealed road with even rougher side tracks to spectacular waterfalls, gorges and other natural features.
You want to explore areas like this without the stress of worrying about the stone chips, scratches and other potential damage that is inevitably going to be inflicted on your vehicle and van.
Better Resale Value
Another benefit to buying quality second hand vs new is the depreciation and resale value.
New vehicles and vans depreciate very quickly from brand new but the depreciation usually slows down as they get older.
The chances are that by buying a second hand vehicle and van for your Big Lap you can sell them after your trip for not a lot less than you paid for them making the total cost of ownership far lower than if you bought new.
Saving Money On Fuel
Fuel is going to be another major expense on your Big Lap potentially costing between $10k and $20k for a 35,000km trip depending on how economical your vehicle is.
So here are some tips to help you minimise the amount you spend on fuel.
Diesel vs Petrol
With modern 4WD’s the difference in fuel consumption between diesel and petrol models is not significant mainly due to the improvement in fuel economy for modern petrol engines.
In older vehicles though the difference can be much greater with older diesel engines being far more fuel efficient than older petrol engines, especially when the vehicle is fully loaded.
For example, our 1991 80 Series Landcruiser has a turbo diesel engine and even when fully loaded and towing our camper trailer our average fuel consumption for our Big Lap was around 17 litres per 100km.
The same Landcruiser with a petrol engine would likely use about 25 litres per 100km . . . a LOT more!
Here’s the equation:
(46,600km/100) x 8 = 3728 litres more fuel for the petrol engine.
At an average of $2.00 per litre that is around $7500 more spent on fuel for the same trip.
Ouch!
So in general if you are looking at an older 4WD, a diesel option will more than likely save you money even if the purchase price is a bit higher.
Increase Your Fuel Capacity
Once you start travelling around Australia you’ll discover that the price of fuel will vary significantly between cities and remote towns and roadhouses.
Prices can be up to $1.00 per litre higher in remote areas.
Having the capacity to carry more fuel on board so that you can buy more when it is cheaper can save you significantly over the course of your trip.
Being able to bypass expensive remote fuel stops or at least not need to purchase as much gives you greater freedom and self-sufficiency and can save you $$$.
The best way to carry more fuel is with a second fuel tank installed in the vehicle.
Many 4WD’s like Landcuisers and Patrols have a second tank built in already and these can sometimes be upgraded to a larger long range tank.
For example, our Landcuiser has a 90 ltr main tank and 45ltr auxiliary tank. We upgraded the auxiliary tank to a Long Ranger 166 ltr tank giving us 256 ltrs of fuel capacity on board, all of it stored safely under the vehicle and available at the flick of a switch.
This gives us a range of 1200 km – 1400 km.
Another option is to carry some jerry cans with extra fuel which is less convenient but won’t cost much.
Use The Fuel Map App
Download the ‘Fuel Map’ app on your phone and you can see the recent price of fuel at most fuel stations around Australia.
This will help you plan you fuel purchases in advance by knowing what the price is likely to be in the towns you will be arriving into.
You can also compare prices of the different fuel stations within the town as the cheapest options are often not on the main road as you drive through the town.
The fuel prices in the app are updated by users so support the app by adding in fuel prices when you stop and get fuel so other users get the most up to date info.
Reduce Wind Resistance
Unfortunately many 4WD’s and caravans are not exactly streamlined causing drag from the wind resistance as you drive on down the road.
This is exacerbated by the fact that you spend a lot of time at highway speeds.
When you’re planning your rig setup, pay attention to keeping things as streamlined as possible.
Roof racks are a great place to start. Use a wind deflector on the front and try to keep everything low on the rack with nothing sticking up to catch the wind.
Make sure your van or trailer sits in behind your vehicle or if it is higher, then ensure it is a streamlined design.
Overall a streamlined rig could save you several litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.
Download Our FREE Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet
Calculating how much money you will need for your Big Lap is a personal thing because everyone’s trip is different.
You’ll hear people say it will cost ‘$1.00 per kilometre’ or ‘$1000 per week’ which may be true for them but that won’t apply to most travellers. There are just too many variables.
In 2012 I created The Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet, a simple free spreadsheet to help people planning their Big Lap to calculate how much money they need based on their trip plan.
It has been revised & updated 5 times since then and downloaded over 60,000 times and you can get your own copy for free.
All you need to do is subscribe below to our newsletter and we’ll send you a link to download a copy of The Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet.
Download our FREE Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet
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