Let’s have a look at an idea that keeps coming up in Facebook groups and other forums – this idea that your Big Lap will cost “one dollar per kilometre.”
It’s a nice round number that people love to throw around, but it’s about as useful as a chocolate teapot when you’re actually trying to plan your trip.
Think about it – a lap of Australia is roughly 15,000km if you stick to Highway 1. So that’s $15,000, right? Wrong. Nobody just drives Highway 1 and calls it done. By the time you detour to Uluru, explore the Kimberley, check out Karijini, and do all the bits that make a Big Lap actually worthwhile, you’re looking at 30,000-35,000km minimum.
So now we’re at $35,000 using that dodgy formula. But here’s where it gets really silly – this “rule” doesn’t tell you anything useful. Are you free camping or staying in $70-a-night caravan parks? Eating baked beans or dining at every country pub? Towing a mansion on wheels or sleeping in a swag?
Here’s What People Actually Spend
After 20 years of conversations with Big Lappers and helping thousands plan their Big Lap budgets, I’ve found most people fall into three camps:
The Tight Budget Crew: $20,000-$30,000 These legends are out there living their best life, free camping most nights, cooking their own tucker, and having a brilliant time. They’re the ones who’ve worked out that sunset at a free camp beats a powered site at an expensive caravan park any day. They are usually young couples in a capable but affordable offroader like a second hand Troopcarrier, Ranger or other Landcruiser 70 Series model or they are doing Vanlife in a Sprinter, Combi, Hiace etc.
The Comfortable Middle: $35,000-$50,000 These guys mix it up – some free camps, some caravan parks, the occasional pub meal, and they don’t stress too much about fuel prices. They’ve got enough buffer to handle the unexpected without drama. Most grey nomads and budget focussed young families would fit into this group.
The “Stuff It, We’re Only Doing This Once” Brigade: $50,000+ Good on ’em. They’re staying in caravan parks most nights, doing all the tourist attractions, and eating out regularly. Nothing wrong with that if you’ve got the cash.
The $30,000 Question
So can you do it for $30,000? Absolutely. But – and this is a big but – you need to be strategic about it.
When we did our Big Lap, we had a tight budget that got even tighter when we rolled our Landcruiser and camper trailer in the Snowy Mountains. Even with insurance, we were down $10,000. Disaster? Could have been. Instead, it forced us to get creative, and honestly, some of our best memories came from having to think outside the box.
Here’s what makes a $30,000 Big Lap possible:
Your Setup Matters Forget the flash $150,000 caravan. We’re talking about a reliable older 4WD (think 20+ year old Patrol, Landcruiser, Pajero etc. for $15-30k) and either a secondhand camper trailer, rooftop tent, or small van. The key is being self-sufficient – solar panels, batteries, decent water capacity, and your own ‘bathroom’. This lets you free camp at every opportunity without needing facilities.
Free Camping is Your Friend At $45-100+ per night for powered sites, caravan parks will absolutely destroy your budget. Stay in them every night and you’re looking at $16,000+ for a year just for accommodation. But Australia has thousands of brilliant free and low cost camps. You just need to be set up to be able to take full advantage of them.
Fuel Strategy is Crucial Remote fuel prices are brutal. I’ve seen diesel range from $1.97 in Alice to $2.67 at Uluru on the same day – that’s a 70 cent per litre difference over 400km! Set your vehicle up to carry enough fuel for 1000km+ range. Yes, the extra weight costs a bit more in consumption, but you don’t have to fill up every time and being able to skip the expensive roadhouses when you need to will save you hundreds of dollars over your trip.
Cook Your Own Tucker $50 for fish and chips for a family? Yeah, nah. Get comfortable with your camp kitchen. One-pot wonders, BBQs, camp ovens and damper cooked on the hotplate become your specialties. Save the eating out for special occasions or those country pubs that are too good to miss.
Work Along the Way Even picking up $5,000 from a few weeks of fruit picking or selling pancakes from your tailgate changes everything. Some couples will do a month of harvest work and fund three months of travel.
The Hard Truth
Look, I’m not going to lie – $30,000 is tight for a 12-month lap, especially with a family. But it is feasible if you’re clever about it.
The real problem isn’t whether $30,000 is enough – it’s that most people don’t actually know what they’re budgeting for. They guess at fuel costs, have no idea about camping fees, forget about insurance, and then wonder why they’re broke in Broome.
Remove The Guesswork
Before you decide if your budget’s enough, you need to get specific. Really specific. Like, how many nights will you free camp versus caravan parks? What’s your vehicle’s actual fuel consumption? How much will insurance cost? What about that emergency fund for when things go pear-shaped (because something always does)?
I created a free Big Lap Budget Spreadsheet that over 60,000 travellers have used to answer these exact questions. It’s dead simple – punch in your numbers and it’ll tell you if your budget stacks up. No guessing, no “she’ll be right” – just real numbers you can trust.
Grab a copy using the form below . . .
The spreadsheet lets you play with different scenarios too. Want to see how much you’d save by free camping 80% of the time instead of 50%? Just adjust the numbers. Thinking about working for a month in Queensland? Add that income and watch your budget breathing room expand.
Bottom Line
Can you do the Big Lap for $30,000? Yes, if you’re smart about it. Will it be the same experience as someone spending $60,000? Nope – it’ll be different, not worse. Doing The Big Lap on a tight budget forces you to be creative – you’ll end up meeting more people, finding those magic spots off the beaten track that the tourists miss and having a real adventure that you’ll be telling your grandkids about in decades to come.
The question isn’t really “is $30,000 enough?” – it’s “what kind of Big Lap can I have with $30,000?” And with proper planning, the answer is: a bloody good one.
Just remember – every dollar you save before you leave is another day on the road. Every expensive gadget you don’t buy is another week of adventure. And every time you choose a free camp over a caravan park, you’re choosing freedom over facilities.
The Big Lap isn’t about how much you spend. It’s about getting out there and doing it. I’ve met Grey Nomads in ‘quarter-million-dollar’ rigs who were miserable and backpackers in beat-up vans having the time of their lives.
Money matters, but mindset matters more. And if you’re reading this, you’re already halfway there.
Written by Steve Baile, Founder of Expedition Australia and creator of 'The Big Lap' film series.
