Travel trend: Designer campervans are on the move

These stunning campervans are giving five-star hotels a run for their money.

When Erin Short bought an old Volkswagen campervan from her brother in 2015, it had seen better days. "He had just used it to complete a lap of Australia with his mates and it was gross!" says the English expat. "We basically had to do an exorcism... we stripped it out completely and remade the interiors, starting with insulation and adding a bit of style."

It was only when Erin, now 35, and her partner James Owen, 36, took the refurbished van on its maiden voyage from Melbourne to Queensland that they realised how special their refit was. "We'd stay at camping sites and other campers would always come up to ask about our van - who designed it, who did the work, where did we buy it?" she says. "At the time most other campervans were big boxy RVs that are ugly and expensive or horrible backpacker vans - there was nothing in the middle."

And so Drifters Campervans was born. Fast forward to 2023 and the pair now live on the Sunshine Coast with their young children and own three custom-designed vans available to rent on the website Camplify.

Founded in 2015 by chief executive Justin Hales, Camplify has grown from his personal passion project into a publicly listed company with a footprint in New Zealand, Spain and the UK. Like Airbnb for vans, the site has become Australia's leading RV-rental platform, thanks to a growing tribe of people keen to experience the old-school joys of "van life" for themselves, without having to shell out for their own campervan.

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"Nostalgia was a huge factor in developing the idea for Camplify," says Justin. "As a kid, every holiday for me was spent in my family's 1980s Viscount caravan. I was keen to re-create those memories with my family, and I noticed an abundance of unused caravans in my Newcastle neighbourhood. I then realised that there was a huge opportunity to unlock the potential of Australia's RVs."

Restrictions on international travel due to COVID-19 aided the company's rapid upscale: 2021 saw booking growth of more than 126 per cent and a 44 per cent growth in the number of vans listed on the site as the idea of hitting the wide open road grew in appeal among Australians.

Figures from trading site caravancampingsales.com.au also show a steep increase in campervan popularity. "Industry figures show a record number of new recreational vehicles hitting the road in 2022," says site editor Chris Fincham. Almost 50,000 locally built and imported RVs entered the market last year as demand for caravans, camper trailers and motorhomes soared, up from around 32,000 in 2019. Even in the post-lockdown world, Australians continue to embrace the idealised version of their childhood memories through a growing fleet of cool and unique vans.

For people with some tradie know-how and artistic flair such as Erin, a creative designer, and James, an appliance technician, "flipping" vans from utilitarian boxes into designer digs on wheels represents a profitable side hustle from their day jobs.

"For us it's the passion of designing and transforming the vans," says Erin. "We love getting out and camping when we can, although it's hard with young kids - the last time we went out was with our latest van, which we decked out in tropical luxe style with palm leaf wallpaper and custom neon lighting. It's like a tiny boutique hotel on wheels. We got a babysitter and enjoyed a night away together."

Mood lighting, timber-panelled ceilings and luxurious linens are all de rigueur in the luxe-campervan world, in which Instagram-ability is a motivating travel factor.

So too is a cute name. "Henry", the first van renovated by Sydneysider Marcus Moffatt, was launched in 2020 when pandemic-inflicted lockdowns cancelled his road trip around Australia.

"I had to keep occupied," says the owner of Wander Campervans, who at the age of 23 has given up his work as a labourer to concentrate on his fleet of five vans, with another two due to launch in May.

"I really started when I wanted to go around Australia but when lockdowns stopped me it gave me extra time to tinker, with the help of my dad and grandad who are really handy," he says. He now has the conversion of each Toyota HiAce - "I love the model because it's really reliable and easy to get parts when you need them" - down to a fine art.

Prior to starting each fit-out, he conceptualises different designs to see how to best maximise the tight space, with non-negotiables including a queen-sized bed, ample storage and a small kitchen, along with an off-grid solar system that allows travellers to head out into the wilds.

Each fit-out is bespoke, and Marcus's mother Dee Moffatt adds her design flair, which might take the form of artistic Moroccan-style tiling on the walls, hanging plants, LED strip lighting and hardwood finishes (one van, named Casa, even has a movie projector and screen).

For travellers they represent an attractive - and affordable - alternative to a traditional hotel or Airbnb.

Take your campervan to these five incredible places in Australia where planes, trains and ships don't go.

NSW: Be mesmerised by the serene turquoise waters of secluded Honeymoon Bay at Currarong on the NSW South Coast, about three hours' drive south of Sydney.

VICTORIA: Feel on top of the world at Mount Buffalo in Victoria's High Country. Four hours' drive from Melbourne, the Lake Catani Campground is an alpine dream of snow gums and glassy water.

WA: Dreamy ocean views await at the Osprey Bay Campground, right next to the world-famous Ningaloo Reef. Referred to as 'the aquarium', it's perched above the rock-shelf shoreline.

TASMANIA: The towering trees and ferns of Mt Field National Park are the majestic backdrop to a stay in this heritage-listed wilderness, 90 minutes' drive from Hobart.

QUEENSLAND: Immerse yourself in the lush rainforest of tropical Queensland at Babinda Boulders. It's just a one-hour drive south of Cairns, with crystal-clear swimming holes and waterfalls.