Adelaide, at the edge of the crossing

The depot at Bowden

The Adelaide depot is at 86 Gibson Street, Bowden, in the inner north. Office hours are 09:00 to 15:00 Monday to Friday, and 09:00 to 11:00 on Saturday. The office is closed on Sunday.

Bowden is a redeveloped industrial suburb, and the depot sits among warehouses rather than houses. The city is close enough to walk to in half an hour, which makes this the most central depot on the list after Brisbane. For the depot itself, campervan hire Adelaide covers Bowden, the hours above and what is kept there.

The depot lists after-hours collection and return as available. Confirm the arrangement when you book, and check the office hours against a weekend arrival.

What this depot is for

This is a collection and return point for trips that start in South Australia. The short version is the wine country: the Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley are all within two hours, and all on sealed roads.

The long version is the crossing west. Adelaide to the North West Cape means the Eyre Peninsula, the Nullarbor, and then the length of Western Australia, and it is the emptiest start of any depot here. Where that crossing finishes is a choice rather than a fixed point, and campervan hire locations on the far side lists the depots on the far side of it.

Four things within an hour

The Central Market. A covered market on Gouger Street, running since 1869, and the best single stop for provisions before a long drive. It is also the place to buy food for the first three days rather than the first night.

North Terrace. The museum, the art gallery, the state library and the botanic garden sit in a line along one street. The South Australian Museum's whale skeleton and the Botanic Garden's palm house are both free, which makes it a good wet-day plan.

Glenelg. The beach at the end of the tram line from the city, with a jetty and a long sand front. It is the only place in Adelaide where the tram takes you to the water.

The Adelaide Hills. Mount Lofty summit is twenty minutes up the freeway, and the road over the top to Hahndorf and the German-settled villages is sealed the whole way. In autumn the hills are the reason to take the slow road.

The crossing west

Two routes leave Adelaide for the west. The first goes down the Eyre Peninsula through Port Augusta and Ceduna, which is the coastal version and the one with the oyster towns on it. The second cuts inland through Port Augusta and the top of the gulf, which is faster and emptier.

Both meet the Nullarbor, and the Nullarbor is the part that needs planning rather than describing: fuel at the roadhouses, water carried, and no assumption that the next town has what you need. The stage lengths are long enough that a missed fuel stop is a problem rather than an inconvenience.

One rule applies to the whole crossing: the wildlife is out at dawn and dusk, and the road is unfenced for most of its length. Drive the daylight hours and stop before the light goes.

The park pass question belongs here too, because it is the last city with a reasonable chance of sorting it. Cape Range National Park charges standard entry fees and a valid pass covers them.