Melbourne, on the eastern edge

The depot at Ringwood

The depot is at 45 Bond Street, Ringwood, in Melbourne's outer east. 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.

Ringwood sits at the junction of the Maroondah Highway and EastLink, which means the Dandenong Ranges are twenty minutes east and the city is forty minutes west. If you are arriving by air, Tullamarine is on the opposite side of Melbourne, and the transfer is a long one. The Ringwood window is the thing to plan around, and campervan hire Melbourne sets out those hours and what is kept there.

The depot lists after-hours collection and return as available. Confirm the arrangement when you book, since the office window is short and a late arrival needs planning.

What this depot is for

This is a collection and return point for trips that start in Victoria. The two obvious directions are south-west along the Great Ocean Road and north into the ranges and the Yarra Valley, and both are short trips that people bolt onto a longer one.

The longer one is the drive to the North West Cape. Victoria to Western Australia is a crossing of the Nullarbor rather than a coastal drive, and it is the kind of route where the vehicle is decided at the start, not adjusted on the way. Deciding it at the start is easier with the whole map in front of you, and campervan hire locations across Australia shows where a Victorian start can end.

Four days out of Ringwood

The Dandenong Ranges. Twenty minutes east of the depot, and the closest thing Melbourne has to a forest. The Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, known to everyone as the 1000 Steps, climbs through Sherbrooke Forest from Ferntree Gully. The Puffing Billy railway runs from Belgrave through the hills, and the Sherbrooke Forest trails are the quiet alternative to the steps.

The Yarra Valley. Vineyards, and Healesville Sanctuary, which is the state's dedicated native wildlife park and the reliable place to see a platypus. The road out through Lilydale is sealed and easy, which makes it a good first day in an unfamiliar vehicle.

The Mornington Peninsula. Point Nepean at the tip, the ocean beaches at Portsea and Sorrento, and the bay beaches on the other side. The peninsula is a loop rather than a there-and-back, which matters when the vehicle is large.

Phillip Island. The Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach runs at dusk, every night of the year, and it is the single most scheduled thing on this coast. Book ahead in summer; the stands fill.

The Great Ocean Road. The Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and the Otway rainforest are all on the one sealed road west of Torquay. It is a slow road with a lot of corners, and a campervan on it needs patience rather than power.

Before you leave the state

Three checks belong in Melbourne rather than on the road.

The first is the Victorian alpine rule: if the route crosses the alpine areas in winter, snow chains are legally required to be carried in the declared resorts, and the rule is enforced rather than advisory.

The second is water and power for the dry stages. The crossing west has long gaps between towns, and the vehicle's tanks are the constraint, not the fuel gauge.

The third is the park pass question at the other end. Cape Range National Park charges standard entry fees and a valid pass covers them, so the pass is worth sorting before the last thousand kilometres rather than at the gate.