Capricorn Coast Road Trip 2027: Campervan Hire and Camping Guide

Which rental brands suit a Capricorn Coast road trip?

There is no CRG pickup in Rockhampton or Yeppoon, so Brisbane is the best start: it is the closest major depot city with the widest choice, and a return hire avoids one-way fees. In our live Brisbane search for 5 to 15 June 2027, eleven brands we compare returned 65 campervans and motorhomes: Apollo, Auto-Sleepers, Britz, Campervan Village, Camperman, Jucy, Maui, Mighty, Spaceships, Star RV and Travellers Autobarn. Almost all showed Available Now with instant confirmation.

• Budget two and three sleepers: Campervan Village (Aventus, Mini Camper, Johnny Feelgood, Alice Chillgood), Travellers Autobarn (Budgie, Chubby, Hitop, Kuga), Spaceships (Alpha, Beta), Jucy (Chill'd Cloudbreak, Coaster) and Camperman (Juliette, Maxie 3) suit couples who will use caravan park amenities.
• Self-contained with shower and toilet: Mighty Duo, Deuce and Deuce Plus, Apollo Euro Mini, Euro Tourer and Euro Plus, Britz Trailblazer, Star RV Polaris 2, Auto-Sleepers Kea Nomad and the Maui Ultima range. Useful at Byfield, where the state forest camping areas have toilets but no showers.
• Families and groups: Camperman Maxie 4, Mighty Double Up and Big Six, Apollo Euro Quest, Euro Camper and Euro Deluxe, Jucy Chill'd Big Kahuna, Maui Beach and River, Star RV Polaris 6, Britz Voyager and Spaceships Beta 4 Berth.
• 4WD campers: Campervan Village D5 4x4 and Grip 4x4, Mighty 4WD Camper, Apollo 4WD Adventure Camper and Overland Camper, and Britz Warrior 4WD. Only a 4WD with sand driving experience can reach Five Rocks and Nine Mile Beach in Byfield National Park, and you should check each brand's terms on sand and unsealed roads before you go.

One-way options work too. A Cairns search for the same dates returned 65 vans from 12 brands (adding Adventure Rentals 4WDs), and a Cairns to Brisbane one-way search returned 62 vans from 11 brands, so you can drive the whole Queensland coast and stop on the Capricorn Coast on the way. Airlie Beach is the closest CRG city at about 480 km, but it returned only five vans from Spaceships and Camperman. Start from our Brisbane campervan hire page.

How much does campervan hire for a Capricorn Coast road trip cost?

Prices below are in Australian dollars per day from our live Brisbane search on 19 October 2026, picking up Saturday 5 June 2027 and returning Tuesday 15 June 2027. That covers two driving days each way plus a sample week on the coast from 7 to 13 June. The cheapest van was the Campervan Village Aventus at $37.52 a day ($613.53 total), and the dearest was the Britz Warrior 4WD at $348.32 a day.

• Two sleepers without shower and toilet: about $38 to $155 a day (Campervan Village Aventus to Britz Hitop), with the Jucy Chill'd Cloudbreak at $71.02 and the premium Britz Maverick at $341.36.
• Three and four sleepers without shower and toilet: about $42 to $160 a day (Campervan Village Mini Camper to Britz Voyager), including Jucy Condo at $78.88 and Spaceships Beta 4 Berth at $115.26.
• Two and three sleepers with shower and toilet: about $155 to $232 a day (Mighty Duo to Maui Ultima Plus), including Star RV Polaris 2 at $160.54 and Britz Trailblazer at $188.14.
• Four sleepers with shower and toilet: about $110 to $255 a day (Camperman Maxie 4 to Maui Beach), including Mighty Double Up at $192.87 and Apollo Euro Quest at $206.26.
• Six sleepers: about $198 to $261 a day (Mighty Big Six to Maui River), including Apollo Euro Deluxe at $218.14 and Star RV Polaris 6 at $233.27.
• 4WD campers: about $133 to $348 a day (Campervan Village D5 4x4 to Britz Warrior 4WD).

For a one-way hire from Cairns to Brisbane on the same dates, daily rates ran from $37.74 (Campervan Village Aventus) to $296.37 (Britz Warrior 4WD). Britz, Apollo, Mighty and Maui were cheaper per day one way, but some totals were higher than a return hire, for example $930.89 for the Aventus against $565.93 for a Cairns return, so compare totals rather than daily rates. These rates leave out insurance excess reductions, extras such as camping kits, fuel, caravan park fees and Byfield camping permits ($7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family). Prices change daily, so check live prices for your dates.

Where to camp on the Capricorn Coast in a campervan

You will spend most nights in caravan parks or at the Byfield State Forest camping areas. Free camping is not an option on council land around Yeppoon and Emu Park, and the national park islands are tent-only and reached by boat. Details below come from Visit Capricorn, Queensland Parks and Livingstone Shire Council, checked in October 2026.

Caravan parks along the route

• Yeppoon: Beachside Holiday Caravan Park has 500 metres of beach frontage on Farnborough Beach about 1 km from town, powered and unpowered sites for campervans of all sizes and a dump point at every amenities block. Visit Capricorn also lists NRMA Capricorn Yeppoon Holiday Park, Discovery Parks Coolwaters Yeppoon, Blue Dolphin Caravan Park in the town centre, Poinciana Tourist Park near Cooee Bay and Elysium Retreat and Stays about 10 minutes out of town.
• Causeway Lake and Kinka Beach: Causeway Caravan Park sits on the lake between Yeppoon and Emu Park, with Ingenia Holidays Kinka Beach and Island View Caravan Park close by.
• Emu Park and Keppel Sands: Tasman Holiday Parks Fisherman's Beach is on the beach in Emu Park, and Keppel Sands Caravan Park has grassy sites about 100 metres from the water.
• Rockhampton and surrounds: Discovery Parks Rockhampton, the Capricorn Caves caravan park (open in school holidays only) and Mt Hay Gemstone Tourist Park, about 30 minutes west, with powered sites.

Byfield State Forest camping for campervans

Byfield is about 41 km north of Yeppoon. The camping areas a 2WD campervan can reach are in Byfield State Forest, off Byfield Road. All need a permit booked before you arrive, online or in person at the Capricorn Coast Visitor Information Centre in Yeppoon.

• Water Park Creek: 10 numbered sites in rainforest, 4 km from the Byfield Road turn-off, with flush toilets, picnic tables, a barbecue and fire rings. Most sites suit a tent or small motorhome or campervan, which stays in the car park allocated to the site.
• Upper Stony: 14 numbered grassy sites beside Stony Creek, 11 km along a rough gravel road, with non-flush toilets. Some sites suit caravans or motorhomes up to 4 m.
• Red Rock: 10 vehicle sites and five walk-in tent sites 1 km off Byfield Road, suitable for small motorhomes. It is the only Byfield camping area where dogs are allowed, on a leash.
• Rules: permits cost $7.75 per person per night or $31.00 per family, with a maximum of 7 consecutive nights. There are no showers or bins, water must be treated before drinking, fires are allowed only in the fireplaces provided, generators may run from 8am to 7pm if rated 65 decibels or less, and mobile coverage is unreliable.
• Byfield National Park: Five Rocks and the Nine Mile Beach camping areas are reached on deep sand tracks, including the Big Sandy dune, and Queensland Parks only recommends high-clearance off-road camper trailers there. They are not for 2WD campervans.

Great Keppel and the Keppel Bay islands

You cannot take a campervan to the islands. Ferries to Great Keppel Island leave from the marina at Rosslyn Bay. Keppel Bay Islands National Park has camping on seven islands, but it is tent-only, there is no ferry service to any national park island, and you need your own boat or a charter plus a permit.

Free camping rules in Livingstone Shire

Yeppoon, Emu Park and Byfield are in Livingstone Shire. Its Subordinate Local Law No. 4 (2011) makes camping, sleeping or remaining overnight a prohibited activity in council-controlled areas other than parks and reserves, and in parks and reserves it is allowed only with the written authorisation of the council's chief executive officer. Sleeping overnight in a vehicle stopped on a footpath, shared path or gutter is also prohibited. Book a caravan park or a Byfield site every night. See the Byfield camping page and Livingstone Shire's local laws.

How to get from Brisbane to the Capricorn Coast

Visit Capricorn puts the start of the drive about 665 km north of Brisbane. By our route estimate it is about 630 km from Brisbane to Rockhampton and 670 km to Yeppoon on the Bruce Highway, roughly 8 to 9 hours of driving, so split it over two days in a campervan. Bundaberg, about 360 km from Brisbane, is a natural overnight stop, leaving about 290 km to Rockhampton the next day.

The 100 km road trip itself

• Rockhampton to Emu Park: 45 km to the coast, with an optional detour to Capricorn Caves, 23 km north of Rockhampton.
• Emu Park to Rosslyn Bay: 13 km along Keppel Bay. Rosslyn Bay is the departure point for boat trips to the Keppel islands.
• Rosslyn Bay to Yeppoon: 9 km.
• Yeppoon to Byfield: 41 km north to the edge of Byfield National Park and the state forest camping areas.
• Back to Rockhampton: Yeppoon is 45 km from Rockhampton, so you can loop back inland to finish.

Visit Capricorn says you could drive the whole route in an hour without stopping, but recommends taking your time. The Upper Stony camping area is 11 km along a rough gravel road and the Byfield National Park beaches are 4WD and sand only, so check your rental terms before leaving the sealed road.

Other pickup cities

• Cairns: about 1,060 km and 14 hours of driving to Rockhampton by our estimate. Best as a one-way hire, for example Cairns to Brisbane with the Capricorn Coast on the way.
• Airlie Beach: about 480 km to Rockhampton, but our search found only five vans there.

Compare vans on our Brisbane campervan hire page and see the official road trip page from Visit Capricorn.

An 11 day Capricorn Coast campervan road trip from Brisbane

This plan matches our search dates, collecting on Saturday 5 June 2027 and returning on Tuesday 15 June 2027, with the coast itself from 7 to 13 June. The drive works year round, so shift the dates to suit. Book caravan parks and Byfield permits ahead, especially in school holidays.

Day 1 (Saturday 5 June): Brisbane to Bundaberg

Collect your campervan in Brisbane, stock up on food and water, and drive about 360 km north on the Bruce Highway to a caravan park around Bundaberg.

Day 2 (Sunday 6 June): Bundaberg to Rockhampton

Drive the remaining 290 km or so to Rockhampton, the beef capital of Australia on the Fitzroy River, and settle into a caravan park.

Day 3 (Monday 7 June): Rockhampton to Emu Park

Start the road trip at Mt Archer National Park and the Nurim Skywalk, or the Dreamtime Cultural Centre and the Riverfront Precinct. Then drive 45 km to Emu Park to see the Singing Ship and walk the Centenary of ANZAC Memorial Walk. Stay in Emu Park or Keppel Sands.

Day 4 (Tuesday 8 June): Rosslyn Bay and Great Keppel Island

Drive 13 km to Rosslyn Bay and take a ferry or cruise to Great Keppel Island, 14 km offshore, for beaches, snorkelling and bushwalks. Return to a caravan park around Yeppoon or Causeway Lake.

Day 5 (Wednesday 9 June): Yeppoon

Swim at Yeppoon Lagoon, find the street art, and walk the Bluff Point Track from Kemp Beach to Turtle Lookout, where you can watch for whales between May and October. Finish with sunset over Causeway Lake.

Days 6 and 7 (10 to 11 June): Byfield

Drive 41 km north and camp two nights at Water Park Creek or Red Rock in Byfield State Forest. Walk the Bowenia Rainforest Circuit at Water Park Creek, swim in the creeks, visit Nob Creek Pottery and check park alerts for walking track closures before you go.

Day 8 (Saturday 12 June): Byfield to Rockhampton

Head south via Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary and Capricorn Dinosaur Park, then take the detour to the limestone Capricorn Caves before stopping in Rockhampton.

Day 9 (Sunday 13 June): Mount Morgan or Mt Hay

Visit the historic gold mining town of Mount Morgan, or fossick for thundereggs at Mt Hay Gemstone Tourist Park, 30 minutes west of Rockhampton. Then start the trip south.

Days 10 and 11 (14 to 15 June): Back to Brisbane

Split the 630 km drive over two days, empty the toilet cassette and refuel, and return the campervan in Brisbane before the depot's closing time.

Tips for the Capricorn Coast road trip in a campervan

• Book every night: Livingstone Shire's local laws do not allow overnight camping on council land without written authorisation, so plan caravan parks or Byfield State Forest sites for each night.
• Book Byfield permits early: sites are numbered and limited (10 at Water Park Creek, 14 at Upper Stony, 10 vehicle sites at Red Rock), permits run to a maximum of 7 nights, and there are no showers, so arrive with full water tanks.
• Stay on sealed roads unless your rental allows otherwise: Upper Stony is 11 km along a rough gravel road, and Five Rocks and Nine Mile Beach need a 4WD and sand driving experience.
• Pick your season: the marine stinger season runs from November to May and the official cyclone season from 1 November to 30 April, so June to October is the safest window for swimming and whale watching.
• Swim safely: Queensland Parks warns of crocodiles and marine stingers at Byfield. Swim at patrolled beaches between the flags or in designated areas, and treat the water at Byfield camping areas before drinking it.
• Leave the van for the islands: ferries to Great Keppel leave from Rosslyn Bay, and Keppel Bay Islands National Park camping is tent-only with no ferry service.