Big Lap costs vary enormously with your rig, pace and style, so averages from someone else’s trip are a poor guide. This guide gives you a method: the cost categories, the formula for each, and where to get current numbers.
1. Fuel (usually the biggest variable)
Formula: total km × (L/100 km while towing ÷ 100) × average price per litre.
- Planned lap distance: measure your actual route (a coastal lap with detours is often far longer than the highway distance).
- Towing fuel use: use your own logbook figure from a practice trip. Towing often uses noticeably more fuel than driving unladen.
- Price: use live fuel price apps or state fuel-price services where available, and add a buffer for remote areas, where prices are usually higher.
2. Camping and accommodation
Formula: (nights in parks × average nightly rate) + (nights at low-cost camps × rate) + (free-camp nights × $0).
- Mix free camps, national parks and caravan parks to suit your setup. Free camping depends on being self-sufficient for water, power and waste.
- Free and low-cost options vary by state. For example, Victorian and NSW state forests are generally free with stay limits, while Queensland parks and forests need a paid camping permit, and WA allows up to 24 hours at signed rest areas. See our free camping rules by state. Council RV stops often have short stay limits.
- Expect higher rates in school holidays and peak seasons.
3. Food and groceries
Formula: your current weekly grocery spend × number of weeks, plus a remote-area allowance and an eating-out allowance.
4. Vehicle and caravan maintenance
- Scheduled services by km (vehicle) and by time/km (caravan bearings and brakes)
- Tyres for both vehicle and van
- A repair contingency for breakdowns
5. Fixed costs (often forgotten)
- Vehicle and caravan registration
- Caravan insurance and roadside assistance (check remote-area towing limits)
- Phone and data plans, and satellite internet if used
- Gas refills, laundry, dump-point and water costs
- Park entry and camping permits
6. Fun, extras and buffer
Tours, attractions and gear you’ll buy on the road. Add a contingency percentage on top of the total.
Put it together
| Category | Your formula | Your estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | km × L/100 km ÷ 100 × $/L | |
| Camping | nights × rate (by type) | |
| Food | weekly spend × weeks | |
| Maintenance & tyres | services + tyres + repairs | |
| Fixed costs | rego + insurance + data + gas | |
| Extras | tours + activities | |
| Contingency | % of subtotal |
Our Big Lap Budget Planner spreadsheet (coming soon) does these calculations for you.
Before you go
- Run a 1–2 week trip first and record real fuel, camp and food spend. That’s the best data you’ll get.
- Re-check your towing weights with a full load for long-term travel.
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