Motorhome essentials: water, power and waste

A tap or tank at a campground does not automatically mean the water is suitable to drink. In Victoria’s Little Desert National Park, drinking water is not available; limited non-potable water may be available from rainwater tanks. Parks Victoria asks visitors to bring their own drinking water. Plan drinking water separately from washing and dishwater, and do not treat a marked rainwater tank as a drinking-water supply.

Your vehicle’s water capacity affects how long you can travel before refilling. Space refill stops according to your route, length of stay and the facilities at your chosen campsite. In remote stretches, include the next suitable refill point in the leg before setting out. The guide to health and safety in Australia connects medical preparation with the wider journey.

Campsites can offer different pitch types. Victoria’s Buchan Caves Campground has powered and unpowered sites, as well as facilities including showers, toilets, laundry and a campers’ kitchen. If you plan to use power for a fridge, chargers or other equipment, you need a pitch with a suitable connection. At an unpowered site, your vehicle or another personal solution needs to cover the energy you use.

Set your needs by the equipment you are carrying: which devices need to run while you are travelling or overnight, and which can be charged at a site? Choose powered stops where your own supply will not cover the leg. The guide to campsites and caravan parks helps compare pitch and facility types.

Grey water from a sink or shower and waste from a chemical toilet need suitable disposal points. At Victoria’s Lake Tyers State Park, Parks Victoria says not to empty chemical toilets or other rubbish into public toilets or waterways; it identifies designated dump points outside the campground for chemical toilets and grey water. Include disposal stops in your route instead of waiting until a tank or cassette is full.

Match disposal plans to the facilities at your overnight stop: a basic site may not have a dump point. Allow for your vehicle’s capacity and the distance between suitable facilities. On a longer leg, a suitable campsite and an alternative disposal point can help you empty wastewater and the toilet cassette in time.

Plan each leg around three details: drinking water available, power needed and the next suitable disposal point. When you book, choose a pitch that meets your needs; an available shower is not a drinking-water connection, and a powered site does not solve wastewater disposal. Match your own equipment to the facilities your route and booked sites actually offer.

For the choice between tent, camper and motorhome, read the camping and motorhome overview. The guide to campsites and caravan parks covers pitch selection. Continue to travel planning and stays, arrival and transport and nature and activities.