Cheap campervan hire Melbourne
MEL VIC- Depot 45 Bond St, Ringwood VIC 3134
- Suburb Ringwood, Victoria
- Watch Check transfer time from Tullamarine to Ringwood
Ringwood is east of the city. That suits Gippsland and the Yarra Valley, and adds a cross-city run to any Great Ocean Road plan.
Where the depot sits, and why it matters
Bond Street in Ringwood sits in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, near the end of the Eastern Freeway and close to the Dandenong Ranges. The depot is not near Tullamarine, and that distance is the first thing to plan around.
For a westbound trip — the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians — you cross the city before you start. For Gippsland, the Yarra Valley or the Dandenongs, you are already pointed the right way.
Ringwood is a good address for the Dandenongs and a poor one for Torquay, and whether the Great Ocean Road is your first day or your second depends on the pickup window held under cheap campervan hire Melbourne.
First morning: three directions, three different trips
- East The Dandenongs first — Sassafras, Olinda, the forest roads — then on toward Gippsland and Wilsons Promontory. Sealed and close, which makes it the easiest first move from this depot.
- North-east The Yarra Valley for a day of wineries and forest, with the Black Spur as the scenic route through to Marysville.
- West The Great Ocean Road begins at Torquay, which is the far side of Melbourne. Leave early or accept that the first day is transport.
Practical notes for a Melbourne start
- City traffic Melbourne's peak is long and the West Gate is the pinch point. A westbound start outside peak saves an hour.
- Weather Four seasons in a day is not a joke here. Coastal Victoria can be cold and wet in any month, and the van's ventilation matters more than you think.
- Fuel Fill in the suburbs. Prices climb on the Great Ocean Road and inside the Otways.
- Wildlife Wombats and kangaroos on the Otways roads at dusk. This is the most common way a hire van gets written off.
- Tolls CityLink and EastLink are both electronic. Sort out how the van handles tolls before you enter a tolled road.
CityLink and EastLink bill by plate when the van carries no tag, and how each depot handles that sits in the campervan hire in Australia conditions rather than in anything said at the counter.
Where to sleep the first night
Head east on the first night if you collected late — the Dandenongs and the Yarra Valley both have camping close enough to reach before dark.
For the Great Ocean Road, staying somewhere west of the city the night before is worth the detour. Waking up at Torquay beats arriving at Torquay at lunchtime.
How far is the depot from the airport?
Tullamarine to Ringwood is a long cross-city run, roughly an hour outside peak and considerably worse inside it. Plan the transfer as its own step.
Is the Great Ocean Road realistic from this depot?
Yes, but it starts with a city crossing. Either leave very early or stay west of Melbourne the first night.
What is the closest good drive?
The Dandenongs. Forest roads, tall trees and a short distance from Ringwood — the best use of a late collection.
Other depots worth comparing
Melbourne is the better start for Gippsland and the Alps; Adelaide is the better one for the Great Ocean Road, which it reaches from the other end without a cross-city run.
- Sydney Caringbah is on the southern edge, so Royal National Park and Wollongong come before city traffic.
- Brisbane Inner-south Woolloongabba puts the Pacific Motorway north and the Gold Coast south both close.
- Perth Bentley sits south of the river: Margaret River is easy, the Pinnacles mean crossing the city.
- Adelaide Bowden is north of the CBD, so the Flinders Ranges run starts without crossing Adelaide.
Page updated 2026-11-05.