So you’re ready for an Australian road trip but you need a vehicle. Rent a campervan from Britz and set out into the great outdoors. They have a branch in Melbourne (among other locations), to launch your trip around Victoria or beyond. The Voyager 4 Berth reviewed here is one of the campervan options that Britz offers. Exploring Victoria in a Voyager will put beautiful places like Wilsons Promontory and Phillip Island right at your door.
At around five and a half meters long and 2.8 meters tall, the Britz Voyager is not a massive full-length mobile home (like the ones you always get stuck behind when you’re traveling). Instead, the Voyager is van-sized and agile. The campervan is easy to park and maneuver wherever you go, whether it’s in a peaceful wooded campground or a chaotic urban setting.
The interior of the Voyager is compact and cleverly laid out to maximize the space available. Behind the cab of the vehicle there is a kitchette and an area that transforms from dining room seating by day to a bed for sleeping at night. If you are traveling from America or somewhere else outside Australia, renting a campervan can cut down on the gear you have to carry.
Each campervan comes with bedding and everything needed for cooking and dining (except the food of course). With a campervan rental, you have the freedom to travel with just a suitcase of clothing. Hit the market and pick up local food to enjoy meals in the campervan wherever you go.
The kitchen includes a lot of the amenities that you are used to from home, like a small refrigerator, microwave, double burner gas stove, kettle, toaster, and a sink attached to a water tank for pressurized cold water. To assist in food prep there are mixing bowls, a colander, frying pans, sauce pans, cooking utensils, a cutting board, and a can opener. When it’s time to eat, there are plates, bowls, cups, glasses, knives, forks, and spoons for four.
The microwave and power outlets will work when the campervan is plugged into an external power source. The refrigerator can be powered off this external source as well, but it will also keep your food cold with battery power. The campervan is equipped with a second battery, so that you can use the overhead lights, water pump, and refrigerator without worrying about draining the same battery that starts the engine. While you drive, the second battery will recharge. If you keep the campervan in place for more than a couple days, you will want to plug it in to keep the battery charged and the refrigerator cold. The easiest way to do this is to stay overnight at a powered site at a holiday park. A perk of renting from Britz is that you’ll receive a ten percent discount at each Big 4 Holiday Parks in Australia, like their Phillip Island Caravan Park.
Behind the kitchen there is U-shaped seating around a swiveling removable table. Beneath the seats there is storage for your personal belongings. To create a queen sized bed (with a nightstand/armrest extending in on one corner of the bed), reposition the table, add wooden panels, and rearrange the cushions. It will probably take you longer to brush your teeth and put on pajamas than it will to make the bed.
Above the main bed, you can assemble more panels to create a lofted bed just below the ceiling. The van comes with a short ladder that you can use to get up to the loft. For families, the lofted bed would work well as a sleeping area for one or two older children. There is thinner cushioning on the upper bed, and not much space for comfort below the ceiling (you can’t sit up in the upper bed), so the loft would begin to feel pretty cramped for adults on a multiple night trip. While the Voyager can legally seat five people while driving (three in the cab and two in the back) and there is sleeping for four people, you may not want to sleep four adults in the campervan for more than a long weekend. The Voyager is probably most comfortable for two or three travelers.
The Voyager comes with a pillow, pillowcase, sheet, and sleeping bag for each of the four passengers, as well as a towel. The Voyager does not have a bathroom or shower, so you won’t have to worry about emptying a toilet cassette, but you will need to make sure you camp somewhere that provides bathrooms.
The Voyager is 2.8 meters tall on the outside (so be aware of your clearance in parking garages and other places with low clearances). Inside, the ceiling in the main area of the campervan is 2.1 meters off the floor, so unless you’re over 6 feet 10 inches tall, you won’t have to worry about bumping your head when you step into the back of the campervan. There is of course less headroom when the loft area has been set up as a sleeping area.
In addition to the table inside, a second table can be set up outside along the van’s sliding door. Sit here to enjoy even more of the outdoors. You can rent camp chairs (and other extras) from Britz if you don’t have your own. Campervan vehicles come from different years, so you might end up with a van with dated floors or worn upholstery. Nevertheless, Britz seems to keep the important stuff, like kitchenware, looking clean and modern.
If you are starting or ending your journey in Melbourne, it is important to note that the pick up location in Melbourne is not near the airport or Central Business District. The Britz branch in Melbourne office opens at 7:30 a.m. from September through April and at 10 a.m. from May through August. The branch closes at 4 p.m. but all vehicles must be picked up or returned by 3:30 p.m. If you are arriving in Melbourne by plane, you will need to make your own transportation between the airport and the branch office during the appropriate hours. By taxi, it is a $50 – $65 ride from the airport to the branch office. As a tip, avoid taking the City Link Tollway or your cab driver may charge you an extra $12 for the tolls (all prices in Australian dollars).
Check out the Britz website to get a quote for the Voyager 4 Berth or look at other campervans to rent in Victoria or other regions in Australia and New Zealand.
Address: Building 2 Ashley Street, Braybrook, VIC 3019, Australia
Coordinates: -37.796257, 144.861696 (37° 47′ 46.52″S 144° 51′ 42.10″E)
Telephone: (800) 670-232
 | Big 4 Caravan Park on Phillip Island This holiday park offers convenient cabin and camping accommodations on the east end of Phillip Island. |
 | Tidal River Campground on Wilsons Promontory This 484-site campground is the major camping facility within Wilsons Promontory National Park, the coastal paradise at the southernmost point of Mainland Australia. |
 | Venturer Campervan Find out more about the Venturer, an accommodating two-person campervan that can be rented from Britz. |