Australia Family Road Trip: Pacific Coast Way, Daintree Rainforest, and Great Barrier Reef

The Pacific Coast Way: Off Grid Style

Our latest Errington Family Adventure saw us travelling along the East Coast of Queensland, Australia.  We mostly followed the Pacific Coast Way but added a couple of detours; firstly heading north to the Daintree Rainforest, and of course we couldn't miss the Great Barrier Reef!

What is the Pacific Coast Way?

The Pacific Coast Way is Queensland's ultimate coastal road trip, at almost 1800km (1100 miles) the PCW follows the Bruce Highway from Cairns in tropical North Queensland to Gold Coast just south of Brisbane in the South East. If you're dreaming of a road trip that serves up sun-drenched beaches, rainforest walks, vibrant towns, and wildlife encounters all in one amazing stretch, this is it.

Our family of four recently drove the route in an awesome fully equipped 4x4 pickup, or 'ute' as the Aussie's would say, with two roof tents from overlanderadventures and loved every moment. As you'd expect from us, we decided to take the off grid route and camped our way along the coast. Here’s our ultimate guide to a family adventure on this iconic road trip!

Our Route: Cairns to Cape Tribulation to Brisbane

Whilst you could cover the distance in around 20 hours, we tackled it over two weeks, and you could easily stretch it longer - there’s just so much to see!  

📍 Our Top Stops Along the Pacific Coast Way

1. The Daintree – Where the Rainforest meets the Reef

We picked up the truck in Cairns, and after a quick stop for supplies, headed on our first detour north towards Mossman in the lush Far North Queensland. Our first night was spent at Creek's Edge Park; a small private campground with space for about 5 campers in the non-powered section.  They have a lovely croc-free creek, which made for a refreshing morning swim!

We then headed to Port Douglas for a quick look around and some lunch, we highly recommend the burgers from N17 Burger Co.

In the afternoon we took a tour of Mossman Gorge with a local indigenous guide.  Levi talked passionately about his connection to the Daintree, the plants and animals, and the local Kuku Yalanji culture. 

The Daintree Rainforest is over 135 million years old making it the oldest rainforest in the world, and at over 1200 square kilometres it's also the largest in Australia.  

After crossing the Daintree River on the chain ferry (keep an eye out for crocs!), we headed up to Cape Tribulation Camping.  This is a beautiful campsite, right on the beach and with great facilities.  We spent two nights here; wandering the white sandy beach (with virtually no-one else around), exploring the mangrove boardwalk and the rainforest, swimming at Mason's swimming hole (croc-free), playing pool and eating delicious pizza at the campsite bar. 

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We did think about skipping it but would say not to miss a crocodile spotting cruise on the Daintree River, we went with Bruce Belcher's Daintree River Cruises and saw lots of crocs from tiny babies to big mothers with a knowledgeable guide.

2. Atherton Tablelands - Chasing Waterfalls

After the Daintree, we headed south, but rather than following the coast back to Cairns, we headed inland towards the Atherton Tablelands.  This fertile plateau forms part of the Great Dividing Range, and is a rural, agricutural area.  The green rolling hills are not what we expected to see in Australia, but make for a very scenic drive; it's worth a diversion to visit some of the area's many waterfalls.

We spent the night at Henrietta Creek Campground, where we were the only campers.  This meant we had the creek to ourselves for a morning swim, but unfortunately we didn't spot the reported platypus!

3. Crystal Creek - Beach-side camping

Crystal Creek was our first true off-grid camp of the trip, which we found on park4night.  This free dispersed camping area allows you to camp right on the beach.  There are no facilities, and it feels a bit like you shouldn't be driving down the track, but stick with it, it is worth it!  

(Don't follow the directions on park4night or Google, it will take you to a dead end in the middle of a farm!  Take the Crystal Creek Caravan Park (Barrilgie Road) exit from the Bruce Highway and follow the track along the creek.)

4. The Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef – Pure Tropical Bliss

One of the reasons we chose the East Coast of Australia was so the boys (and Ridley) could visit the Great Barrier Reef.  Sarah actually learned to dive on the GBR way back when!  Our Great Barrier Reef experience was certainly one of the highlights of our trip, and we'll write more about it in another post.

We launched into the Whitsunday Islands from Airlie Beach with Cruise Whitsundays, and headed out to the Reef World Pontoon at Hardy Reef.  We opted for the Reef Sleep experience, where you spend the night in a covered bed on the deck of the pontoon, which was amazing.  We dived and the boys snorkelled on the Reef, we also took a trip on the semi-submersible boat.  Highly recommended!

Nomads Airlie Beach was a great base for us, we stayed in their campsite the nights before and after the trip, and left the truck set up on a pitch for the night we were away on the reef. It worked out really well, and you can easily walk from the site to the terminal for the trip - and leaving the truck there meant we could both enjoy a few drinks with the amazing lunch we had before we left Reef Sleep.  It doesn't look particularly like a family site but we found it really good, and the boys liked the 2 pools for a cool down swim. Ask for a pitch out the back of the site, where it is a bit quieter. 

4. Cape Hillsborough National Park - Sunrise Kangaroos

Cape Hillsborough is famous as a place to spot kangaroos on the beach at sunrise.  The campsite at the cape was full when we visited, but we found a quiet spot at nearby Ball Bay  Sunrise was at about 0530, so it was a quick pack up and an early start to get to the beach in the dark.  As the sun rose, we saw 2 kangaroos and about 8 wallabies eating the food which a park ranger had placed on the beach.  Despite multiple requests from the ranger to turn off camera flashes and keep the noise down, the kangaroos soon got spooked by the crowds and hopped off into the surrounding forest, which was a bit disappointing.

If you're going to visit, we'd recommend getting there early! 

5. Byfield National Park - conquering Big Sandy

Byfield is a bit of a detour from the Pacific Coast Way, about 70km north east of Rockhampton, but when Ridley heard about the park, he really wanted to add it to our route.  The park is famous for the stunning 5 Rocks and 9 Mile Beaches, but access is by 4wd only and requires conquering Big Sandy; a 1km sand dune which is pretty tricky to climb.  After watching a few YouTube videos, Ridley was pretty sure we would make it, but it was still a bit nerve wracking, especially when the Aussie in the ute ahead of us had multiple attempts and kept getting stuck.  We had aired down the tires to 15psi and had no problems in low range 4wd. Don't attempt this without a high clearance 4wd vehicle and the ability to air down (or rather reinflate!) your tyres. 

The challenge is worth it; we camped at the 5 Rocks campground with only a couple of other campers, which meant we had the beach to ourselves. Look out for the makeshift shower to the right of the path on the way down to the beach.

The next morning we took the alternative track out which includes a beautiful drive along 9 Mile Beach, and a descent of Big Sandy.

6. 1770 - Luxury Camping

Seventeen-seventy is a bit of a strange name for a town, but it's where James Cook landed in 1770, his second landfall in Australia and the first in what is now Queensland. We camped at a great site called 1770 Eco Camp. We were on the 'Grass Trees' part of the site which is right at the top of the hill and has lovely views, a great outdoor swimming pool, communal fire pits and kitchen facilities; a real treat after a couple of nights off-grid!

7. Bundaberg - the Brewery Town

The boys had quickly gained a taste for Bundaberg (the soft drinks not the rum!), so Bundy had to be on our list of destinations.  The tour of the 'brewery' is well worth it, you get to sample all of their many flavours and choose your own mix pack of bottles to take away.

We camped at Buxton Bush Camp near Bundaberg, which is a nice site on the Burrum River.  It was quiet when we were there, but regularly hosts music events etc, so check them out before booking. 

8. Bribie Island - the Sunshine Coast?

Our last couple of nights coincided with the Anzac Day long weekend, we had planned to stay in Noosa but we really struggled to find a campsite that wasn't full.  In the end we found some availability at Bribie Island National Park, which turned out to be really fortunate.  The park is accessed along a long sandy track (4wd only again), but it is pretty flat and felt really easy after Big Sandy!  Even before we got to the park, we spotted a family of kangaroos by the roadside, and the further into the park we got the more we saw.  When we woke up in the morning there was a group bouncing over who sopped to graze right outside the tent, which was a pleasant surprise after the disappointing experience at Hillsborough.

Unfortunately the weather was not on our side (despite the name of the area!), and after raining pretty much all of the first night the forecast was for continuous rain for the whole of the next day.  We made the decision to pack up camp in the morning and bailed out to an Airbnb in Brisbane.

9.  Brisbane – City fun to round out our trip

The decision to end the trip in Brisbane actually turned out really well.  It allowed us to clear out the truck, repack our bags for the flight home and get the truck washed ready for handover.

We found a great Airbnb in the New Farm area of the city, which was a perfect location to explore with a lovely riverside walkway into the city. With a evening flight home, we effectively got two days of exploring the breweries, the South Bank, riding the CityCat ferries, and enjoying riverside parks. We really liked Brisbane and it was the perfect place to relax and reset before heading home.

🧳 Family Travel Tips for the Pacific Coast Way

• Break up the drive: Aim for 2–4 hour segments, especially with younger kids.
• Pack for all weather: The climate changes as you move south.
• Stay flexible: Spontaneous stops became some of our favourites!
• Book popular tours in advance: Mossman Gorge and the Reef Sleeps can fill quickly.

📸 Final Thoughts: Why This Road Trip is a Must-Do

From ancient rainforests to snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, this was more than a holiday—it was a real adventure and taking the less obvious, off grid, approach made it even more special.

If you're planning your next big family adventure in Australia, we can’t recommend the Pacific Coast Way enough. Add it to your bucket list—you won’t regret it.

Winter in the Lake District?

We recently spent our half-term holiday in the Lakes. We had a great few days in the Langdale Valley, an area we know very well, especially me (Ridley) as I have been holidaying there for as long as I can remember!

Why visit the Lakes in Winter?

The Lake District, often known simply as 'the Lakes' is a beautiful region of Cumbria in the North West of England. Home to England's largest National Park, it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts visitors from all over the UK and abroad who come to explore the stunning landscapes, pretty slate villages, and expansive lakes. 

The latest surveys estimate that around 18 million visitors travel to the Lake District every year, which can lead to large crowds at popular destinations during peak periods.

That's the main reason we recommend visiting in winter, as you can avoid the majority of the crowds, especially if you can avoid weekends and holidays.

Winter weather in the Lake District

Admittedly, the weather can be a bit unpredictable at this time of year. Last week started with overnight temperatures around freezing, but clear skies and milder days. By the end of the week the temperature had risen to double digits (Celsius) and we had a fair amount of rain!

It is also not uncommon to have snow in the lakes at this point of the season, and there was a light dusting on the fell (hill) tops this year.

Ambleside Weather

As the saying goes, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing"! 

What to pack for winter in the Lakes

Winter clothing in the Lakes is all about layers, as the temperature or your activity levels fluctuate it's great to be able to quickly add or remove a layer and regulate your body temperature. This is where a small daysack / backpack comes in handy!

Base layers - thermal base layers are a great addition to your outdoor wardrobe.  We're massive fans of merino wool for base layers; they're warm, comfortable, and naturally odour resistant!  Icebreaker make a great range of thermals in various weights.

Mid layer - depending on your level of activity, and the weather on the day, you may need more or less mid-layers.  Quite often Innes and I don't bother with a mid layer, but Struan and Sarah almost always do.  An extra thermal, a shirt, or a lightweight fleece or hoodie, will work just fine.   

Outer Layers - a wind and waterproof jacket is essential, and we highly recommend a pair of waterproof over-trousers too.

Hiking Boots - a decent pair of hiking boots or approach shoes is important. 

Wooly Hat (Toque) - a warm hat is handy for the evenings, although you can just re-purpose your Buff.

Sunglasses - the winter sun is often low in the sky, so a pair of sunglasses can be handy!

Backpack - not essential, but really handy for carrying extra layers, snacks for the kids, water etc.  I'd recommend a waterproof bag if possible - we really like our Seal Line Skylake Dry Backpack.

RUX - we love our RUXs, they're perfect for carrying all of this kit!

Go Pro - if you don't have video for your favourite social site did your Lake District trip even happen?

Radios - we find our Rocky Talkies to be invaluable for keeping in touch on the mountain without digging around in your pockets for your phone.  We generally give one to Struan, so when he bombs off without us we can find him again!

Re-usable Water Bottle - we're all about reducing unnecessary plastic waste and if you've read any of our other posts, you'll know it has to be Yeti!

Apres Adventure - Most places in the Lakes are pretty relaxed, and are set up for muddy boots, and muddy dogs, so you don't need much in the way of extra clothing, you may just stay in your outdoor gear, in fact i think a lot of people in the Lakes just dress like that to fit in, even if they haven't been out on the Fells!  Don't forget to pack your swim shorts/suit if you're lucky enough to have a pool or hot tub for some apres adventure relaxing.

Where to Stay 

For winter camping you can't get much better than the Great Langdale Campsite, run by the National Trust.  It's a beautiful spot, up the Langdale Valley, with excellent, clean and warm bathroom facilities. It's also just across one field and the road from the Old Dungeon Ghyll, where you'll find the famous Climbers' Bar.  Think stone floors, wooden benches, an open fire and hearty food. The campsite officially has a two night minimum stay if you book online, but they happily accepted us for a single night in February.

If you'd like somewhere a bit more luxurious, we highly recommend the Langdale Estate.  We've had a timeshare lodge here for as long as I can remember.  The Scandinavian style lodges are carefully set around the former gun-powder factory to take advantage of the views of the fells and the water mills. There's a great pool and spa facility, an onsite bar and restaurant and they also run the traditional pub Wainright's just along the road.    

Cathedral Cave

Both the campsite and Langdale are perfectly placed for a hike to the Cathedral Cavern.  This former slate quarry in the Little Langdale Valley consists of a number of interconnected slate mines, including a very impressive central cave.  

Take a head-torch and see if you can find the tunnel through the mountain.

Don't miss Slater's Bridge while you're there.

Arundel, West Sussex

So, it's been a while since we posted; fear not we've still been adventuring!  It's actually been a pretty busy summer of exploring the UK, I will get round to writing up some more posts shortly.

For now, let me tell you about last weekend's trip to Arundel in West Sussex.  We've driven past Arundel lots of times since we got back to the UK, and have always admired the imposing castle and cathedral, but this was the first time we've managed to pay a visit.  Sarah initiated a meet up of the southern cousins, and somehow we all agreed on Arundel!

Of course Team Errington couldn't pass up on the opportunity to camp in the Landy, so while the rest of the (local) family only popped down from London for the day, we made a weekend of it and spent the night at a the campsite at the Ship and Anchor pub in nearby Ford.  Struan happened to have a rugby tournament at nearby Worthing RFC on the Sunday, so it all worked out nicely!

The Ship and Anchor has a lovely quiet (at least in October) campsite right next to the pub, and it is a beautiful easy walk along the River Arun into Arundel (approx 3 miles).  The river is very strongly tidal, and we're eyeing it up for a future SUP/Canoe trip!  If you don't fancy the walk back you can also catch the local train between Arundel and Ford for a few pounds which was definitely appreciated by tired little legs on our way home.

Arundel is an impressive medieval town, dominated by the imposing castle and cathedral and with some stunning buildings.  We happened to time it right and also caught the monthly farmer's market (3rd Saturday of every month), which had some lovely local stalls.  Naturally we had to buy a bottle of the local Arundel Gin, the honey gin is highly recommended!  There's also a great selection of independent shops and lots of bars and restaurants, and it appears to be the cake capital of the world with delicious looking (and tasting) cakes at every juncture.  We didn't actually make it into the castle, as we ran out of time, but I'm sure we'll be back to check it out soon. 

After a wander around the town, we headed up to Fauna Brewing, who have great selection of beers brewed on site, and some lovely wood fired pizzas.  They also donate a percentage of their profits to various wildlife conservation charities, what's not to like! 

Overall, Arundel is definitely worth a visit, check it out if you're down this way!

Can you Wild Camp in the UK?

Wild Camping seems to have really taken off in the UK recently, but what is Wild Camping, and is it legal in the UK?

What is Wild Camping?

Many people have different opinions on the definition of Wild Camping; the term is very loose and is often interpreted differently.  You may have heard it called stealth camping, off-grid camping or bush camping.  

Most people would agree though, that in general the true meaning involves sleeping in a tent somewhere in the wilderness, ie not on a campground.  Some people will go even more extreme and sleep in a hammock or a bivvy, while others will claim that their campervan/roof tent park up is Wild Camping.

Whatever your definition, there's a real sense of escape and adventure in Wild Camping which seems to be appealing to many people right now.

Is Wild Camping legal in the UK?

There are actually only a couple of places in the UK where Wild Camping is legal; Scotland and Dartmoor in the South West of England.  It is important to note that the right to Wild Camp in Scotland and on Dartmoor does not extend to vehicle camping.  Overuse and damage to the landscape has also caused the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park to introduce camping bans in certain areas and a permit system in others.

If you are going to Wild Camp, please, please, please follow the principles of "Leave No Trace".  Wild Camping should be lightweight, done in small numbers and only for a couple of nights in any one place.  You should avoid camping in enclosed fields of crops or animals, and pitch away from roads, buildings or historic structures.  The Scottish Access Code website has more info.

In the rest of the UK, most of the land is privately owned and the only legal way to camp is with the permission of the landowner or in a registered campsite.

So how can I find wild places to camp?

If Dartmoor or Scotland are too far away, or if you want to camp in a vehicle thankfully there are lots of other options that can give you the feeling of wild camping without hours of research into land ownership and requesting permission.  Here are a few of our favourites:

1. Off Grid Camp

This is a membership club which collates cool off grid campsites (over 165 across the UK at the time of writing).  For £25/year you get a searchable map with the contact details of small campsites and landowners who are happy to allow access to their land.  You book and pay for the sites direct with the owners.  The site is aimed towards 4x4 vehicles, but has a variety of different levels of accessibility.  We've had some amazing sites through here, and highly recommend it. 

2. Wild with Consent

Wild with Consent operates in a similar way to Off Grid Camp, but doesn't charge a membership fee and allows you to book sites directly through the website.  All of their sites are private, and only take one booking at a time.  It is less 4x4 focused, but the pitches tend to be slightly more expensive.

3. HipCamp

HipCamp took over Cool Camping in 2022, and provides an AirBnB type service for campsites, caravan parks, glamping and cabins.  They have a huge selection of sites to suit whatever form of camping takes your fancy.  The campsites tend to be slightly larger, but you can still find some cool wild camping spots.

If you haven't used HipCamp before use the referral link above for £10 off your first stay.

4. Greener Camping Club

The Greener Camping Club is a members club which licences over 160 small eco-friendly camping and glamping sites across England and Wales.  Membership costs just £12/year.

5. Park4Night

park4night is a community driven database of campsites and overnight park-ups aimed at campervans and motorhomes.  It is active across Europe and we've found some cool free camp spots in the UK, France and Spain.

Check out our Gear Page if you need any ideas for wild camping equipment, and if we've missed any sources that you use let us know!

Can you sleep a family of four in a Defender?

The short answer is yes, but read on if you want to know how!

It has taken a lot of planning, but we've come up with a solution that allows us to retain the middle (second) row of seats for the boys while travelling and then convert the rear area into two beds for sleeping.  While the boys sleep downstairs, Sarah and I get the big bed up in the roof, in our Alu-Cab Icarus roof conversion.

Planning a 4-Berth Defender Interior Layout

There is lots of information online about camper layouts if you've got the standard Transporter, Sprinter, Crafter or Transit Van, but not much about Defenders.  If you want a family friendly, 4-berth Defender layout that retains four travelling seats, there's even less!  

The standard Defender Camper layout usually involves fixed cabinetry along one side, and some form of pull out bed on the other.  While the boys are still pretty small this might have worked, but we couldn't see them wanting to share a narrow bed for long!  The standard layout usually also involves removing the second row of seats, but this wasn't an option for us.

We did get some layout inspiration from our friends at whereistheworld, and from YouTube videos by Off-Track Family.  

After many hours sitting in the back of the Landy, measuring, sketching, and even a bit of 3D modelling in SketchUp, we eventually came up with our own solution, and I must say we're really pleased with it!

Our Goals for the Interior

1. Retain at least four travelling seats (with seatbelts)

2. Maximise storage space

3. Full width sleeping area for the boys

4. Space for a cooler

5. Re-use as much of our existing camping gear as possible

6. Quick setup and stow

The Interior Build and Storage Solution

Our layout consists of a fixed platform in the back, which we built to fit under the lip at the top of the tub.  This is supported on two wooden beams which use the existing holes in the tub capping.  

The platform is cut from 15mm lightweight eucalyptus plywood with a black phenol hexagon coating.  The platform is also supported by a vertical section of ply, which is slightly offset from centre for our sliding storage solution.

We were really keen to make use of our existing RUX system, so used heavy duty drawer sliders from Aolisheng, and built a frame to support two 70 litre RUXs.  

If you haven't come across RUX before, the 70l is a rugged, compressible, weatherproof, soft sided gear storage container with a wide rigid opening for easy access, a secure stowable lid and modular straps for easy carry.  Designed in Canada, and now also available in Europe, we use them all of the time!

We decided to remove the middle seat from the second row, and used the existing frame to build a platform for our Yeti cooler.  The Yeti Tundra 45 fits perfectly, and the Harvest Red is almost a match to Budgie's paintwork!

In order to retain the boys seats, but still give them a full length bed; we used another two pairs of heavy duty drawer runners and built two sliding extensions, which pull out over the top of the folded middle row seats.  It only takes a couple of seconds to fold the seats forward and slide out the extensions.

We then had some custom foam cut to size.  The foam for the extensions is 1.5" thicker than the foam on the fixed platform, which gives a nice flat surface for the boys to sleep on.

With Sarah and I sleeping up in the Icarus roof, we've comfortably got space for all four of us to sleep, and we're happy that we achieved the goals of our interior layout.

Read more about the rest of Budgie's camper conversion.

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