June took us from the quiet of Longreach into Capella, then east through Mackay and Blacks Beach, down to Tannum Sands and finally Agnes Water on the coast. It was the month we needed after May’s repair bill — no blowouts, no drama, just steady travel and steady spending.
We’re calling this one our new normal. $5,671.91 for the month is our lowest spend of the year, and it’s the number we’re now aiming to hold onto as we keep travelling.
June was also our last full month on the road for a while. July brings us home to Brisbane, where we’ll farewell Sunny 1, pick up Sunny 2, run a shakedown trip, then head off full-time again around September.
Where the Money Went 💸
June in a Nutshell 🕐
The month’s standout moment came on an afternoon 4WD through Deepwater National Park, ending on the wide, empty sand of Rules Beach — the kind of afternoon that reminds you why you do this. It wasn’t the biggest ticket item of the month, but it was the best one.
The low point arrived with the school holidays. Tannum Sands went from a quiet, relaxing stop to a full-blown invasion of kids and parents letting their hair down within about 48 hours — a timing lesson we won’t forget. And the nights caught us out again, the way they do every year: mid-to-high teens one day, then suddenly an 8-degree low, no warning.
Coming back into civilisation after the outback cut both ways. Fuel and groceries got cheaper, but the traffic, noise and crowds came right back with them — a trade-off worth remembering as we plan the next stretch. Here’s what it all added up to.
Monthly Spend by Category 💸
Accommodation and Groceries together made up almost half of June’s spend, with Fuel/Transport a distant third. Everything else — Dining Out, Insurance, Attractions, and the smaller odds and ends — filled out the rest without any single category running away with the month.
Our Top 6 Expenses 📊
Accommodation and Groceries again took the top two spots, with Fuel/Transport rounding out the podium. Insurance didn’t go up at all — it’s sitting at exactly the same $423.37 as May — but with Attractions & Experiences and Caravan Maintenance both dropping sharply after May’s one-off costs, Insurance moved into the top 6 simply because the categories that used to outrank it got smaller.
June vs May: What Changed 📉📈
May and June sit next to each other but tell two different stories — one shaped by one-off costs, the other by steady routine.
May’s caravan repairs — partly from not deflating the tyres enough on the Plenty Highway’s dirt sections, partly ordinary wear and tear — pushed Car/Caravan Maintenance up to around $861. None of that repeated in June, so it dropped back to $37.50. May also carried a run of big-ticket Red Centre and outback experiences that eased off in June, bringing Attractions & Experiences down from $942 to $304. Fuel/Transport eased too, down from $1,238 to $849, simply because June covered less ground than May.
Dining Out kept falling as well, down $179 to $578, continuing the habit changes from a few months back. Only one category moved the other way — Internet, up $15, which is just normal Starlink pricing rather than anything behavioural.
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Year-to-Date Snapshot 📅
Six months in, and the numbers are finally trending the direction we want.
June came in as our lowest-spend month of the year, at $189.06 a day — nearly $30 a day under March, which had been our previous best. It’s a strong signal that steady routine beats big-ticket adventure months when it comes to keeping the budget in check, and it’s the standard we’re aiming to hold as we head toward our next stretch on the road.
June in Pictures 📷
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Unexpected Expenses 💸
The only real surprise this month was a windscreen chip repair at Obriens Garage in Longreach — $148.90 on the card, but fully reimbursed by insurance, so it ended up costing us nothing out of pocket once the claim came through.
Beyond that, June was refreshingly free of surprises. No blown tyres, no unplanned repairs, no last-minute bookings at inflated rates — just steady, predictable spending, which is exactly what we’re hoping becomes the norm from here.
If You’re Travelling This Route Soon 🧭
Put school holidays in your calendar 📅
If you want peace and quiet, school holidays are the one thing worth planning around on this route.
Avoid the big family-geared parks if you want quiet 🏊
Parks built for families — BIG4 or Discovery Parks style setups with jumping pillows, beach access, big playgrounds and games rooms — are brilliant for kids, but expect a different kind of holiday if you’re after peace and quiet.
Make time for Deepwater National Park and Rules Beach 🚙
A 4WD through Deepwater National Park out to Rules Beach is worth every minute — you won’t be disappointed.
Where we stayed along the way 🏕️
We’ve reviewed Muddy Duck Tourist Park in Longreach and Capella Van Park in full, with everything you need to know before booking.
Our Blacks Beach Holiday Park review and Brandybottle Caravan Park & Golf Course review are both live now too. Reviews are still coming for Tannum Sands, The Reef Caravan Park in Agnes Water, and Poona Palms — we’ll link them here as soon as they’re live.
Local info centres worth a stop 📍
For the Mackay and Blacks Beach area, the Mackay Isaac Region Visitor Information Centre at Sarina is the one to check. For Tannum Sands, BrandyBottle and Poona Palms, the Gladstone Region Visitor Information Centres cover that stretch. For Agnes Water and The Reef Caravan Park, the Agnes Water & Town of 1770 Visitor Information Centre is excellent — well worth a stop for local walking trail advice.
Caravan Park of the Month 🏅
The Reef Caravan Park, Agnes Water takes June’s spot. It put us minutes from the 4WD track into Deepwater National Park and Rules Beach, our standout moment of the month, while still being close enough to town for groceries and a coffee run.
It’s no-frills — the amenities are old and a bit dated — but they were cleaned spotlessly every single morning, the sites were a great size, and the whole place was easy to find and easy to get into. Best of all, it was peaceful and quiet the entire stay. We loved it.
Our full review of The Reef Caravan Park is coming soon — we’ll link it here the moment it’s live.
Wrapping Up June 🧶
June was the month we needed. After May’s repair bill and the Red Centre splurge, we came back to basics — steady travel, simple meals, and no drama — and the numbers reflect it. At $5,671.91, this is our lowest spend of the year, and more importantly, it’s proof that the habits we’ve been building actually work.
We’re calling this the new normal. Not because every month will look exactly like June, but because this is the standard we’re aiming to hold as we keep travelling.
This is also our last full month on the road for a little while. We’re home in Brisbane now, farewelling Sunny 1, picking up Sunny 2 in Chinderah, and running a shakedown trip before we head off full-time again around September. There’ll still be plenty to share while we’re off the road — Sunny 2’s handover, the upgrade from Sunny 1, and getting everything ready for the next leg — so stick around.
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54 recipes tested across 27,000km — induction cooktop, air fryer, one saucepan. Every recipe serves two.
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☕ Did this help your planning?
We share every dollar we spend so you can plan your own adventure.
🍺 Buy us a beer🍳 You’ll also get our free Healthy Caravan Cookbook as a thank you
Join the Conversation 💬
Have you ever had a quiet caravan park flip into school holiday chaos overnight? How did you handle it?
If you’ve driven the coast between Mackay and Agnes Water, what’s your pick for the best free or low-cost stop along the way?
And for those of you who’ve done a caravan changeover — any tips for us before we pick up Sunny 2 in a few weeks?
Drop your answers in the comments below — we always love hearing how your trips compare to ours.
