Picking between caravan parks in Melbourne comes down to which side of the city you want to wake up on. A park in the inner north keeps the CBD within easy reach for a city break 1. A park in Doncaster East sits in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, near the walking trails of Warrandyte State Park 5. A park in Frankston South sits at the entry to the Mornington Peninsula 7.

The six parks below take caravans or motorhomes on powered sites, and each entry sticks to what the park's own page or an official listing says 124567. It is a starting list rather than a ranking. Rates and park rules change from season to season, so confirm the details on the park's own booking page before you hitch up.

How to choose between caravan parks in Melbourne

Work out where you want to spend your days first. Then check these points on the park's own page before you pay a deposit.

  • Distance to the city. BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park in Coburg puts itself 9 km from the city 1, while BIG4 Crystal Brook Tourist Park is further out, in Doncaster East in Melbourne's eastern suburbs 5.
  • Pets. Policies differ from park to park. Discovery Parks Melbourne in Braybrook says dogs are welcome 2, but BIG4 Dandenong Tourist Park allows no pets apart from medically certified assistance and guide dogs 6.
  • The length of your rig. BIG4 Melbourne's booking form asks for the van's maximum length including the drawbar and spare wheel 1, so measure the whole rig, not just the body of the van.
  • The type of site. Drive-through sites save you reversing a long van into a tight spot 7, and BIG4 Crystal Brook lists a drive-thru site beside its powered sites 5.
  • Length of stay. Some parks cap a caravan booking: BIG4 Mornington Peninsula Holiday Park limits a caravan stay to 14 days in total 7.

If you are still working out what your car can pull, the Tow match tool compares your vehicle's braked towing capacity and towball limit with a van's ATM. It is worth doing before you book a site sized for a bigger van than your car can legally tow.

Parks in the north and west

The first three parks are the ones to look at if the city itself is the main event, or if you are heading west towards Werribee.

BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park, Coburg

This park is at 265 Elizabeth Street in Coburg, and it says it is 9 km from the city with public transport within walking distance 1. That makes it an easy base if you would rather leave the van on its site and let someone else do the driving in the inner city.

  • Ensuite, powered and unpowered caravan and camping sites 1
  • A solar-heated pool, an outdoor spa and an indoor gym 1
  • A camp kitchen with an oven, fridge and microwave, plus a laundry 1
  • A games room and a movie room for wet afternoons 1
  • No dogs 1

Discovery Parks Melbourne, Braybrook

Discovery Parks Melbourne is at 129 Ashley Street in Braybrook, and it used to trade as Ashley Gardens Holiday Village 2. The park puts the CBD 30 minutes away 2. Its list of nearby attractions includes the Queen Victoria Market and the aquarium, and it says the MCG and Marvel Stadium are close by 2. Unlike the BIG4 park in Coburg, it welcomes dogs 21.

Its powered paved sites have power and water close at hand, and they are for guests who bring their own caravan or motorhome 3.

  • A pool and a playground 2
  • A camp kitchen and barbecues 2
  • A dump point and a laundry 2
  • No campfires from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, and the manager can ban them at other times when local conditions call for it 2

Werribee South Tourist Park

The Werribee Visitor Information Centre lists Werribee South Tourist Park as cabins and powered sites across the road from Werribee South Beach 4. The park sits where the Werribee River meets Port Phillip Bay 4. The listing also mentions a playground and tennis courts nearby 4. It suits a stay by the water, but the listing is short, so ring the park about site sizes and pets before you tow a big van down.

Parks in the east and south-east

These three suit a trip built around the hills to the east or the Mornington Peninsula to the south-east, with the city as a day out rather than the main event.

BIG4 Crystal Brook Tourist Park, Doncaster East

BIG4 Crystal Brook Tourist Park is at 182 Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road in Doncaster East 5. Its BIG4 page places it in Melbourne's eastern suburbs and points nature lovers to the walking trails of nearby Warrandyte State Park 5. It suits dog owners: the park says all of its caravan and camp sites are pet friendly, as long as the pet is booked in advance 5.

  • Powered and unpowered sites, plus drive-thru sites 5
  • A shaded swimming pool and an adventure playground 5
  • A games room with table tennis and arcade games 5
  • A camp kitchen and a guest laundry 5

Its pet rules are strict once you arrive: a pet stays on a leash on park property and is not allowed in the amenities, the playground or the laundry, guide dogs excepted 5.

BIG4 Dandenong Tourist Park, Dandenong South

BIG4 Dandenong Tourist Park is at 370 Frankston-Dandenong Road in Dandenong South, about 35 minutes from Melbourne's CBD by its own estimate 6. Its page lists the Dandenong Ranges and the Puffing Billy Railway among the nearby attractions, along with Phillip Island 6.

  • Spacious powered sites for caravans and motorhomes 6
  • A camp kitchen and covered barbecue areas 6
  • A recreation room and a playground 6
  • A sewage dump point and a guest laundry 6
  • No pets, except medically certified assistance and guide dogs 6

BIG4 Mornington Peninsula Holiday Park, Frankston South

BIG4 Mornington Peninsula Holiday Park is at 2 Robinsons Road in Frankston South, at the entry to the Mornington Peninsula 7. For children, its page lists a jumping pillow and a pump track among other things 7. Two rules matter for caravanners. A caravan booking cannot run past 14 days in a stay, and pets are not allowed apart from guide dogs and registered assistance animals 7.

  • Powered, ensuite and deluxe ensuite sites, none of them for tents 7
  • Drive-through powered sites 7
  • A solar-heated pool and a camp kitchen 7

When to go and what to book ahead

Melbourne's weather can change suddenly, so pack for more than one season whatever the month 8. Tourism Australia gives these average temperature ranges for the city 8:

  • Summer, December to February: 14 to 25.3°C, mostly dry, with hot spells that can run past three days 8
  • Autumn, March to May: 10.9 to 20.3°C, with morning fog that usually clears 8
  • Winter, June to August: 6.5 to 14.2°C, and heavy rain is rare 8
  • Spring, September to November: 9.6 to 19.6°C, and October is the wettest month 8

If your dates are flexible, check them against the school holidays before anything else. The Victorian Government lists the summer break as 21 December 2026 to 27 January 2027 9. In 2027, Term 2 finishes on 25 June and Term 3 starts on 12 July, which leaves the winter break in between 9. The school term dates for Victoria are worth a look before you lock anything in, even if your own children are long past school age.

Towing a van around Melbourne

Melbourne's toll roads charge by vehicle class, and towing a van does not push a car into a dearer class. Linkt's definitions for Melbourne keep a car in the car class even when it is towing a trailer or caravan 10. If you drive a large motorhome, read Linkt's class definitions against your vehicle's mass and size before you set off 10.

Inner Melbourne is no fun with a van on the back. The easier plan is to unhitch at the park and use the car or public transport for city days. BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park, for example, says public transport is within walking distance 1.

Catching the Spirit of Tasmania from Geelong

A Melbourne park also works as the last stop before Bass Strait. The Spirit of Tasmania sails from its Geelong terminal at 136 Corio Quay Road in North Geelong 11. Check-in opens between 1.5 and 2.5 hours before departure and closes strictly 45 minutes before the ship leaves 11. If you are sailing, compare each park's drive to Corio Quay Road before you book your last night on the mainland.

When you book, give the total length and height of the car and van together. The length includes every attachment 12:

  • the drawbar 12
  • bike racks 12
  • gas cylinders 12

The height includes roof racks and anything you carry up top, such as a kayak 12. Your measurements are checked at the terminal, and if they are wrong you may pay extra or be refused passage when there is no room on the vehicle deck 12.

Spirit of Tasmania's own tips for caravanners say to book early, because spaces for large vehicles are limited 13. Gas cylinders must be switched off on board, and you cannot go back to the van during the crossing, so pack a bag for the trip 13.

Tasmania's biosecurity rules start at Geelong. Clean visible soil and mud off the car and the van before you get to the terminal, and get rid of restricted items such as fresh fruit and vegetables before you travel 14. Staff ask biosecurity questions at check-in, and a Notice to Stop sticker on your windscreen means another inspection at Devonport 14. The full list is on Biosecurity Tasmania's guide for Spirit of Tasmania travellers. Save the big grocery shop for after you arrive in Devonport 1314.

A longer day out: the Twelve Apostles

For a bigger outing than the hills or the bay, the Great Ocean Road has the Twelve Apostles. They are limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean in Port Campbell National Park on the Great Ocean Road 15. Loch Ard Gorge is minutes away, and the town of Port Campbell has places to stay and eat if you decide to break the trip 15. The park lists car parking and lookouts among its facilities, but dogs are not allowed in it 15.

Twelve Apostles limestone stacks beside the Great Ocean Road cliffs, with the sun low over the sea
The Twelve Apostles, limestone stacks in Port Campbell National Park on the Great Ocean Road, with the sun low over the Southern Ocean. Image from the earlier caravandomain.com.au site; original source not recorded.

More caravan park guides

If Melbourne is one stop on a longer lap, our guides to the best caravan parks in Queensland and the best caravan parks in Adelaide cover two more states. Travelling with children in the cooler months? Our family winter holiday destinations list runs from the Atherton Tablelands to Bruny Island, with a heated pool or indoor play at several of its parks. Whichever you pick, measure the rig before you book and keep a copy of each park's pet rules in the car.

Sources

  1. BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park, BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park, accessed 29 October 2026
  2. Discovery Parks, Discovery Parks - Melbourne, accessed 29 October 2026
  3. Discovery Parks, Powered Paved Site, Discovery Parks - Melbourne Caravan and Holiday Park, accessed 29 October 2026
  4. Werribee Visitor Information Centre, Caravan parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  5. BIG4 Holiday Parks, BIG4 Crystal Brook Tourist Park - Melbourne | Book Direct & Save With BIG4, accessed 30 October 2026
  6. BIG4 Holiday Parks, BIG4 Dandenong Tourist Park, accessed 29 October 2026
  7. BIG4 Holiday Parks, BIG4 Mornington Peninsula Holiday Park, accessed 29 October 2026
  8. Tourism Australia, Weather in Melbourne, Victoria, accessed 29 October 2026
  9. Victorian Government, School term dates and holidays in Victoria, accessed 29 October 2026
  10. Linkt, How vehicle classes work on toll roads, accessed 29 October 2026
  11. Spirit of Tasmania, Spirit of Tasmania, accessed 29 October 2026
  12. Spirit of Tasmania, Spirit of Tasmania Vehicle Booking Process, accessed 29 October 2026
  13. Spirit of Tasmania, Top Tassie caravanning tips, accessed 29 October 2026
  14. Biosecurity Tasmania, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, Travelling to Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania, accessed 29 October 2026
  15. Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, Port Campbell National Park, accessed 29 October 2026