Camping trip checklist

Run through this the night before, not at the trailhead. Written for Victoria — car, 4WD, van or bike — but the shape holds anywhere the phone signal stops. Back to camping trips in Victoria.

Closures

VicEmergency for fire and flood warnings on your route
VicTraffic for road works and closed roads
The access track, not just the highway — forest roads close first
Sealed or gravel for the last few km — and whether your vehicle is happy on it

The campsite

Open? Forest camps close for flood, works and hazard burns
Booked? Parks Victoria sites inside national parks usually need one
Room for your rig — some sites take tents only, not a van or trailer
Fee? Assume one in a national park, none in state forest
A second site within 30 minutes, in case the first is full or shut

Fire

CFA district rating for the day you are travelling
Total Fire Ban? No solid-fuel fire, even in a built fireplace
Fire Danger Period? A fireplace is not automatic permission
Stove packed, so dinner does not depend on a fire being legal

Fuel

Full tank leaving the last town with a pump
Range to camp and back out again, not just one way
That servo's Sunday hours — small towns close early
Distance from camp back to fuel, known before you commit

Water and food

All drinking water carried — almost no bush camp has any
Extra litre beyond what you think you need
Dinner and breakfast that need no fire

On the phone, before signal drops

Offline map downloaded for the whole route
Campsite and fuel stop pinned
Someone told where you are going and when you are back
Battery pack charged

If it goes wrong

000 for emergencies — 112 from a phone with no reception bars
Nearest town with a hospital or police, noted before you leave
Bail-out route to sealed road from your campsite
Recovery gear if the last stretch is soft, wet or steep

Notes

motoridez.com — free curvy route planning, ride recording and offline maps.