How Camplify is helping Australians reconnect through camping

The invisible thread that connects us

The campfire routine is familiar. Someone points out the Southern Cross. A child asks where the phone charger is. Someone else laughs about not being able to work the camp shower.

Then the mood shifts. Teenagers stop checking their dead phones. Parents forget about Monday’s meetings. And somewhere between golden toast crisping on the fire and a third cup of billy tea, conversations flow more freely than they have in months.

Scenes like this play out every weekend across Australia, and increasingly they’re happening thanks to families connecting through Camplify, the country’s leading RV-sharing platform. It’s changing how we think about travel – one borrowed caravan at a time.

When trust becomes wisdom

The handover begins as you’d expect, with a run-through of the key features: the extra water tank fitted by the owner after a dry spell at Wilsons Prom, the inverter that powers his wife’s coffee machine, the awning with reinforced brackets after a windy night at Cable Beach.

But then comes the hand-drawn map on the back of a fuel receipt, marking places that matter. This isn't what the family borrowing through Australia's largest RV sharing platform expected from a quick key exchange. Instead, they're getting two decades of camping wisdom. Warnings about campgrounds that flood when they look bone dry. Recommendations for places with terrible online reviews but spectacular sunsets.

The hirers are getting far more than simply borrowing a caravan. They're inheriting a network.

"What we've discovered is that our platform facilitates so much more than transactions," says Justin Hales, CEO of Camplify.

When locals become travel guides

Sometimes the knowledge transfer happens before anyone meets. When a local caravan owner delivers their van to a remote campground through Camplify, they're not just dropping off a vehicle – they're sharing local knowledge.

These aren't paid delivery drivers following GPS coordinates. They're locals who know which creek crossing floods first, which campground owner makes the best coffee, and where to find the cleanest amenities.

For first-time campers in Australia, these insights can make all the difference. Without them, they might feel like tourists. With them, they become travellers who belong. It’s local knowledge that no guidebook or Google review can replicate.

One holiday, many conversations

One family didn't plan to become camping evangelists; they borrowed a van for school holidays because hotels were too expensive. But when they returned home, something had changed.

The photos on their phone weren't just holiday snaps – they were proof of concept. Extended family started asking questions. Neighbours began researching caravan parks. The conversation at school pickup shifted to whether camping was achievable for ordinary families.

One borrowed holiday had generated a dozen conversations about trying something new.

Meanwhile, caravan owners receive updates. Photos of their vans parked beside lakes they've never seen. Stories of adventures their maintenance helped enable. They're not just earning rental income –  the real reward is knowing their van has enabled another family’s Australian road trip adventure.

Building tomorrow’s travel community

What’s emerging through platforms like Camplify is more than just peer-to-peer rental. It's the emergence of a travel ecosystem where knowledge matters more than equipment, locals become mentors, and barriers to outdoor adventure are dissolving.

"We're not just connecting people with caravans," says Hales. "We're creating a community where knowledge sharing matters as much as equipment."

Van owners discover their asset works harder when being used than gathering dust. First-time campers learn that outdoor adventure doesn't require ownership – just willingness to trust strangers.

When a local owner delivers a van to a campground, they're sharing their backyard with visitors, becoming unofficial ambassadors," Hales explains. One conversation. One campfire. One perfectly ordinary moment when connected devices take a back seat to human connection.

Camplify connects caravan owners with adventure-seeking families across Australia. Through Camplify, people can hire a van from a local owner to go travelling or arrange delivery to their chosen destination.