It's New Year's Day in Victoria. The skies are clear, the temperature is nudging 36°C and the state has eased into a soporific post-Christmas haze. If you haven't booked a caravan park site months in advance, you can forget about parking up beachside, riverside or anywhere sought after for a relaxing summer jaunt. If you do nab a spot, chances are you'll be sharing it with every man and his (strictly on-lead) dog.
But if you want more flexibility with your vanning adventures and not wake up to the smell of someone else's breakfast, there is another way. Last January, my family and I booked a Hipcamp in Victoria's lush Yarra Valley. We hitched up on New Year's Day, coasted through bucolic wine country on Melbourne's eastern fringe, and were rolling out the awning to birdsong an hour later. Our site was on a hillside surrounded by native forest, with valley views and no neighbours within 30 metres. There were amenities on site, as well as a covered barbecue area, recreation lawn, wood-fired spa and, the pièce de résistance, a
