How to get mail and parcels on the Road. A guide to receiving mail while you are travelling Australia in a Caravan
Recently on our trip I found myself in a bit of a quandary. I had neglected to install any sort of diesel heater or other form of off grid heating into our caravan and winter was biting us harder and earlier in the year than expected. I needed to get some parts delivered, and quick!
I jumped onto eBay, put a diesel heater, some parts and other various bits of online shopping into my cart only to realise at checkout that I don’t really have a physical address to get anything delivered to! On top of that and that I will be heading remote-ish for the next few months, I needed somewhere to get my online shopping delivered to!
So, I did some research and came up with a few solutions. I’ve summarised them below so you can use these tactics on your next trip and hopefully have some luck getting your parcels delivered when you are travelling Australia!
Not to worry it’s a lot simpler and user friendly that you may think
Get it delivered to an Australia Post Office or LPO using a unique Parcel Collect address or choose to get it delivered to a 24/7 Parcel Locker
Australia Post has made massive improvements with the flexibility it offers to receive packages, parcels or other forms of mail all over Australia. Users can simply register for an account on the Australia post app and pick where they want to get their mail delivered to. The App is available for Android via the Google Play Store and for IOS devices via the Apple Store.
To use Australia Post Parcel Collect or 24/7 Parcel Locker simply:
– Download the Australia Post App
– Register for an Account
– Verify your email address
– Select Add a Parcel Collect Address or 24/7 Locker and choose something near your desired location
– Australia Post will email you with the details of your new delivery address and you’re done!
It is so simple and easy with the Australia Post App. Once your order has been scanned into the system you will be able to see all of your orders on the home screen and get regular updates as they pass through all of Australia Posts checkpoints.
The most important thing to remember when using this service is that you will have 48 hours to collect your parcel from a 24/7 mail locker or 10 business days from a Parcel Collect address before it’s returned to the sender, so try time it around that.
The only issues I have encountered is that sometimes my mail has been delivered but the tracking either has it as in transit or delayed, so if it’s passed the expected delivery date it is worth popping your head into the delivery address to see if your parcel has arrived.
Full details can be found here.


Shop with Amazon and select one of their many Collections points
Amazon is my go-to for all online shopping, I only buy elsewhere if its not available on their site. For $6.99 a month you get Prime video, music and Prime (expedited) delivery! What a steal!
With Prime delivery your package will often make it to you the next day (if you are in Metro areas) or in a few days, similar to Australia Post Express.
The other benefit to Amazon is you can select one of their Counter pick up points or one of their 24/7 parcel lockers at checkout. Although not as vast as Australia posts network it offers another option for the Australian traveller. You can always use Amazon in conjunction with an Australia post Parcel Locker or Parcel Collect point.
With an Amazon collection point you will have 14 days to collect, full details can be found here.
Get your parcel or mail delivered directly to the caravan park
I’ve personally used this strategy a couple of times. Often the parcel collect address or nearest LPO isn’t suitable or is not convenient for your itinerary. Always give the caravan park a call-in advance and make sure they are ok with holding your mail until you are due to check in, I’ve personally never had an issue but you never know what situation, ‘policy’ or availability the caretaker of a caravan park may have, be polite and ask the question, most often they are happy to assist!
Use friends, family or a house sit address
Often when travelling you will be stopping in to see friends and family as you go. With a little bit of forward planning give your friends or family a call and find out if they are ok with getting all your stuff sent to their place.
If you’re met with an awkward silence, maybe its time to reconsider visiting that ‘mate’ 😉
Conclusion
Hopefully this article helps you out with getting your online shopping, mail, spare parts delivered on your lap(s)!
Lastly it is always helpful to get tracking numbers for your deliveries so you can keep an eye on where your packages land, last thing you want is to go door knocking in a small town looking for all the junk you bought online.