Skip to main content
Tow CalcFinanceCompare
Buying guide

Caravan shows in Australia

The big state shows run late February to June.

Every big caravan and camping show from August 2026 to July 2027, with venues and the organiser's own site.
Take a shortlist, your car's tow limits and a budget you have already settled.

Updated . 8 min read • Buying Guide

The short answer

Australia's big state caravan and camping shows cluster from late February through to June.

Organisers publish confirmed dates only a few months out, so check the show's own site before you book around it.

  • Main season - late February to June (typically opening in Adelaide and closing in Brisbane, with Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in between)
  • Spring run - September to late October (a second, smaller run of shows and regional expos)
Why bother

A hundred vans in one afternoon

Bed access, shower size and how a 22-footer feels from the inside are things a photo cannot tell you. Comparing caravans online gets you a shortlist, and a show is where you check that shortlist against the real vans.

A show puts dozens of brands in one building for a weekend, which is the only time of year you can walk through six layouts in an hour and feel the difference. It is also the one place a lot of manufacturers show new floorplans first.

The catch is the same thing that makes it useful. A big day, a lot of vans and a lot of numbers is exactly the setting where people make a decision faster than they meant to, which is what the rest of this page is about.

The calendar

Caravan and camping shows, August 2026 to July 2027

Every show below was checked against the organiser's or venue's own site on 1 August 2026, and each one links back to it.

Organisers tend to publish confirmed dates a few months out, so entries further into 2027 name a month, or name the last confirmed run while the next one waits on an announcement. Each entry says which. Check the organiser's site before you book anything around a date.

August 2026

National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing and Boating Expo

Dates confirmed
When:
21 to 23 August 2026
Where:
Melbourne Showgrounds, Ascot Vale, Victoria

An outdoors show rather than a dedicated caravan show, with off-road camper trailers, caravans and tents among its listed categories.

Official site: 4x4show.com.au

September 2026

Busselton Caravan and Camping Show

Dates confirmed
When:
19 to 20 September 2026
Where:
Churchill Park, Busselton, Western Australia

Run by Caravan and Camping WA, the state industry association.

Official site: caravanwa.com.au

October 2026

Melbourne Caravan and Camping Leisurefest

Dates confirmed
When:
1 to 4 October 2026
Where:
Sandown Racecourse, Springvale, Victoria

Caravan Industry Victoria's spring show. The Victorian Supershow in March is the larger of the two.

Official site: caravanshow.com.au

Mandurah Boat, Caravan, 4WD and Camping Show

Dates confirmed
When:
9 to 11 October 2026
Where:
Rushton Park, Mandurah, Western Australia

Official site: mandurah.show

Canberra Caravan Lifestyle Expo

Dates confirmed
When:
23 to 25 October 2026
Where:
Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory

Run by the NSW caravan and camping industry association.

Official site: events.canberra.com.au

Adelaide 4WD and Adventure Show

Dates confirmed
When:
23 to 25 October 2026
Where:
Adelaide Showground, Wayville, South Australia

An adventure show that lists caravanning and camping alongside 4WD, boating and fishing.

Official site: adelaide.4wdshow.com.au

January and February 2027

Newcastle Caravan Lifestyle Expo

Next dates not published
When:
Dates for 2027 are not published yet
Where:
Newcastle Entertainment Centre and Showground, New South Wales

Last held 30 January to 1 February 2026.

Official site: nec.net.au

South Australia's Caravan, Camping and Outdoor Show

Month confirmed
When:
February 2027
Where:
Adelaide Showground, Wayville, South Australia

Last held 25 February to 1 March 2026.

The organiser has confirmed the month. Exact dates were not up at the time of checking.

Official site: caravanandcampingsa.com.au

March 2027

Victorian Caravan and Camping Supershow

Dates confirmed
When:
11 to 14 March 2027
Where:
Melbourne Showgrounds, Epsom Road, Ascot Vale, Victoria

Caravan Industry Victoria's biggest show of the year.

Official site: caravanshow.com.au

Perth Caravan and Camping Show

Next dates not published
When:
Dates for 2027 are not published yet
Where:
Claremont Showground, Western Australia

Last held 19 to 22 March 2026.

Official site: caravanwa.com.au

Coastal Caravans BIG4 Hobart Airport Caravan Show

Next dates not published
When:
Dates for 2027 are not published yet
Where:
BIG4 Tourist Park, Cambridge, near Hobart Airport, Tasmania

Last held 6 to 9 March 2026.

Official site: goldclasscaravans.com.au

April and May 2027

NSW Caravan Camping Holiday Supershow

Dates confirmed
When:
27 April to 2 May 2027
Where:
Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Rosehill, New South Wales

Sydney's big one, run by the NSW caravan and camping industry association across six days.

Official site: supershow.com.au

Cairns Expo: Caravans, Campers, 4x4, Home and Lifestyle

Month confirmed
When:
May 2027
Where:
Cairns Showgrounds, Queensland

Last held 8 to 10 May 2026.

Official site: cairnsexpo.com.au

Townsville Caravan, 4x4 and Outdoor Adventure Expo

Month confirmed
When:
May 2027
Where:
Reid Park, Townsville, Queensland

Last held 15 to 17 May 2026.

Official site: townsvilleexpo.com.au

June and July 2027

Let's Go Queensland Caravan and Camping Supershow

Next dates not published
When:
Dates for 2027 are not published yet
Where:
Brisbane Showgrounds, Queensland

Last held 3 to 7 June 2026, with around 250 exhibitors.

Official site: letsgocaravanandcamping.com.au

Darwin 4WD, Boating and Camping Expo

Month confirmed
When:
June 2027
Where:
Darwin Convention Centre, Darwin Waterfront, Northern Territory

Last held 14 to 15 June 2025.

The organiser has the next expo down for June 2027 at a new venue. Worth a check on their site before you plan a trip around it.

Official site: darwin4wdcampingexpo.com.au

Dates move, and organisers get the last word

Treat this page as the map and the organiser's site as the timetable. Confirm the dates, the opening hours and the ticket price with them before you drive, especially for the entries that are still waiting on a 2027 announcement.

Show prep

Three things to sort before you go

Before you go: bring your shortlist, know your car's tow rating and towball limit, and start the finance conversation. These three turn a long day of looking into a short list you can actually act on.

1. Take a shortlist, not a wish list

Pick the vans you genuinely want to stand inside and keep them in one list you can open on your phone at the gate. Ten names beat a hundred maybes.

Without one you walk the aisles in whatever order the aisles happen to run, and you come home with photos of forty vans and no way to rank them. With one you find your ten, compare them properly, and treat everything else as a bonus.

Open your shortlist

2. Know your tow limits before you fall in love

The van that suits your family and the van your car can legally tow are two different questions, and a show floor is a rotten place to work out the second one.

Run your car against the vans on your list first, write down the ATM ceiling it gives you, and take that number with you. It turns every conversation on the day into a simple check instead of a maybe.

Check what your car can tow

3. Get the finance conversation moving first

Money is the slowest part of buying a caravan and the easiest part to start early. Working out what you want to spend before you go is what makes every quote on the day easy to compare, and it is a lot harder to work out standing next to a van you like.

Jade Finance is able to arrange loans and leases for caravans. Start that conversation before the show, so the quote is done before you walk the floor.

If you want the background first, our caravan finance guide covers how caravan lending works and what the paperwork asks for.

A quote is not a loan application.Free, no obligation, no credit check to get a quote, about 2 minutes.If you want to go further, Jade handles the next step.

Get a finance quote

Jade Finance pays us a commission if you finance through them. About Jade

Worth throwing in the bag

A tape measure, a phone with room for photos, a hat, water, and a printed checklist so you are asking the same questions at van ten as you did at van one. Our show pack is two A4 sheets built for the day: what to ask at every stand, and what to check before you hand over a deposit. The inspection checklist and the travel checklists take over once you own one.

On the day

How to work a show

None of this is complicated. It is just the difference between coming home with a decision and coming home with a headache.

Go early and give it a whole day

A supershow is a long day on concrete and the aisles are widest in the first hour. Park once, wear the shoes you can walk in, and plan to eat there rather than trying to squeeze it into a morning.

Photograph everything, including the boring bits

The price sign, the floorplan card, the compliance plate and the model name on every van you like. By the sixth van they blur into one, and the photos are what let you rebuild the day at the kitchen table.

Ask what the price actually includes

Which options are fitted to the van in front of you, what delivery costs, and what on-road costs come on top. Then ask for the whole lot in writing before you agree to anything.

Ask for the weights as it would be built for you

Options add kilograms, and the tare on the brochure is rarely the tare of the van you would order. Ask for the tare and ATM with your options fitted, then check that against your car.

Ask whether the offer stands next week

It costs nothing to ask, and the answer tells you a lot about what you are looking at. Write the answer down with the quote.

Sleep on it

It is a big day and a big number, and a big day is an easy place to say yes faster than you meant to. Nothing about a caravan purchase gets worse for a night's sleep, and if the deal still looks right on Monday you can sign it on Monday.

Show season is one of the windows in the caravan buying year worth planning around. Our guide to when caravans go on sale covers the rest of them, including the run-up to 30 June and run-out stock.

Quick answers

Show questions, answered

When is caravan show season in Australia?

The big state shows cluster from late February through to June, starting in Adelaide and finishing in Brisbane, with Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in between. A second, smaller run of shows and regional expos fills the spring, from September through to late October. The calendar on this page lists what is on and when in each window.

Why do some entries show a month instead of exact dates?

Because that is all the organiser has published. Show organisers tend to confirm exact dates a few months ahead, so the further into next year you look, the more entries name a month rather than a date. Every entry says which it is, and links to the organiser's own site so you can check for the update yourself.

What should I take to a caravan show?

A shortlist of the vans you actually want to walk through, your car's tow rating and the ATM ceiling that goes with it, a phone with room for a lot of photos, and a tape measure if you care about a particular bed or bathroom. A hat and a water bottle do more for your judgement by 3pm than anything else on the list.

Should I sign at the show?

You can, but you do not have to, and a night's sleep costs you nothing. Get the quote in writing with the options, delivery and on-road costs itemised, ask whether the offer stands after the show closes, and make the decision at home where you can compare it against the rest of your shortlist.

Build the shortlist before the show

Filter by weight, price, layout and berths, save the ones worth a walk-through, and turn up with a plan. Then check each of them against your car before you go.