An Australian Road Trip – Broome to Darwin

During my time in Australia, I wanted to have the experience of road-tripping through part of the country. A friend had told me about Sharebus, a shared rental company that provides strangers with a vehicle and camping equipment to various destinations. After reading many positive reviews, I decided to book a 12-day trip from Broome to Darwin.

The Company

Sharebus describes itself as a rental company and not a guided tour. The company provides a suggested itinerary for each of its trips, but your group is free to decide which places you would actually like to visit and how long to spend at each location. The only requirement is that you depart and return to the specified locations on the specified dates.

I first met with my group the night before our journey was to begin. The company ordered pizza for us to share while we planned our itinerary and got to know each other a bit. Seven of the nine group members had just finished another Sharebus tour from Perth to Broome (the groups are a maximum of 12 people). I was a bit worried about joining a group where most people already knew each other, but it was nice that they knew what to expect and how to plan for the days ahead.

The Route

The next morning, we had a quick meeting with a local representative who introduced us to our vehicle and answered any questions we had. Then, we set off in our Toyota Hiace Commuter bus with a trailer attached. Three of us had chosen to be drivers when we booked the tour (myself included), and we took turns driving for a few hours at a time. Before leaving Broome, we designated two grocery shoppers for our group, and after an hour of getting food for the next few days we were on our way!

Our vehicle for 12 days

Throughout our journey, we mostly followed Sharebus’s provided itinerary which included recommendations for campsites and excursions. This was especially helpful since some towns along the way are notorious for theft and other crime. After departing Broome, we had stops in Mary Pool, Lake Argyle, Katherine Gorge, Edith Falls, Kakadu National Park, and Litchfield National Park. We drove over 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) along the way, so it was nice to have nearly two weeks to cover the distance.

Sharebus’s suggested itinerary

The Camping

We camped at many different types of sites along the way, ranging from “luxury” campgrounds with a pool, toilets/showers, and other amenities to a bush camping spot on the side of the road with a field as our only bathroom. We used the app WikiCamps to read reviews and learn which campsites had what amenities. The tents that Sharebus provided were large enough to comfortably fit three to four people inside; this meant that they were more complex and required two people to set up, but that we had fewer tents to put together each night.

Sharebus provided all of our tents, mattresses, tables/chairs, cooking equipment, a large cooler, cutlery, and other miscellaneous items. They also provided us with a credit card that we could use for fuel (included in the tour cost)! We only had to bring our own sleeping bags (for hygiene reasons) and our own food and drinks along the way. Most of the nights we cooked dinner using the provided stove and equipment. For breakfasts we usually had cereal or granola, and for lunch we usually had wraps, sandwiches, or other easy-to-make meals.

One of many types of landscapes on our trip

The Excursions

We covered a lot of distance in 12 days and visited quite a few places in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Some of my favorite excursions were kayaking on Lake Argyle, visiting the beautiful Emma Gorge, seeing crocodiles in Kakadu National Park, and spending time exploring Litchfield National Park. We also spent a lot of time hiking various trails and enjoying nature.

The beautiful Emma Gorge

Litchfield National Park

Kayaking on Lake Argyle

While choosing our itinerary could have been difficult depending on the group’s dynamics, we were lucky to have one designated leader that the rest of us gladly went along with. It also helped that Sharebus gave us a list of recommended places to visit and things to do on our tour. The excursions were not included in the price, but we had minimal expenses in this regard as our trip was mostly focused on national parks and the outdoors.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with Sharebus and hope to join another tour with the company in the next few months. It was nice to be able to decide our own itinerary as a group while using the company’s recommendations as a rough outline. I also really enjoyed the group aspect, as it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun to road trip and camp alone! It was a unique way to explore Australia while making new friends along the way.

Strangers who became friends