Caravan
Smooth roads. Gentle grades.
Scores for towing suitability. Smooth sealed surface, gentle grades, no tight corners. Hard limit on roads averaging more than 10% gradient.
The inverse of a sports car.
What the algorithm avoids
- ✗Switchbacks and hairpin corners
- ✗Roads averaging >10% gradient
- ✗Unsealed and rough-surface roads
- ✗Narrow residential roads
What it finds for you
- ✓Wide sealed primary roads
- ✓Consistent smooth surface
- ✓Gentle rolling grades
- ✓Roads suitable for long vehicles
Why this profile
Surface first. Gradient second.
The caravan profile prioritises smooth sealed surface and gentle grades. Tight corners are penalised hard. Roads averaging more than 10% gradient are excluded entirely. What's left is the roads you'd actually want to tow on.
See the scoring
Try it with your next trip
Enter any two points. We find roads with gentle grades, wide lanes, and good surfaces for your van.
How the caravan profile weights each factor.
Smooth sealed = safe towing.
Smooth sealed road is the priority. Corrugated gravel, rough bitumen, and patchy seal score poorly. Rough roads that are fine in a sports car become a problem when you're towing 2,500 kg.
Wide roads. Wide shoulders.
Primary and secondary roads score best. They tend to be wider, better maintained, and designed for freight and caravans.
No speed differentials.
A slow-moving caravan in fast highway traffic is a hazard. The caravan profile penalises roads where the speed differential creates pressure.
Over 10%? It's excluded.
Any road averaging more than 10% grade is hard-capped at a score of 3.0 - below the routing threshold. Steep climbs create brake fade risk on descent and significant strain on the tow vehicle.
Corners are a problem.
Curviness is a positive for sports cars and motorbikes. For caravans it's a liability - tight corners require wide turns, cause sway, and create overtaking problems.
Caravan-rated routes across Australia.
VICPrinces Highway
Victoria
The classic coastal tow from Melbourne to Adelaide. Flat to gently rolling, wide sealed surface, good passing lanes. The Great Ocean Road section between Geelong and Lorne rates exceptionally well for caravans.
Explore VIC →
NSWPacific Highway
New South Wales
Major northbound touring corridor. The upgraded sections between Sydney and Brisbane are some of the best caravan roads in the country - wide, smooth, consistent grade. Use the inland route via the New England Highway to avoid the Gold Coast.
Explore NSW →
SAEyre Peninsula
South Australia
Sealed roads around the peninsula with light traffic and good rest areas. Lincoln Highway and Flinders Highway offer extended touring loops.
Explore SA →
WASouth West
Western Australia
Vasse Highway, Bussell Highway, and the scenic roads between Margaret River and Dunsborough. Excellent road quality, low traffic outside peak season.
Explore WA →Common questions.
What roads does the caravan profile avoid?
Roads averaging more than 10% grade are capped below the routing threshold and won't appear as waypoints. Tight, twisty roads score low due to the reduced curviness weighting. Unsealed and rough-surface roads are heavily penalised. Motorways are excluded as waypoints (same as all profiles) - they appear in the Google Maps route only where unavoidable.
Does Contour include grade 1 gravel tracks for caravans?
No. The caravan profile excludes all unsealed roads from waypoint selection. Even well-maintained gravel roads create risks for caravans - corrugation, dust, limited shoulder width. If you want to explore unsealed areas, use the 4WD Stock profile.
Can I plan a route avoiding all hills?
The caravan profile already does most of this work - roads averaging more than 10% grade are excluded. Completely flat routes aren't always possible or practical, but the profile ensures you won't be routed up alpine passes or steep mountain climbs.
What's the maximum caravan length or weight this works for?
Contour doesn't adjust for specific caravan dimensions or GVM. The profile is calibrated for typical touring combinations - a passenger vehicle towing up to 3.5 tonnes GCM on 20-23 foot vans. For very large rigs or B-doubles, additional planning is required.
Does it work for motorhomes?
Yes. The caravan profile applies equally well to motorhomes - smooth road preference, gentle grades, wide sealed surfaces. A Class C motorhome or bus conversion will benefit from the same routing logic.
Caves Road, Western AustraliaNo steep passes.
No gravel surprises.
Plan a towing route that works with your van, not against it. Smooth sealed roads, gentle grades, across the whole country.