Caravan, mobile/motorhome or bus, which?

You havent said where you are going, what sort of driving you wanna do, ..... This is a hard question for someone other than yourselves to answer...
Its like asking other people what you feel like for dinner...
Each one of your combinations is a good idea...

Voxson is spot on, however this is my experience after a lot of years trying different things.
As Voxson said, this is a very personal thing...
A bus/motorhome has the same drawbacks as a rooftop tent, once you arrive and are all setup, if you want to go out for dinner or just have a look around you have to move the lot, pack you stuff away etc... Same with a converted bus, towing a little car behind would fix that, however it gets very expensive, car plus trailer, rego, insurance and you may want the comfort of a better vehicle when going on side trips... ie:
You arrived in Nth QLD and you park your motorhome, then take off in you little suzuki to explore, cape tribulation etc, personally I would rather explore in comfort with A/C on a better vehicle.
ALso Caravan Parks don't like buses and some don't cater for them (too big)...
In my opinion the best compromise is a larger 4wd (ie Landcruiser or Patrol or Discovery or similar), a good quality caravan that can handle some off road such as Tanami track, Birdsville track etc and then you have the best of both worlds... You can park your van and go and explore on a well setup capable and comfortable 4wd....
The drawback of that setup is only that Caravans are slow (but so are buses and motorhomes)....
A van with shower and toilet would allow you to stop in rest areas and free campsites as well as some secluded camps by the side of a river somewhere...

I agree with GUPatrol. We bought a caravan and have a Mid Size 4 WD wagon. I wouldn't like paying the rego and insurance on a bus/motorhome as well as a small "get around car".

In addition is the additional fuel to tow the second vehicle. I ma yet to overtake a motohome/bus towing a large trailer or second car at more than 90 kph.

You also very limited to where you can go. The van will generally go where ever the 4Wd will take it.

I have also seen the inherent problems with such a large 2WD vehicle when they sink in the soft ground and need to be pulled out by a tractor.

Go the van and Mid size wagon(Prado, Pajero Turbo Diesel) up to the large 6cyl wagons (Landcruiser and Patrol).

Wizard
Darwin NT
Prado TD
Jayco Freedom 16ft

Having done the Block a couple of times, and seen many different rigs I would advise as the others have to get a Good 4wd as stated and a van that is capable on gravel roads and not too big suggest 18 foot or less. Then you can do the back roads where there is more to see and do.
Regards Dodg.

Agree with all above, also a motorhome or bus is to much money and space tied up sitting around waiting for its next trip.
I've just bought the 4wd, the caravan next year and I'm off.

Too hard to call.

Depends on your individual requirements , how long you are going , and budget.

There is definently some benefits to having a Bus or Large Motor home.

Huge amount of space , more like living in a flat , then a Cvan. Most have all the mod cons of home.

Dont even have to get out of the vehicle to setup. Makes quick stops a breeze. Allows quick getaways as well, especially in an uncomfortable situation.

Towing a small vehicle would probably make not a lot of difference fuel wise, its gunna cost heaps anyway.

The obvious disadvantages are. Size and Cost. Think carefully about setting up. Once done , cant go anywhere in a hurry (extra vehicle would fix that though).

You could go with a slightly smaller Bus , Yota Coaster or the like. Still plenty of room. Costs less to both run and purchase. Towing a vehicle may be an issue.

Both maybe limiting to where you could travel though.

Maybe a 4wd version. Oka or Canter 4wd motorhome.

My parents have travelled Aus a number of times , and its been in the "standard" fashion. Large 4wd (Maverick), and an Offroad Caravan.

How about hiring Motorhomes and Cvans , for a couple of shorter trips first to guage what suits YOU.

We asked a similar question earlier this year, and got a few good answers. Having done short holidays before: 1. Purpose built 2wd camper van - great as we could just stop anywhere (family of 4 toured UK & Europe for 6 months - not really built for Aussie conditions) 2. Landcruiser wagon with tent, 3. camped on back of Landcruiser ute with a canvas cover over a weldmesh frame - easy to stop just anywhere, 4. with a small wind-up off road caravan, but were looking at something for retirement travel. Camping off the back of the ute was the very best - until it rained - as it is real outdoor living. Bit of a hassle unpacking the tray to roll out the swag, but just marvellous sleeping under the stars, and up off the ground from the creepycrawlies. Didn't want the hassle of setting up an off road trailer each night or setting up in the wind or rain, although they can go more places than a big caravan. A big bus wouldn't suit us as we want to be 4wd-ing, and towing a small 4wd with a bus is a very long rig to manouvre, and cost of having all those vehicles! We also tried generator versus 12 volt system on solar, and found the solar best.

We finally considered a camper built on 4wd truck, versus a real off road caravan. Decision based on; 1. Comfort of Nissan compared to truck (husband has bad back), 2. Cost of maintaining an extra vehicle (truck) when not needed year round, 3. Ability to leave a caravan for ease off driving to out of the way places or if we found ourselves in a city, or stayed a while anywhere.

We purchased (3rd hand) a 18' Bushtracker caravan. It still looks like new. Lots of so called off roaders qualify 'off road' as occasional travel off bitumen on gravel roads; seeing the damage than can occur on real rough stuff, we went for a real heavy duty brand. Why travel on bitumen when there is a whole lot of outback? Heaps of room and storage space for long term living, comfy queen size bed, set up with solar, luxury of shower & toilet (not in our essential criteria but most BTs have them).

Hope this helps you find what suits your type of travel.