Markets and Op-Shops: Kitting Out Your Van and Sharehouse for Next to Nothing

There are two ways to set yourself up in Australia. One is to walk into a big-box store and drop a few hundred dollars on a frypan, a doona and a foldout chair. The other — the backpacker way — is to thrift the lot for the price of a pub feed and end up with better stories. Australia has a thriving second-hand culture: weekend markets in every town, op-shops on every high street, and apps groaning with cheap gear sold by the last round of travellers heading home. Master it, and you'll stretch your dollars further and waste a whole lot less.

Here's how to kit out your life on the cheap.

Op-shops: the backpacker's best friend

"Op-shop" (short for opportunity shop) is the Aussie term for a charity thrift store, and they are everywhere. The big chains — Vinnies (St Vincent de Paul), Salvos (Salvation Army) and Red Cross — sit on most main streets, with countless independent ones too.

What you'll score for a few dollars each:

• Plates, mugs, cutlery and pots to fill out a van or sharehouse kitchen.
• Warm jumpers and a winter coat when the southern cold catches you out.
• Blankets, towels and bed linen.
• Books, board games and beach gear.

Pro move: op-shops in wealthy suburbs tend to have the best-quality donations. And don't skip the regional towns — a quiet country Vinnies is where the real bargains hide.

A word on giving back: when you finish your trip, drop your gear at an op-shop rather than binning it. The next backpacker will thank you, and so will the planet.

Weekend markets worth the trip

Markets are half shopping, half social event, and every region has its legends. Some of the best for travellers:

• Rusty's Markets, Cairns — cheap fruit and veg that'll halve your grocery bill in the tropics.
• Salamanca Market, Hobart — Tasmania's Saturday institution, brilliant for crafts and food.
• Glebe Markets, Sydney — vintage clothes and second-hand everything.
• Rose Street and Camberwell Markets, Melbourne — design, retro and pre-loved gold.
• Byron Bay Markets — the famous monthly market plus the weekly artisan one.

Markets are also where you find a cheap bike, camping gear and a guitar for the road. Haggle gently and politely; a friendly chat goes further than hard bargaining.

Marketplace, Gumtree and the backpacker grapevine

For bigger kit — van fit-outs, mattresses, surfboards, furniture for a sharehouse — the real action is online:

• Facebook Marketplace is now the heavyweight. Search local "buy/swap/sell" and "backpacker" groups in your city for departing travellers offloading everything from camping stoves to whole campervan setups.
• Gumtree is still strong for cars, vans and furniture.

Buying tips that save grief:

• Meet in a public, well-lit spot during the day, ideally bringing a mate.
• Pay cash on collection for small items; never transfer a deposit to "hold" something for a seller you've never met.
• Inspect before you pay, especially for anything electrical or a vehicle.
• Time it right. Hostel notice boards and Facebook groups flood with cheap gear at the end of summer and around big departure seasons, when travellers are selling fast.

If you're moving between hostels while you hunt for a van or a room, booking flexible beds through Hostelworld keeps you mobile without locking into long stays.

Cash in your cans: container deposit schemes

Here's a small but genuinely useful one. Most Australian states and territories now run a container deposit scheme, paying you 10 cents for each eligible drink container — cans, plastic bottles, small cartons — returned at a collection point or reverse-vending machine.

It adds up faster than you'd think on a road trip fuelled by soft drink and beer:

• Collect your empties in a bag in the van or under the hostel bunk.
• Find your nearest return point through the scheme's website or app in each state.
• Choose a cash payout, an electronic transfer, or donate it to charity.

A car full of empties from a week of camping can easily turn into a tank of fuel or a hostel night. It's free money you'd otherwise throw away, and it keeps the roadsides clean.

Thrifting like a pro

A few habits that separate the savers from the spenders:

• Borrow before you buy. Hostels often have free "swap shelves" loaded with abandoned gear.
• Buy versatile, sell on later. Camp chairs and cookware hold value; resell them before you fly out.
• Carry a reusable bag so you can grab a bargain on the spot.

Travelling Australia on a budget isn't about going without — it's about getting clever. Kit out your van from an op-shop, feed yourself from a market, fund your fuel with empty cans, and pass it all on at the end. You'll spend less, waste less, and meet half the town doing it.