8 Best Caravan Towing Courses

Towing a caravan requires more than a sturdy vehicle and a spirit of adventure. It demands specific knowledge and skills to ensure safe towing and an enjoyable caravan and trailer journey.

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Whether you’re a seasoned traveller looking to refine your skills or a novice eager to explore the open road, these courses offer invaluable insights and hands-on training to make you an expert caravanner.

Each caravan course is designed to equip you with the expertise to tow with confidence, tackle challenging terrains, and navigate any situation.

There are plenty of caravan towing courses in Australia, so keep reading to learn about the best options in each state and territory.

1. Tow-Ed on-road towing course

Details: Tow-Ed is a specialist in educational courses to help you tow with confidence. The company is owned by John and Julie Eggenhuizen, who started Getabout 4WD courses many years ago.

They launched Tow-Ed 15 years later when they realised that many drivers wanted to learn how to safely tow everything, including caravans, horse floats, and boats.

Tow-Ed offers courses, including 4WD training, towing, and trip preparation. For towing, the on-road towing course covers all the basic skills you need to master towing a caravan or trailer.

The $695 price point includes two people, with a 9-hour face-to-face course and 4-7 hours of pre-course e-learning.

Bring your own car, caravan, or camper trailer to the course, or you can hire a trailer for $150 in some locations. Notably, the course is public; each instructor can teach up to three vehicles towing and reversing simultaneously. However, you can take a private course for $1120.

This course teaches you how to connect your trailer safely, spot potential problems, drive forward and reverse, tow a trailer safely in traffic, and decouple your trailer correctly. In the end, you get an AQF certificate free of charge.

Location: ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, TAS
Price: from $695

2. METEC-certified towing course

Details: METEC Driver Training is a not-for-profit road safety organisation in Melbourne. It was founded in 1971, consistently lobbying the government on important issues around driver safety. It was a crucial driver in the Victorian State Government’s Year 10 Driver education policy.

The primary benefit of this is that METEC works closely with VicRoads and other government bodies, so you know you get the best education around when it comes to caravan driving in Victoria.

The METEC Certified Towing course, in partnership with Tow-Ed, is an ideal course for beginners. The price covers one or two participants, designed to teach practical towing skills, practical elements, and legal requirements.

The course teaches skills such as connection and disconnection procedures, circle reverse, reverse angle parking, brake controller adjustment, and manual override.

The course takes place from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the facility in Bayswater North, and you get a certificate upon completion.

Location: VIC
Price: $725

3. METEC private practical towing course

Details: METEC’s Private Practical Towing is an ideal refresher course. It’s a three-hour private course at the Bayswater North facility, working 1-on-1 with a private instructor.

Critical parts of this course include a brief inspection of the correct coupling and uncoupling, practical training in reversing and parking, and the development of practical techniques such as hazard awareness.

You can view the complete course outline here. If you already have some experience, this is an ideal course. The price covers one or two participants.

Location: VIC
Price: $495

4. RACQ caravan workshop

Details: The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) has been operational for over 117 years, working hard to help keep the QLD roads safe and sustained. It also offers caravan insurance and other benefits. The organisation offers a Caravan Workshop for its members, allowing you to learn some of the towing basics.

The towing workshop includes a 5-hour course that lets you practice practical manoeuvring exercises in a safe environment without traffic. You will also learn the art of tow vehicle and caravan weighing and gain some tips and advice. Non-members can take the course, but it’s $100 more expensive at $795.

Location: QLD
Price: $695 for members

5. ADI caravan towing and awareness

Details: The Australian Driving Institute (ADI) towing and awareness program is designed to develop towing and manoeuvring skills by aligning techniques to Worlds Best Practice. This program is most suitable for drivers towing a caravan in Australia

Key learning outcomes include: Understand the importance of towing a caravan safely; Know the hazards and risks associated with towing a caravan; Ability to apply safe towing methods in accordance with Worlds Best Practice and Australian Road Law; Safely manoeuvre a caravan.

One half day 8.30am to 12.30pm. Up to 2 participants. One registered and road worth vehicle and caravan is required for the day.

Location: Nationwide
Price: $550

6. ADI caravan towing

Details: The ADI also offers a basic caravanning course with some road safety skills. The ADI instructors are fully qualified to teach you preventative safety measures, towing skills, and road safety awareness.

The skills include cabin drills, driving to conditions, braking, trailer balance, gear selection, overtaking, weight distribution, and more. The $950 fee covers up to two participants and includes a pre-training assessment to determine your skill level and create a session that helps you develop.

One full day 8.00am to 4.00pm. Up to 2 participants. One registered and road worth vehicle and caravan is required for the day.

Location: Nationwide
Price: $950

7. Train safe NT trailer course

Details: Train Safe NT is an organisation catering to workplaces and businesses. It offers training throughout the Northern Territory, focusing on remote areas so that you can directly apply the driving techniques you learn to your local area. In the rugged landscape of NT, this is important.

The trailer course is priced at $399 per person with a minimum of four participants. It’s a one-day course that helps your workplace meet WHS obligations. It covers all the basics, including connecting and disconnecting, loading and securing, reversing, driving, parking, and more. Train Safe NT offers a variety of other courses, including 4×4, 4WD, and trailer reversing.

Location: NT
Price: $399 per person

8. Getabout’s off-road towing course

Details: Run by the same people as Tow-Ed, Getabout Training is a trusted organisation running towing courses. There are on-road and off-road options, but the off-road towing course is popular among experienced towers looking to improve their skills.

The course begins with a pre-learning assessment and a 9-hour face-to-face private course. With a 1-to-1 session, you will hone your skills, including learning to assess if a track is suitable for towing your caravan. The price includes two people per booking.

Location: NSW, QLD, SA, or elsewhere depending on availability
Price: $1,120

Ready to start towing safely?

Any towing course in Australia will teach you that trailers and campervans over 750kg must have functional brakes fitted. For caravans with electric brakes, Elecbrakes is the ultimate brake controller you need to drive safely and smoothly, giving you a jolt-free journey with your recreational vehicle that gives you the ability to manoeuvre with confidence. Take your towing experience to the next level, and try Elecbrakes today.