Avida celebrates 60 years in style

Avida has hosted a flashy dealer awards event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney to celebrate its 60th anniversary, and conclude a week of dealer conferences.

The black-tie affair which was hosted by television personality and new Avida ambassador Tom Williams, brought together around 200 dealers, staff, industry leaders and media to celebrates the significant company milestone as well as recognise dealer achievements.

Avida (formerly Winnebago and Freestyle) is believed to be Australia's third oldest RV manufacturer, and the festivities also coincided with another very special milestone — founders Bruce and Ruth Binns’ 60th wedding anniversary.

Longstanding Avida Melbourne dealer Roberts RV World (it's been around since 1968) were among the big winners on the night, receiving the Dealer of the Year honour, along with Dealer Staff Member of the Year award (Rebecca Herzog).

Hinterland Motorhomes – Avida Gold Coast was awarded Customer Satisfaction Dealer of the Year, while Green RV - Avida Sunshine Coast (Excellence in Sales), Hinterland Motorhomes - Avida Gold Coast (Customer Satisfaction Dealer of the Year), and Australian Motorhomes & Caravans - Avida Newcastle (Excellence in Aftersales), also went home with major awards.

The night also included live speed painting by artist Brad Blaze, who created artwork including portraits of Avida founder Bruce Binns, the first Freeway motorhome built in 1965, and a portrait of Taylor Swift; all of which were auctioned during the evening. Proceeds from the auction went to Mama Lana’s Community Foundation, a Penrith-based charity supporting the homeless and underprivileged.

All three generations of the Binns family were in attendance on the night, including CEO Ben Binns and Samantha Binns who oversee daily operations, and Ben's son, Jacob who now also works in the family manufacturing business.

Avida has already rolled out a number of 60th Anniversary new models and updates in the first half of 2025, with more initiatives to come according to Avida’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Billy Falconer.

Falconer told caravancampingsales on the night that all Avida Longreach and Fremantle motorhomes are going 'gas-free' and will soon feature standard 48-volt Victron systems.

While the Sydney manufacturer has largely focused on motorhomes and campervans over the past seven years, Falconer also confirmed that caravans will return to the Avida line-up in late 2026.

Although details are still under wraps, the new 2026 Avida caravan range is expected to target the boutique market rather than high-volume segments, with further details set to be revealed during next year's show season.

Historically, Avida briefly produced caravans in the mid-1970s under the Freeway brand, before re-entering the segment with its fibreglass Sapphire model in 2013.

By 2018, the company introduced its fourth caravan model, the dirt-road ready Rock, before ceasing all caravan production including dropping unloved models like the Wave pop-top, Emerald, and Topaz, to focus solely on motorhome manufacturing.

Based in Sydney, the family-run business was founded in 1965 by Bruce and Ruth Binns as the Freeway Camper Company, producing slide-on campers and caravans until 1978, when it transitioned to Winnebago Industries Australia. The company was then forced to rebrand as Avida in 2013 following a legal dispute with the American Winnebago firm.

Believed to be the largest manufacturer of retail motorhomes and campervans in the country, Avida employs more than 200 workers and produces more than 600 Avida motorhomes annually at its Emu Plains, Sydney factory and headquarters, according to the Avida website.

It currently offers 12 different motorhome and campervan models; predominantly large 2WD bitumen tourers aimed at the grey nomad market and based on Mercedes-Benz, Fiat and Iveco platforms, although Avida recently introduced a compact all-terrain off-road model more geared toward off-grid adventurers and digital nomads.

Currently the most popular models in the range include the Fiat-based 7.39m long Birdsville motorhome, the more upmarket Iveco-based 7.85m long Esperance motorhome, and the entry-level 6.885m long, Fiat-based Leura motorhome.