What is Australia's oldest RV manufacturer?

Jayco has already kicked off its 50th birthday celebrations, but did you know the Aussie RV giant isn't the only well-known caravan brand marking half a century of manufacturing in 2025?

Another family-run business, Melbourne's Royal Flair Caravans also kicked off back in 1975 - a year after Melbourne motorhome specialist Sunliner, and two years after Sydney campervan brand Trakka.

So what is Australia's oldest, continuous running RV manufacturer? Until it closed its doors for good in 2023, that accolade might have gone to Roma, which dates its origins back to 1928 and was kick-started by the late Vittorio Palmarini in the mid-1950s.

We've compiled a list of what we believe are the 10 oldest continuous-running RV manufacturers in Australia. When making our calculations we've excluded some well-known brands like Coromal, Windsor, Roadstar, Coronet, Millard and Franklin, as while they remain on sale today in some form or other, they've all mostly had a disrupted past...

Melbourne-based Avan and Goldstream and NSW's Ultimate Campers recently turned 30, while Sydney's Frontline Campervans has been in business for 37 years. However, just pipping Frontline in 10th position on our list is Supreme Caravans, which is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026.

The company that immigrant brothers Frank and Karl Prosenik started in the late 1980s has become well known for its range of affordable timber-frame Supreme and Leader-badged vans, as well as its more recent upmarket moves into the off-grid and toy hauler markets.

Boutique Sydney campervan and motorhome conversion specialist Suncamper will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027. Suncamper started out in 1977 doing pop-top camper conversion on HiAce vans for a Toyota dealership, and now specialises in off-road ute-based campers like the latest 4x4 Conqueror.

Royal Flair started off in 1975, and has been run by various members of the Deralas family ever since. Its offerings have evolved with the times, with its latest range including everything from fold-out front decks and 48V luxury fit-outs, to drop-down electric beds and toy hauler platforms.

After a fact-finding mission to the USA, Gerry Ryan built the first Jayco camper in a farm shed in 1975, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Jayco factory now occupies 50 acres, employs 1200 staff, and produces around 11,000 units per year, including a fresh batch of 50th Anniversary models in 2025.

Another motorhome specialist, Melbourne's Sunliner quietly turned 50 in 2024, with little fanfare. However, the small family company continues to offer buyers what they want, like another cut-priced motorhome based on the Chinese-built LDV chassis introduced recently.

Sydney's Trakka celebrated its silver anniversary in 2023. As the story goes, founder Dave Berry had been a keen camper and surfer in his teens, borrowing his father’s Kombi for surf and skiing camping holidays. In the early 1970s he became an apprentice cabinet maker and in 1973 opened his own business, Trakka, specialising in converting the Volkswagen T2 Transporter.

The family run business continues to be a front runner in the campervan market, recently launching a new range of upmarket all-electric models.

Sydney's Cub Campers turned 56 in 2024. A pioneer of the Aussie camper trailer industry, it started off selling soft floor campers and horse floats in the late-'60s, before specialising in hard-floor camper trailers -- all built at its Sydney factory. Now it's moving into the popular hybrid market with a continually growing range of hard-walled models.

One of Australia's biggest selling motorhome manufacturers, Avida will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2025. The family-owned Sydney factory built motorhomes in Australia under the famous Winnebago name up until around 10 years ago, before being forced to change to an Avida-branded range of campervans and motorhomes. The target market is cashed-up grey nomads, using a variety of chassis including Isuzu and Iveco.

Melbourne’s Evernew Caravans is still going strong after 61 years and more than 10,000 caravans. The Melbourne factory has a well deserved reputation for producing some of the best built, value for money caravans in Australia, while moving with the times with its latest RTX all-terrain models.

The long and colourful history of Queensland's Kedron Caravans dates back to the early 1960s. Fuelled by the Gall Boys exploits, the family run business has grown to become one of the most desirable off-road caravan brands in Australia. One of the most exclusive too, if you include the six-tonne-rated, triple-axle glamour-vans built in recent years.