Holiday-at-home fever has created a golden era for caravans as record numbers of people hit the road to discover their own state and country.
The global pandemic has essentially forced many people to dismiss overseas destinations and instead focus on all that their own country has to offer.
That’s proving a boon for caravan businesses, with leading Sunshine Coast company, Sunseeker Caravans, reporting twice as many sales now compared to before COVID, with vehicles ranging from $60,000 to $170,000.
“The biggest thing for us is not necessarily whether we can sell them, it’s how the component suppliers catch up with the new demand,” business owner Chris Michel said.
“We’ve probably doubled our sales, and they were already good.
“There’s no signs of it slowing down.”
Mr Michel said the interest from people coming out of lockdowns had been “incredible”.
He said they’re spending money on holidays in Australia, instead of overseas.
“There are some people who are (financially) affected by COVID and they probably won’t travel, but there are still a lot of people who have money to inject into the Australian economy.”
“People still want to holiday. They still want to go away and do stuff … we’re not going to have a decent international travel pipeline for a while. People are rediscovering Australia and that’s wonderful.”
Packed with creature comforts
Aussies are enquiring about caravans and discovering they aren’t what they used to be.
“The perception of the caravan was probably something they saw as a kid, with a few bunks jammed down the back and all timber, an ugly interior and wind-out windows and no bathroom,” Mr Michel said.
“It was very basic and that was what was available at the time.
“People are coming in now and seeing our vans, which are like beautiful contemporary apartments.
“There’s no lack of creature comforts now. There’s a full bathroom, washing machine, sleek interior and massive windows.”
And caravans can go almost anywhere now, with a range of off-road vehicles in Australia “capable of towing almost any van you want.”
His business offer modern caravans, with top of the range ones boasting airbag suspension, 37-inch wheels, ventilated hydraulic disc brakes, air conditioning and an off-grid lithium system.
“You can run all your appliances including your air con off the battery,” Mr Michel said.
“People are coming in (to the business) and going ‘oh my god, this is caravanning now; and they’re getting on board with it.
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“A few years ago, there was no creativity, there was no innovation” he said.
“Nothing really happened from the mid-80s to the early 2000s.
“And then people like myself came into the industry from other areas and said why can’t we do this and that.”
Travelling far and wide
Mr Michel said Australians were becoming bolder in their travel plans.
“A few years ago, it was more about touring vans and people going to a Big 4 and staying a few nights or going to a caravan park at Easter.”
“But out the blue Australians have become adventurous.”
““There are so many places you can tow a caravan. The evolution of suspension has been phenomenal.
“You can get off the grid and free camp and rely on the resources you take with you, generating your own power and having your own water usage.”
Families get involved
Mr Michel said the family market had “absolutely exploded”.
“It’s incredible. We’re looking at 50% of our business being high-end awesome family caravans.
“So, we’re creating another generation of caravaners, because the children enjoying caravans now will buy caravans in the next 10 to 20 years.”
Mr Michel said he had fond childhood memories of his own.
“We used to tow the old Viscount from Sydney to Mullumbimby and camp on the top of a hill,” he said.
“We did that every year for most of my youth and it was amazing and some of fondest memories were of those trips.”
He now has four children and said they loved meeting other kids when they take their caravan away.
Mr Michel said caravan owners were close-knit, forming friendships at stops around the country.
Many owners will be at Habitat Noosa from March 19-21 for the Sunseeker Owners Rally, which will provide them with a chance to catch up, talk all things caravans and take part in several activities, including educational seminars and cricket games.
New wave of publicity
Mr Michel said caravans were for all ages.
“We’ve had people in their 20s coming in for caravans. I’ve got one 23-foot rear club lounge caravan here which is owned by a couple in their 20s.
“They saw the value in it. They can travel wherever they want, and when it’s in their yard it’s like a guest house.”
He said the use of social media had also escalated interest in vans.
There is even a family which has developed somewhat of a cult following via their channels ‘Trip In A Van’. They have about 140,000 Instagram followers.
Sunseeker supplied the family with their latest van and such is their popularity fans gathered for photos with them at the Kawana business.
“Video is powerful and it’s showing people how to do it. Travelling with a caravan is not hard, it’s actually very easy and it doesn’t have to be expensive either,” Mr Michel said.
Boost to economies
Mr Michel said the growing popularity of caravans meant more money would be injected into the economy.
While prospective Sunseeker buyers are on the Sunshine Coast, they spend the night at a caravan park trialling a caravan.
And when owners travel, they can boost regional and rural communities.
“With the vehicles’ off-road capabilities, you have a house behind you and can pull over anywhere,” Mr Michel said.
“People are getting nomadic and they’re starting to explore without going from caravan park to caravan park or from hotel to hotel.
“You can pull over anywhere and that provides a massive injection into our communities.
“You’ll see in a few years that rural Australia is going to see an influx of income from travellers.”
Mr Michel said his eyes were opened during a trip to Goondiwindi in 2019, when they were doing one of their segments with television show Creek to Coast.
“I had tears in my eyes hearing about the drought. If it wasn’t for travellers spending money in the town … the community couldn’t survive.”
A thriving business
Mr Michel has been involved in the caravan business for almost two decades and now has a leading company, which has thrived with the Sunseeker brand, Marvel RV and Vision RV.
He has started to manufacture on the Sunshine Coast and expects to employ about 60 people by the end of the year.
The business accommodates for the three main construction methodologies, timber frame, aluminium frame and fibreglass sandwich composition.
“We’ve structured our business to be a one-stop shop,” he said before suggesting vans will continue to get better.
“It’s incredible what we’re going to be putting out on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
Mr Michel said South East Queensland, and the Sunshine Coast in particular, was a hot spot for caravan sales.
He said there were about 10 dealerships on the Sunshine Coast, which boasted the top half dozen brands like Bushtracker, Spinifex, Sunseeker and Vision RV.
“The Sunshine Coast is really pushing forward as a must do destination for any caravan shopper now,” he said.
Hybrids and minis are also popular
Australian Off Road, based at Caloundra, has had plenty of buyers for caravans, hybrid campers and campers.
“We’ve noticed an increase since probably mid last year, probably by 50 percent at least” AOR sales and marketing manager Wendy Maclean said.
She said people were desperate to holiday at home.
“We get a lot of people walking in and saying they’ve just cancelled their next few years of overseas holiday bookings and they want to buy a caravan.”
She said the hybrid and micro camper models were proving popular.
“They (hybrids) are probably the most popular models. We sell more of them and there’s more in the range.
“Out of 10, there’s two caravans at the top end and two micros and the rest are in the middle, in the hybrid range.
“Most people choose those because they are a bit lighter to tow and they can be stored in garages.
“And the amenities are pretty much exactly the same (as caravans).
“They’ve got showers, toilets, kitchens, seating areas and beds.
She said the micros wee relatively new to their range.
“We brought them out in March last year and we’ve seen the market take them up pretty quickly.
She said they’ve tried to get away from the old camper trailer market.
“We didn’t want to go down the canvas road because we see a lot of people at this end of the market who aren’t particularly interested in folding up mountains of canvas.
“The micro is a small compact trailer with a kitchen, water on board and in-built sleeping or rooftop tent on top that closes a lot quicker than the old camper trailer style.
“It comes with age and price. I think at entry level a lot of people are (still) buying (traditional) camper trailers because they are cheaper and they’re willing to spend the time to put it up but as people get older and they’ve lived through the canvas stages, they tend to move on to something a bit quicker to set-up, which comes with a price tag.
“Many people in their early 20s are starting in camping still.”
Ms Maclean said several of their products were sold sight unseen, especially with the lack of display shows during the past year.
They have comprehensive social media channels to showcase their vans, trailers, factory and showroom.
They also have ambassadors to help showcase products to inter-state buyers.
Ms Maclean said Australians were simply eager to expand their horizons.
