In 2010, Australians drove their recreational vehicles approximately 607 million kilometres around the country. Unbelievably, that’s the same distance as driving around the Earth 15,172 times! Here’s a list of fun facts that even Wikipedia wouldn’t be able to tell you.
MORE PEOPLE WANT THE ‘RV LIFESTYLE’
- In 2011, Tourism Research Australia estimated that 45.3 million nights were spent in a caravan or camping accommodation across Australia. In NSW alone, from the June 2012 to June 2013 period, almost 2.3 million people stayed more than 11.2 million nights in commercial parks and camp grounds. This would suggest that there is a growing preference for the RV lifestyle and why there are more RVs on the Australian roads than ever before.
- In only three years (between 2008 and 2011), RV registrations increased by 14.7% with approximately 474,000 registered RVs roaming the roads, coastlines and plains of Australia in 2013.
- And most of these RVs can be found in the State of Victoria aka the RV capital of Australia. Victoria has approximately 27.6% of the total number of registered RVs in Australia, the largest fleet of caravans and campervans anywhere in Australia.
- Surprisingly the highest number of registered RVs in not in Victoria. That award goes to the lovely little city of Mandurah in WA. Located only 73km south of Perth, and with a population of approximately 77,000, Mandurah has the most RVs registered of any postcode in Australia.
MORE RVs ARE BEING BUILT EVERY YEAR
- Did you know that a new caravan is built every nine minutes in Australia?
- And each year since 2010, more than 20,000 RVs have been manufactured right here in this wonderful country of ours. Specifically in 2012, 20,708 RVs were produced compared to 5,259 back in 1992, twenty years earlier.
- In 2012, caravans accounted for 54.6% of the total RVs produced, followed by pop-tops at 24.3% and camper trailers at 13.8%.
- 85% of the RV manufacturers are based in Victoria including Australia’s most popular brand – Jayco. With more than 9000 Jayco RVs built annually, including caravans, camper trailers, 5th wheelers and more, Jayco basically owns Australian RV manufacturing sector with around 45 per cent market share.
- However, the gong for Australia’s biggest motorhome company goes to Avida. Formerly known as Winnebago Australia, the popular RV company had to officially change its name to Avida Motorhomes, following a legal dispute with American company Winnebago Industries over the name of the company. Now known as the true maker of the Australian Winnebago, Avida produces one motorhome every three hours.
