Built Here Backed Here: The Push for Australian-Made Vans

Australian factories built 23,963 RVs in 2025. In the same year, 23,244 caravan trailer and component units were imported, up 16 per cent, according to the Caravan Industry Association of Australia. That import figure counts trailers and components rather than finished vans, but the direction is clear: overseas supply now almost matches what local factories turn out.

Two of the industry’s best-known names want buyers to notice the difference. Jayco founder Gerry Ryan has been an active supporter of Built Here Backed Here, a dealer-run campaign to put Australian-made caravans, and the after-sales support behind them, back at the centre of the buying decision. JB Group, where Sharon Xue is managing director, is one of its listed participants, and the pair have appeared together at one of its Melbourne expos.

What Built Here Backed Here is asking buyers to do

The campaign runs dealer expos and a consumer website that describes it as a movement celebrating Australian manufacturing, local support and the open road. Participating businesses include JB Group, Jayco Adelaide, Avan Adelaide, Great Southern RV, Adelaide RV, Cameron Caravans and Offline Campers.

Its pitch is less about patriotism than about what happens after the sale. Among the questions it suggests asking a dealer:

• Does the dealer require more than a 10 per cent deposit, and if so, why?
• What does the brand or dealer warranty actually offer, and are there service and warranty agents nationwide?
• Does the dealer have an onsite service department with brand-trained technicians?
• Are the payment terms explained clearly and transparently?

Those are good questions for any van, wherever it was built. 2026 expo dates are listed on the campaign site as coming soon.

The two names behind the push

Gerry Ryan needs little introduction. Jayco has built caravans, campers and motorhomes in Australia for more than 50 years, and Ryan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in this year’s Australia Day Honours. His argument for local building has long centred on support. “It is important to back up our products with quality services and spare parts,” he told Aboutcamp BtoB in 2023.

JB Caravans started in 2010 and has since grown into a multi-brand group that builds in Victoria. Xue told Aboutcamp BtoB the group took full control of New Age Caravans in November 2024. In 2025, JB Caravans and Crusader Caravans became the first businesses to carry the RVMAP Australian badge, which identifies where an accredited RV is made. “We are very proud of being Australian made and believe RV consumers should better understand where their RVs are manufactured,” Xue said at the time.

What the numbers say about building here

Local output dipped about 5 per cent in 2025, but it is still 12 per cent above 2019 levels. Caravans did better than the total: production rose 7.3 per cent to 18,438, about 77 per cent of everything built here. We covered the wider shift in our look at rising imports.

Worth knowing: the RVMAP Australian badge tells you where a van was made, not that it is better. The compliance criteria are the same as for the RVMAP International badge carried by imported product, so treat it as an origin label and do your own checks on build quality and support.

Local building is no guarantee on its own either. Australian Off Road entering administration in September was a reminder that the business behind the badge matters as much as the badge.

The WUDU takeaway

The useful half of the slogan is the second half. A van built here earns its place on your shortlist when someone here is still standing behind it at year three, a long way from home. Ask the campaign’s questions at every stand, including the imported ones, and let the answers decide. If you are shortlisting local builds, start with our guide to Australian-made small caravans.