Winnebago Australia

Background

Winnebago is one of the most recognised RV names worldwide, founded in the USA in 1958 by John K. Hanson in Forest City, Iowa. The Australian story is more complex. In the early 1980s, Sydney businessman Bruce Binns began manufacturing motorhomes under the Winnebago name through his company Knott Investments, without authorisation from the American company. In 2012, the Federal Court of Australia found Binns had “intentionally hijacked” the brand. Binns’s operation eventually rebranded as Avida.

The legitimate Winnebago Australia operation commenced in 2014 when Apollo Tourism & Leisure (now part of THL Group) became the official licensee of Winnebago Industries Inc. to manufacture and sell Winnebago-branded motorhomes and campervans in Australia. Every current Winnebago is designed and manufactured at Apollo’s Northgate factory in Brisbane, Queensland.

Winnebago Australia builds approximately 9 motorhome and campervan models, including the Esperance line built on Iveco Daily cab chassis. In 2000, the company manufactured three purpose-built A-class motorhomes as support vehicles for the Sydney Olympic torch relay.

Ownership & Structure

Winnebago Australia is manufactured under licence by Apollo/THL Group, a publicly listed tourism and leisure company. The brand is ultimately backed by US-based Winnebago Industries Inc. This gives the Australian operation access to global R&D, brand recognition, and engineering expertise while maintaining local design and manufacturing.

Manufacturing

All Australian Winnebago motorhomes and campervans are built at the Apollo/THL factory in Northgate, Brisbane, Queensland. The facility sits on a 10-acre site with a full production line, service centre, and spare parts operation. Construction combines premium materials, modern layouts, and Australian-specific engineering to handle local road conditions.

Market Position

Premium motorhome segment. The range covers campervans (2-4 berth) and motorhomes (2-6 berth).