Oz Star Caravans: A Fresh Face with Big Ambitions

Having only launched in February, Queensland’s Oz Star Caravans is one of the newest names in the caravan industry. Despite their youth, they’re already finding their feet, and many fans, with their range of imported off-road caravans.

Oz Star emerged from an existing and well-established business, AAA Trailers. Speaking with Oz Star's Queensland branch manager, Brendan Distant, at the OnlyVans.com.au Caravan and Camper Excellence Round-Up, he tells me it was a natural next move for a team with a deeply held love for the outdoors.

“We had a number of people within the semi-trailer side of our business who loved the lifestyle – caravanning, camping, travelling – so we developed the vans to suit the market.”

A Diverse Lineup for Adventurous Families

The vans in question come in an impressive array of sizes for such a young business, with six models in the current lineup, ranging from compact 11ft couples campers to 20ft twin-bunk family models. This versatility is already an Oz Star signature: the new 17.5ft model Brendan has brought with him will be available in both a couple’s and twin-bunk family configurations, although Brendan acknowledges that the family market is their main focus.

“We target that young family. We try to give the market a good-sized van with the right features in it, for a good price, to get people into vans, get them out travelling and enjoying the Australian outback.”

Competing in a Tough Market

But at a time when cost-of-living pressures have seen online searches for family caravans shrink by up to 20%, how does a new business hope to capture a share of this contracting market? That’s where the price comes in.

“For people who are looking at second-hand caravans, ours come in at a point where people can get all the features they want for a price that they’re comfortable with.”

Coming in at under $70k drive-away for a 20ft family model, that’s a tough offer to beat, especially considering the range of inclusions Oz Star offers. Designed and built with a focus on getting off-road and off-grid, buyers can expect independent suspension, a 3.5T off-road coupling, and 12” electric brakes, as well as 240v hot water, fresh and greywater storage, and 410W of rooftop solar as standard.

“We package the vans as a one-stop, so there’s nothing on our vans that you see in our showrooms that is an additional cost.”

Customer-Centric Design and Feedback

Such well-considered caravans aren’t created in a vacuum, however, and although Brendan and the rest of the team have been able to bring a lot of their own personal experience and insights to the product, customer feedback has been essential in developing caravans that fit the needs of the market and the families that comprise their customer base.

“We take every single comment that everyone makes about the vans in a good way, just to try and improve our product.”

“The more people we’re getting into our vans now, we actually call them and say ‘How’s the van going?’. We want feedback, and obviously, that’s the only way you’re going to improve your product.”

Meeting the Demand for Extended Off-Grid Adventures

Like many of the people I spoke with at the Round-Up, Brendan says that the main request customers have at the moment is for greater battery storage, as owners look to push the limits of their trips and extend the amount of time they can spend off-grid.

“They want to increase the battery size, so we can easily upgrade to lithium batteries, and we are moving to lithium batteries as standard.”

Beyond that, Brendan admits that, although Oz Star is somewhat limited by the amount of customisation, being able to iterate and develop their line in real-time is one of the benefits of being such a young business.

“In regards to changing battery systems, inverters, solar, we can do all that here locally. Anything more major than that, we relay that straight back to our engineers at the factory. They’re very receptive to any improvements or changes we want to make.”

A Growing Lineup and Ambitious Goals

So what’s next for the fresh-faced brand? Like anyone in their position, the focus will continue to be on getting the Oz Star name out to the public and getting prospective customers into the vans – a strategy that will naturally necessitate regular show attendance.

But they aren’t content to just coast into the summer. In addition to the upcoming 17.5ft model, Oz Star is working on full-width versions of their 11ft vans and a full-width 20-footer, with new models on the way as well.

“There is a 23ft van and a 9ft van on the cusp of final design, so I’m hoping that will come in before the end of the year.”

That will bring the full lineup to nine models, seemingly with something for everyone—not bad for a brand that’s yet to hit its first birthday. Even that’s not enough, however, and when I ask Brendan what his goals are for the next 12 months, he’s not shy with his answer.

“If we can get to 20-30 vans a month by the end of the year, I’ll be extremely happy.”

If they can, it will be a truly impressive accomplishment and one that puts Oz Star in a fantastic position to capitalise on their success in 2025.

To explore the full Oz Star Caravans range, head to www.onlyvans.com.au/for-sale/make/oz-star-caravans

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