Millard Caravans

Background

Millard Caravans is one of the most storied names in Australian caravanning, with roots tracing back to 1947. Jim Darlington began building caravans from a factory in Mortlake, in Sydney’s inner west. The business quickly outgrew its original site and moved to a larger factory on Wicks Road in North Ryde. The name “Millard” was derived from John Darlington’s middle name, “Millerd” (also Jim’s Christian name), and was changed to “Millard” when the business was formally registered.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Millard was part of the ‘Big Five’ Australian caravan manufacturers alongside Viscount, Franklin, Chesney, and Coronet. At their peak, Millard was building up to 74 caravans a day and averaging more than 4,000 vans per year. The petrol crisis of the late 1970s, which made large tow vehicles expensive to run, combined with a devastating Sydney hailstorm that damaged hundreds of vans, forced Millard to sell its assets to rival brand Viscount in 1979.

In 2001, Gary Willer and Stan Edwards resurrected the Millard brand with permission from the Darlington family, bringing the iconic name back to life.

Ownership & Structure

The modern Millard Caravans is privately owned, revived from the original brand by Gary Willer and Hugh Bialas. John and Peter Darlington — the two brothers who ran Millard through its heyday — had as much influence on Australian caravanning as any people in the history of the pastime. The current owners are focused on putting quality back into the Millard name.

Manufacturing

All modern Millard Caravans are hand-built in their Sydney factory, currently located in the suburb of Ingleburn. The company moved to this new manufacturing facility approximately four years ago. Each caravan is hand-built with an emphasis on durability and craftsmanship consistent with the brand’s legacy.

Market Position

Millard occupies a unique space as a heritage brand with modern production. They build in the mid-range touring caravan segment. They don’t mass-produce, maintaining a focus on quality over volume.