Five brand new caravans fresh off the showroom floor have been stolen from a storage yard in Tullamarine.
Detectives said the caravans were stolen from Apollo Motorhome Holidays overnight on February 20. Police spokeswoman Kelly Yates said the offenders broke into the storage yard by cutting a chain lock between 5pm on Friday, February 20 and 9am the following day.
Detective Acting Sergeant Phil Crawford described the theft as “brazen.”
Detectives hadn’t been able to obtain video footage and were seeking witnesses.
“It’s not something that happens every day, thankfully. We don’t know if they were carted away in freight trucks or one by one.”
Three of the caravans were Adria Adora or Adria Altea models, and two were Winnebago RV Minnie models. Their combined value is an estimated $280,000.
The two Winnebagos were only shown for the first time in Australia at the Victorian Caravan Camping and Touring Supershow, held at the Melbourne Showgrounds last month.
Hume police’s crime prevention officer Jacqui Newman said the models were not available for sale at any other dealership.
Detective Acting Sergeant Crawford said it wouldn’t be too difficult for the thieves to sell the caravans as unregistered vehicles.
“But to take five caravans, we’d imagine someone would need room to store them, such as a large shed or factory,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Apollo Motorhome Holidays said the compound had been fenced and locked. Insurance would only partially cover the loss.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
