A Sunshine Coast caravan manufacturer that suddenly shut down earlier this month owes about $9 million to customers, employees, the Australian Taxation Office and suppliers, administrators have revealed following the company's first creditors meeting.

Australian Off Road, a caravan manufacturer that had operated on the Sunshine Coast for 26 years, entered administration on September 15 after unexpectedly closing its doors the previous week. The company's collapse has left dozens of customers facing uncertainty over caravans they had ordered and paid substantial deposits towards.

Administrators DVT McLeods told creditors at a meeting on Thursday that nearly 50 customers could collectively lose about $2.25 million in progress payments for caravans that remain unfinished or were never built. Forty-seven customers had paid deposits, with some individual payments reaching as much as $120,000. Administrators said only 13 caravan chassis had so far been physically located.

Employees are also owed significant amounts. About 70 workers are reportedly owed approximately $2.16 million in unpaid wages, superannuation and leave entitlements. The Australian Taxation Office is owed at least $2.72 million, while suppliers are owed about $1.6 million.

Against those liabilities, the company has assets estimated at only about $755,000, according to the administrators. This substantial difference between the company's debts and identified assets means creditors face uncertainty over how much money can ultimately be recovered.

The administrators are investigating the company's affairs and have written to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission regarding decisions made before the collapse. One matter under investigation involves the transfer of Australian Off Road's trading names to a related company several days before the business entered administration.

Administrators are also examining whether completed caravans may have been delivered to people connected with the company before it collapsed. They are investigating assets located at another factory in Kunda Park operated by a different company connected to one of the directors.

The company's directors were founder Steven Budden and Barry Russell Evans. Administrators told creditors they had experienced difficulties obtaining sufficient information from the company's records to reconcile customer orders with the caravans and chassis that remain.

A sale campaign has now begun in an effort to find a buyer for the business. If the company and its assets cannot be sold together, administrators said they may proceed with separate auctions of plant, equipment and stock.

The collapse has caused significant concern among customers who had paid large amounts towards their caravans. Some customers said they had received repeated delivery delays before the business stopped trading, while others said they had been asked to bring forward payments shortly before the collapse.

The administrators' investigation is continuing, and ASIC has not commented on the matters referred to it. The final amount that customers, employees and other creditors may recover will depend on the outcome of the administration and any potential sale of company assets.

Australian Off Road's collapse is also part of a wider period of difficulty for some caravan manufacturers on the Sunshine Coast, following the earlier collapse of another regional caravan business.