Wooden caravans

Allora 2014

how goods that gotta luv that custom look [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Paul

Here are two which I have copied across from a 'Haulin the Hume' thread.

Whoever is next at Lake Goldsmith could photograph all of the 'gypsy' caravans there.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor



From www.hcvc.com.au/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1341835373/400 , reply 402

In reply to Paul404, I took this photo a couple of years ago at Jondaryan Woolshed, it looks like it is a convertible, just love the sooter !!

That is an amazing vehicle: no door on the left, the right, the rear or the front. Does the owner use a roof hatch, or crawl in from underneath?

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Door is on the right at the rear behind the axle, just out of shot in Paul's pic.

This old picture accompanied a 3.12.13 article in Melbourne 'Age', describing the joys of caravanning.
In the 1960s, we thought that the style was fairly ugly, but undoubtedly it was practical. There were enough around (or those that were stood out). The company did well selling them as site offices and related industrial applications.

Here is another good USA clip, showing a modern teardrop.


Later edit: The style in the photo I recall as 'Carapark', and another application was as vendor vans, with opening side panels. See:
vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/2001

In hunting for it, I came to this great site, with lots of information:
www.vintagecaravanhire.com.au


Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Hiya ,your pic of the Commer reminded me of this....

...not exactly a caravan ,it's on-site accomodation at Old Dadswell Town in Western Vic....we stayed there in the Commer suite last year, very comfortable and a great spot!....the car is my wife's '41 Willys coupe , cheers, Col.

In 1962, our family had outgrown the 1950 Fiat 500 Topolino, which had provided frequent picnics and weekends away, but rarely/never more than 50 km from home (just the annual summer holiday: all day to reach Inverloch or Anglesea). After much agonising, my father selected a Holden EK in March. In September we hired a Globetrotter 12 ft (3.6 m) from Gair's in Deepdene. It was collected after work on Friday, we spent the evening loading it, and were off before dawn to sneak through Victoria Pde and Flemington Rd to pause in Keilor for breakfast after crossing the bluestone bridge (the concrete one hadn't come yet). We continued in short stages, always stopping before lunch. Father was still fairly nervous, and my youngest brothers were only 1 & 2. First night Bendigo, second Kerang, third Swan Hill. After a few days, to Echuca for a few days, then Rushworth, then Broadford to be in position for a neatly-timed run after the morning peak: Sydney Rd to Bell St.
The caravan was fairly new: the wraparound windscreen on the distinctive Globetrotter shape. It was unbraked, had a screw tongue for the towball, safety chains over ramshorns, gas only for the stove, icechest (resupplied at butter factories, not garages) and a water tank above the sink, filled by jerry can. The dinette was at the front: a bit squeezy. The rear was a settee. The 13 & 11 yo boys slept in the back of the wagon. I suspect that the young ones were put to bed on the settee, and were later lifted onto the made-up dinette when my parents went to bed.

For a good Globetrotter coverage, see:
< vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/2268> ;

This photo is at Kerang caravan park, backed against a loop of Loddon River. My mother's elbow is obscuring the view of the rear curve.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

mate thats only a couple of k's from my old dairy farm on the Loddon river at sunny Kerang my biggest regret in life was leaving and coming to this $hit hole of a place give me tits to pull and flys to swat any day dont wanna buy a cane farm anybody ???????????? please so I can go home

Paul