One of the first caravans/mobilehomes in Oz if not the first.
In the 1920s a South Australian named Pop Kaisler had the bright idea of putting a house on his car. What he came up with was Australia's first 'Caravan', right up to the guttering on the roof. It's built on a 1924 Dodge and now resides in the Museum at Goolwa, at the mouth of the Murray.
Last year we were at CP in Mildura, and on our last day a vintage caravan group pulled in. Around a dozen magnificent examples, all towed by a variety of equally gorgeous vintage cars. Created much interest among the park stayers. I became so engrossed that I stupidly forgot to take any pics
Cupie said
12:30 PM Aug 13, 2018
Eaglemax wrote:
One of the first caravans/mobilehomes in Oz if not the first.
In the 1920s a South Australian named Pop Kaisler had the bright idea of putting a house on his car. What he came up with was Australia's first 'Caravan', right up to the guttering on the roof. It's built on a 1924 Dodge and now resides in the Museum at Goolwa, at the mouth of the Murray.
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 13th of August 2018 02:34:27 PM
Eaglemax said
12:39 PM Aug 13, 2018
Southern- I know the feeling. The interiors of those vans are amazing with their period items and colours.
They appear often on our roads. That Zephyr was seen near Bathurst and I spoke to the elderly owner in a junk yard. His uncle bought it new in 1952 and used it every summer for 10 years then it was left in a barn. The guy didn't inherit it, he had to pay the inherited owners and so he did, gave it a wash and it revealed the van was like new.
I also had Mk3 Zephyrs. Here is one I restored and parked outside Ford headquarters Campbellfield Melbourne. Dozens of staff came out from the building to admire the car and it was put into their company magazine. That was 1992. Am I sad I sold it? Not really, vintage cars have their negatives like parts, no aircon and inefficient high maintenance mechanicals. The JBA I now have (avatar) has a Holden V6 driveline and Cortina suspension.
-- Edited by Eaglemax on Monday 13th of August 2018 12:40:02 PM
Southern- I know the feeling. The interiors of those vans are amazing with their period items and colours.
They appear often on our roads. That Zephyr was seen near Bathurst and I spoke to the elderly owner in a junk yard. His uncle bought it new in 1952 and used it every summer for 10 years then it was left in a barn. The guy didn't inherit it, he had to pay the inherited owners and so he did, gave it a wash and it revealed the van was like new.
I also had Mk3 Zephyrs. Here is one I restored and parked outside Ford headquarters Campbellfield Melbourne. Dozens of staff came out from the building to admire the car and it was put into their company magazine. That was 1992. Am I sad I sold it? Not really, vintage cars have their negatives like parts, no aircon and inefficient high maintenance mechanicals. The JBA I now have (avatar) has a Holden V6 driveline and Cortina suspension.
-- Edited by Eaglemax on Monday 13th of August 2018 12:40:02 PM
Very true. However I like the upside - they ooze character, are made of real metal, you can work on them yourself, plenty of room around (most) engine bays and no computers! Clubs and specialist suppliers are good for parts but you have to look globally. I've recently finished two Jaguars and imported many parts from UK & US suppliers, surprisingly cheap. Friend of mine has a mint MkII Zephyr 6, restored to factory spec. As far as Fords go, my dream finds would be a MkIII Zodiac, and the even rarer last-of-the-line MkIV Zodiac V6 (with manual floor shift). Virtually impossible to find these in AU though.
Anyway, back to caravans....
Desert Dweller said
06:06 PM Aug 13, 2018
Vintage rigs are great but when they go on club rallies they have a ''sweeper'' cleaning up all the mechanical failures.
Give us a modern rig any time.
We camped near a lovely vintage rig not long ago. They had 50's music blaring out all day to attract attention.
After hearing Ruby by Dion & the Belmonts around 30 times a day it got a bit annoying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u1doOc3njI
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Monday 13th of August 2018 06:09:25 PM
Eaglemax said
07:40 PM Aug 13, 2018
DD , there are inconsiderates everywhere in every group.
Desert Dweller said
05:16 AM Aug 14, 2018
Eaglemax wrote:
DD , there are inconsiderates everywhere in every group.
Yep, much better than listening to a generator. We love 50's music, just not ALL day.
Eaglemax said
08:48 AM Aug 14, 2018
Same here. Reckon its attention seeking.
SouthernComfort said
08:50 AM Aug 14, 2018
Desert Dweller wrote:
Vintage rigs are great but when they go on club rallies they have a ''sweeper'' cleaning up all the mechanical failures.
Give us a modern rig any time.
We camped near a lovely vintage rig not long ago. They had 50's music blaring out all day to attract attention.
After hearing Ruby by Dion & the Belmonts around 30 times a day it got a bit annoying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u1doOc3njI
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Monday 13th of August 2018 06:09:25 PM
To appreciate vintage vehicles takes a particular passion - like you not everyone has it. For those who don't it can't be explained suffice to say it's not about reliability or efficiency, both traits being popularly over exaggerated. "Cleaning up all the mechanical failures" did give me a bit of a giggle...
Based on sheer numbers, (ratio of vintage to modern) we all know that the vast majority of disturbances come from 'modern' van owners. No contest.
Grandad5 said
09:04 AM Aug 14, 2018
Eaglemax, I'm going to have to disagree with your statement that the vintage van forum has recently peaked.
I think it has perhaps only recently come to the attention of the mainstream caravan people is all.
What I've seen over the last say 15 years is a move away from people doing their VV's (vintage vans) up in different themes with bright colours and graphics.
We used to see Betty Boop vans or Elvis Presly/Rock n Roll, or the most common, the "50's Diner look" (which to someone who actually frequented diners in the 50's look nothing like a 50's diner)
Today, we don't see those anymore. It's more about doing faithful restorations and saving the really old, rare ones.
In the classic world (1970's vans) many are keeping the outside more or less original, but inside is modernised. My van is 1969 which squeaks into the vintage era by a hair and that's what I'm doing.
This is all good because these vans are being brought back to life and kept in good order so in 20 to 30 years when they are much rarer and its impossible to find anymore bondwood barn finds they will be in good shape and able to be restored to their former glory by the current millennial generation.
I've not met them but I believe there is a grey nomad couple doing the lap in an old, faithfully restored Don towed by (from memory) an old Falcon.
Jim
Grandad5 said
09:57 AM Aug 14, 2018
Desert Dweller wrote:
Vintage rigs are great but when they go on club rallies they have a ''sweeper'' cleaning up all the mechanical failures.
Give us a modern rig any time.
DD, I have to disagree. My neighbour recently acquired a modern Jayco. A few years old but 20' long, ensuite, front kitchen, 3 in 1 fridge. All the mod cons. Battery, solar, all that stuff Weighs something like 2.5 tons. Cost A lot, IMHO Not sure exactly how much but 5 figures.
Then I look at a 20' 1970's Franklin on the classic caravan forum which also has an ensuite, front kitchen, 3 in 1 fridge and all the mod cons. Battery, solar, all that stuff Retro fitted of course.
Cost? About 6 to 7000 dollars and weighs 1.8 ton fully loaded.
No sweeper in site. Huge savings and much less weight.
Where's the attraction in the modern van? I don't understand your reasoning
Jim
Cupie said
10:38 AM Aug 14, 2018
Grandad5 wrote:
Desert Dweller wrote:
Vintage rigs are great but when they go on club rallies they have a ''sweeper'' cleaning up all the mechanical failures.
Give us a modern rig any time.
DD, I have to disagree. My neighbour recently acquired a modern Jayco. A few years old but 20' long, ensuite, front kitchen, 3 in 1 fridge. All the mod cons. Battery, solar, all that stuff Weighs something like 2.5 tons. Cost A lot, IMHO Not sure exactly how much but 5 figures.
Then I look at a 20' 1970's Franklin on the classic caravan forum which also has an ensuite, front kitchen, 3 in 1 fridge and all the mod cons. Battery, solar, all that stuff Retro fitted of course.
Cost? About 6 to 7000 dollars and weighs 1.8 ton fully loaded.
No sweeper in site. Huge savings and much less weight.
Where's the attraction in the modern van? I don't understand your reasoning
Jim
Not sure that I agree 100% but I have a not so old 1999 21'6" Jayco Westport with all the bells & whistles ... full ensuite, AC, Solar, water tanks (no grey water though - use a tote instead), M/wave, gas oven & hotplates, HWS, Wineguard wingman TV aerial - 12 or 240v operation, innerspring Queen bed, 12v lights, awning & annex plus full privacy screens, 140l T 3way fridge that sort of works most of the time, chassis in perfect condition, etc etc.
ATM 2334 GTM 2111. No leaks but a few dents & water stains on the interior paneling.
I paid around $35k new with an engel thrown in along with a HR hitch & the annex. Have done >200,000km of on road. Replaced all brakes & 12v electrical, just about to do all the shackles for around $700, have replaced secondary caulking on roof. So it is in pretty good nick & we are very comfortable in it behind the old 4.2L EFI GQ Patrol that just loves pulling it. Bit thirsty though.
Probably worth about $15 -20k if I could find a buyer. Might have to throw in the Patrol as a sweetener & perhaps a contents package.
But we don't want to sell it. It's family!
Going back to a 1970's might be a stretch too far.
We would very much like one of those shiny new ones with all the facilities that we already have, plus maybe recliner chairs. The finishes on the new vans are far superior (to the eye) but they are so so much heavier & perhaps they won't live as long as the old Westport.
The current prices are crazy & the GQ would struggle to be legal, so it would have to go too.
But it would be nice to have a nice shiny new one. Ain't gonna happen.
Desert Dweller said
02:44 PM Aug 14, 2018
Wife's parents did two laps of Oz in a 10ft 6in Viscount caravan back in the 70's, it now serves as a chicken coop in country Victoria.
Maybe the vintage caravan movement is becoming old hat?
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 14th of August 2018 06:44:29 PM
Craig1 said
08:08 PM Aug 14, 2018
MK 111 Zephyr, what a gem. Had my first ride in one in 1969 in Savage River. Owned by a school teacher ' le clerc' from memory. He treated it like a baby. Just saw one in good nick in Forbes. Mc Feeters Motor Museum. Well worth a couple of hours and the admission price. Whooops i digress a bit.
Grandad5 said
09:12 AM Aug 15, 2018
Cupie wrote:
Not sure that I agree 100% .............
Ah Cupie, nobody is ever going to agree with me 100%.
I have a totally different view on the world than 99% of people.
Interest in vintage caravans has recently peaked. Usually the vans go hand in hand with their vintage tugs.
Here are some pictures of some Australian caravans post restoration.
The Globe trotter (not globetrotter one word)
The last one is a roadmaster
And here is Spitfire vintage caravans you can buy new.
A 1965 Ford Zephyr Mk3 towing a 1952 caravan seen near Bathurst.
One of the first caravans/mobilehomes in Oz if not the first.
In the 1920s a South Australian named
Pop Kaisler had the bright idea of putting
a house on his car. What he came up with
was Australia's first 'Caravan', right up to
the guttering on the roof. It's built on a 1924
Dodge and now resides in the Museum at
Goolwa, at the mouth of the Murray.
courtesy of
Read more: http://vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/661/australias-oldest-vintage-caravan#ixzz5O1LWAsrW
read the story http://www.roadtrek.com.au/australias-first-motorhome/
-- Edited by Eaglemax on Monday 13th of August 2018 12:20:34 PM
Last year we were at CP in Mildura, and on our last day a vintage caravan group pulled in. Around a dozen magnificent examples, all towed by a variety of equally gorgeous vintage cars. Created much interest among the park stayers. I became so engrossed that I stupidly forgot to take any pics
I thought that I saw this or one like it many years ago at on display near the entrance of a CP somewhere down that way. Perhaps Nuriootpa?
Edit looks like I was correct. Have a look at the old motorhome symbol just near the park entrance on the bottom right
https://www.big4.com.au/caravan-parks/sa/barossa/barossa-tourist-park
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 13th of August 2018 02:34:27 PM
Southern- I know the feeling. The interiors of those vans are amazing with their period items and colours.
They appear often on our roads. That Zephyr was seen near Bathurst and I spoke to the elderly owner in a junk yard. His uncle bought it new in 1952 and used it every summer for 10 years then it was left in a barn. The guy didn't inherit it, he had to pay the inherited owners and so he did, gave it a wash and it revealed the van was like new.
I also had Mk3 Zephyrs. Here is one I restored and parked outside Ford headquarters Campbellfield Melbourne. Dozens of staff came out from the building to admire the car and it was put into their company magazine. That was 1992. Am I sad I sold it? Not really, vintage cars have their negatives like parts, no aircon and inefficient high maintenance mechanicals. The JBA I now have (avatar) has a Holden V6 driveline and Cortina suspension.
-- Edited by Eaglemax on Monday 13th of August 2018 12:40:02 PM
Very true. However I like the upside - they ooze character, are made of real metal, you can work on them yourself, plenty of room around (most) engine bays and no computers! Clubs and specialist suppliers are good for parts but you have to look globally. I've recently finished two Jaguars and imported many parts from UK & US suppliers, surprisingly cheap. Friend of mine has a mint MkII Zephyr 6, restored to factory spec. As far as Fords go, my dream finds would be a MkIII Zodiac, and the even rarer last-of-the-line MkIV Zodiac V6 (with manual floor shift). Virtually impossible to find these in AU though.
Anyway, back to caravans....
Vintage rigs are great but when they go on club rallies they have a ''sweeper'' cleaning up all the mechanical failures.
Give us a modern rig any time.
We camped near a lovely vintage rig not long ago. They had 50's music blaring out all day to attract attention.
After hearing Ruby by Dion & the Belmonts around 30 times a day it got a bit annoying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u1doOc3njI
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Monday 13th of August 2018 06:09:25 PM
Yep, much better than listening to a generator. We love 50's music, just not ALL day.
To appreciate vintage vehicles takes a particular passion - like you not everyone has it. For those who don't it can't be explained suffice to say it's not about reliability or efficiency, both traits being popularly over exaggerated. "Cleaning up all the mechanical failures" did give me a bit of a giggle...
Based on sheer numbers, (ratio of vintage to modern) we all know that the vast majority of disturbances come from 'modern' van owners. No contest.
I think it has perhaps only recently come to the attention of the mainstream caravan people is all.
What I've seen over the last say 15 years is a move away from people doing their VV's (vintage vans) up in different themes with bright colours and graphics.
We used to see Betty Boop vans or Elvis Presly/Rock n Roll, or the most common, the "50's Diner look" (which to someone who actually frequented diners in the 50's look nothing like a 50's diner)
Today, we don't see those anymore. It's more about doing faithful restorations and saving the really old, rare ones.
In the classic world (1970's vans) many are keeping the outside more or less original, but inside is modernised. My van is 1969 which squeaks into the vintage era by a hair and that's what I'm doing.
This is all good because these vans are being brought back to life and kept in good order so in 20 to 30 years when they are much rarer and its impossible to find anymore bondwood barn finds they will be in good shape and able to be restored to their former glory by the current millennial generation.
I've not met them but I believe there is a grey nomad couple doing the lap in an old, faithfully restored Don towed by (from memory) an old Falcon.
Jim
DD, I have to disagree.
My neighbour recently acquired a modern Jayco. A few years old but 20' long, ensuite, front kitchen, 3 in 1 fridge. All the mod cons. Battery, solar, all that stuff
Weighs something like 2.5 tons. Cost A lot, IMHO Not sure exactly how much but 5 figures.
Then I look at a 20' 1970's Franklin on the classic caravan forum which also has an ensuite, front kitchen, 3 in 1 fridge and all the mod cons. Battery, solar, all that stuff Retro fitted of course.
Cost? About 6 to 7000 dollars and weighs 1.8 ton fully loaded.
No sweeper in site. Huge savings and much less weight.
Where's the attraction in the modern van? I don't understand your reasoning
Jim
Not sure that I agree 100% but I have a not so old 1999 21'6" Jayco Westport with all the bells & whistles ... full ensuite, AC, Solar, water tanks (no grey water though - use a tote instead), M/wave, gas oven & hotplates, HWS, Wineguard wingman TV aerial - 12 or 240v operation, innerspring Queen bed, 12v lights, awning & annex plus full privacy screens, 140l T 3way fridge that sort of works most of the time, chassis in perfect condition, etc etc.
ATM 2334 GTM 2111. No leaks but a few dents & water stains on the interior paneling.
I paid around $35k new with an engel thrown in along with a HR hitch & the annex. Have done >200,000km of on road. Replaced all brakes & 12v electrical, just about to do all the shackles for around $700, have replaced secondary caulking on roof. So it is in pretty good nick & we are very comfortable in it behind the old 4.2L EFI GQ Patrol that just loves pulling it. Bit thirsty though.
Probably worth about $15 -20k if I could find a buyer. Might have to throw in the Patrol as a sweetener & perhaps a contents package.
But we don't want to sell it. It's family!
Going back to a 1970's might be a stretch too far.
We would very much like one of those shiny new ones with all the facilities that we already have, plus maybe recliner chairs. The finishes on the new vans are far superior (to the eye) but they are so so much heavier & perhaps they won't live as long as the old Westport.
The current prices are crazy & the GQ would struggle to be legal, so it would have to go too.
But it would be nice to have a nice shiny new one. Ain't gonna happen.
Wife's parents did two laps of Oz in a 10ft 6in Viscount caravan back in the 70's, it now serves as a chicken coop in country Victoria.
Maybe the vintage caravan movement is becoming old hat?
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 14th of August 2018 06:44:29 PM
Ah Cupie, nobody is ever going to agree with me 100%.
I have a totally different view on the world than 99% of people.
It's all good
Jim