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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 15, 2007 16:21:03 GMT 10
HILANDALE HISTORY: (to be compiled)
Built by George's Caravans Pty Ltd, 3 Settlement Rd, Thomastown, VIC.
Addendum - September 2018: On 20 March 2018 Hughdeany advised on the Hilandale Caravan Owners - Australia Facebook page that the principal of George's Caravans Pty Ltd was George Bacash, and that the serial number for Hilandale caravans started with "B" from Bacash. Don Ricardo
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Post by Franklin1 on Nov 15, 2007 16:26:21 GMT 10
1965 advertisement:
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Post by Franklin1 on Mar 7, 2008 20:29:59 GMT 10
1968 Hilandale caravan: Description: Hilandale Caravan, 14'9 x 6'11, 1968, 4 Berth, Single beds, café lounge, gas stove, No fridge, large wardrobe, overhead cupboards. (Source: Trading Post advertisement March 2008.)
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Post by Franklin1 on Apr 4, 2008 23:09:36 GMT 10
Classified advertisements in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper for Hilandale caravans:
None prior to 1965
Saturday, 16 October 1965: An advertisement from Glida Caravan Co., Parramatta North, "See us once before you purchase a New Caravan. Hilandale. Wayfarer."
Saturday, 27 April 1967: "Hilandale Caravan. Australian made for Australian conditions. Offers more value for money than any caravan on the Australian market. 15ft pre-finished, 2 sgles. ₤650."
Saturday, 11 May 1968: "Hilandale, New, 15 x 8, Sep bedrm., blinds, frig, stove. Ideal living unit. $1650. Low deposit. Easy terms. Glida Caravan Co."
Saturday, 18 May 1968: "Hilandale, 18 x 7, 6 berth, tandem, $1800.
Hilandale, 18 x 8, 6 berth, frig, stove and annex. $1000.
Hilandale, 25 x 8, 6 berth, frig, stove, shower recess. $2500."
Saturday, 7 December 1968: "TRAVEL HOMES - HILANDALE, 13ft to mobile homes. Take tradeins. Hire vans available. SEFTON CARAVANS, Parramatta."
Saturday, 29 November 1969: "BETTA [appears to be the name of the retailer] HILANDALE [unable to see rest of advert].
Saturday, 13 June 1970: "BETTA [appears to be the name of the retailer] HILANDALE [unable to see rest of advert].
Saturday, 14 November 1970: "Hilandale 20 x 7, 4 berth. All electric. Ideal site caravan. Bargain at $1795. Terms to suit. NEWLANDS CARAVANS P/L, 118 Parramatta Rd., Auburn"
Saturday, 12 December 1970: "HILANDALE 18'6" Tandem. Sep B.R. with double bed, frig., stove, etc. Cupboards galore. Ideal for young couple. An all alum. van at the low price of $1595 or terms at $395 dep. MILLARD WESTSIDE C'VANS [unable to read rest of advert.]
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Post by exocet on Apr 5, 2008 19:49:59 GMT 10
Hill n dale caravans were advertised in the KW '56 touring manual, and it says that they have only just been introduced to the Australian market. They had 3 models, 12, 13 and 15ft models and all were 4 berths, one feature they had that was WAY ahead of its time was an inbuilt step, they also had a rounded door head. The company making them were first and foremost furniture makers, there name being H. Church @ Son, 7 Trafford St, East Brunswick, Vic.
Cheers Exocet
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Post by Franklin1 on Apr 17, 2008 22:12:52 GMT 10
1960s Hilandale caravan: This van was for sale on ebay April 2008 (Buy-it-now price $2999) and is described as a "Hill'n Dale" van. Dimensions given are 4.5m long x 2.0m wide, which equates to 14' 9" x 6' 6". Based on the 1968 Hilandale shown above in this thread, this van looks to be around the mid-1960s. Note the green "arrow-shaped" stripes on the side of this van, similar to the orange ones on the '68 model. Perhaps this was a "signature" of Hilandale during this time period.
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Post by Franklin1 on Apr 18, 2008 8:32:32 GMT 10
1960s Hilandale caravan: This van is similar in appearance to the one above, except for the painted aluminium cladding. Therefore this van would be a later model, when the industry changed from plain aluminium to painted ali. The "signature" arrow-shaped stripes are on this van as well. (source: posted by paddles, Apr 2, 2008, who wrote: Hi, I just recently aquired my grandparents old caravan (Not in too bad a condition for having sat out in a paddock the last 14yrs since thier passing away) and would like to identify it. As far as I can remember, they had the van, so I have no idea exactly how old it is. It has 2 single beds at the back, kitchen in the middle, dinette at the front. on the front ther is the faded words "new moon", with what looks like was the companys logo over it. (Which was sort of written in a wave?) Mum thinks it was a viscount, rego papers say "H DALE" any way of identifying the age and make of this van would be greatly appreciated, I am very proud to now own this van, as it has great sentimental value." [and later]..."Definately a hillandale, can just make out the word Jennings, above the hillandale, if that makes any sense?"
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Post by Peter Turner on Jun 18, 2008 16:52:23 GMT 10
;)Hilandale was made in Mahoney's Rd Thomastown and the prinicpal was George Baccash and his family. Their signature was the side flash
Some of the stickers had the name "Hilandale" and then a small subsection 'by George"
I believe the company went bust in early 70's and resurfaced as Anandale in Cambelfield
My Dad was their Bank Manager
I remember George built a huge 3 axle job for the Melbourne caravan show in about 66. This really got everyone talking at the time.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 25, 2008 20:50:33 GMT 10
In Reply #4 above, Exocet refers to the 'Hill-n-dale' caravans advertised in the 1956 edition of Winser's Australian Caravan and Touring Manual. This caravan was manufactured by H Church & Son in East Brunswick. All the info about Hilandale above dates from 1960 onwards. This raises the question as to whether George's Caravans took over Hill-n-dale from the Churches and jazzed up the name for the 60's? Or perhaps they were two different brands from two different manufacturers who just happened to choose similar brand names? For further information about Hill-n-dale caravans click here |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 20, 2009 21:32:46 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jul 17, 2010 21:10:12 GMT 10
Evening all, As I have posted elsewhere, a few months ago I saw a couple of vans parked one in front of the other in Bairnsdale's main street. The owners were traveling in convoy for a couple of weeks' holiday together. The lead caravan in the photo below was branded as a Skyline and the caravan following it as a Hilandale:  I chatted to the owners about their vans for some time, and as I did so I noticed that apart from the Hilandale being longer than the Skyline (perhaps 18 ft vs 16 ft), the two vans were virtually identical. The pattern embossed on the aluminium cladding was identical, the aluminium panels were placed identically and riveted identically, the window frames and the placement of the window frames all around was identical, many of the fittings (eg the side lights) were identical, and - allowing for the difference in length - the side profile and roof line was identical. The similarities can be seen from the following pairs of photos: Hilandale front & offside: Skyline front & offside: Hilandale rear & nearside: Skyline rear & nearside: The only external differences I could see was the shape of the wheel arch, the placement of the water tank inlet (front of the axle in the Hilandale, rear of the axle in the Skyline), the larger fridge vent in the Hilandale, and the different paint treatment. That sounds like quite a few differences, but the owner of the Hilandale told me that (1) his water tank inlet was in the same place as the Skyline until he moved it forward of the axle, (2) he'd replaced the original fridge vent with a larger one, and (3) he'd painted the blue stripes on his van, and the white paint on the Skyline did not appear to be original. That left the shape of the wheel arch as the only external difference. The owner of the Hilandale also told me that the internal fitout of the two vans had been identical until he had rebuilt his because the fittings were in poor condition. It was at this stage that he had moved the water tank, and fitted the larger fridge vent. So...it appears that these two vans are an example of 1960's badge engineering. Because we have other examples of Skyline putting their badge on vans built by other companies, I am guessing that both vans were built by Hilandale. On this basis I have chosen to place this post on the Hilandale thread, until we have some evidence that the caravans were in fact built by Skyline. Don Ricardo |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jul 19, 2010 22:07:32 GMT 10
On 13 July 2010 Cruiser posted:...Last week I purchased a Hilandale caravan by Georges and sold under the name EVERNEW. I was informed that it was manufactured in 1963...
Franklin1 replied to Cruiser later the same day:I also wondered about that Evernew sticker on your van when I saw it listed on ebay. It seemed like a bit of a furphy because I thought Evernew was a much later brand of caravan. However, blow me down if another Hilandale hasn't appeared on ebay with that same Evernew sticker. So, I wonder what the story is?? I have a Caravan And Camping magazine from late 1974 which lists Evernew as being at 95 Bell St., West Heidelberg. The added text says: "Twenty-five years experience in business and the last eleven building caravans to custom and design requirements." So, 25 years before 1974 puts them starting business in 1949. But starting as what, though?? And the "last eleven" means from 1963, so maybe they bought into the Hilandale operations in 1963 but kept the Hilandale name and added their Evernew name as well?
On 14 July 2010 Don Ricardo wrote:Hi Cruiser and Franklin1, Interesting point Al has raised about Evernew and its origins. Like Al, I was under the impression that Evernew were relatively late comers to the caravan business - 70's or 80's, but apparently not so late after all. Their website currently states: "Evernew Caravans Pty Ltd is a family owned and operated business, continuously operating from the same site in Heidelberg, Victoria, since it was established in 1963." Not sure what that means about the period from 1949 to 1963.  Anyway apart from the issue of when they started, the other impression I have is that Evernew have always had a second hand van side to their business. Perhaps this consisted of the vans that were traded in on a new Evernew? If that is the case, perhaps they stuck an Evernew sticker on the second hand vans they sold.
Hughdeani replied:Hi men,I think Evernew also did some badge engineering before they became custom builders,because over the years I have seen Nomad,Skyline,Hilandale with Evernew stickers on them. Nomad was a Hilandale sold and hired by a fellow in Mt Waverley in the sixties.He had about 6 in his front yard and more at the local servo. Hope this helps somewhat. hughdeani
Sheppo also responded on 14 July 2010:Interesting guys, My dad bought a hillandale in 64 not long after he picked up his new EH 179 wagon. We went to Heidelberg to pick it up but it only had hillandale stickers on it. I will ask mum to go thru the old photos and post a picture of it. As a kid we used to go away lots on weekends in Vic. I remember dad sold it and bought an Evernew a few years latter from the same factory. Sorry to muddy the waters.
For further information about Cruiser's Hilandale caravan see his thread in the Members' Photo Album section here.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Aug 22, 2011 23:00:09 GMT 10
Hilandale 4-berth 14 ft 6 in caravan with bondwood sides and aluminium front and back, advertised on Ebay, August 2011:          
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Post by chev52 on Apr 6, 2012 20:37:17 GMT 10
I have a Hilandale Voyager which is very similar to the 'Skyline' shown earlier. However mine does not have the wrap around front and rear windows. The band of colour at the top and bottom are the same. I would be interested in knowing the approximate year? The lady I bought it from said 63 to 65 but she added she really didnt know. I hope I have posted in the right section?   Sorry I have tried everything to get those pics to work?
Photo links corrected by Don Ricardo |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 24, 2014 23:10:51 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 2, 2014 22:06:12 GMT 10
Hi all, The following photos of a 1966/67 Hilandale Voyager 16 ft caravan were posted on Gumtree in November 2014, and possibly pose a bit of a puzzle. Maybe Franklin1 or Hughdeani can throw some light on it...         The advertiser noted that the tow coupling on this van is new. The possible puzzle (maybe it is just to me  ) is that this van looks remarkably similar in shape and design to the Franklin Caravelle of the same era - see an example here. There are some differences though: - The Hilandale uses the same cladding on the front, back and sides, whereas the Franklin uses different profile cladding on the front and back to what is on the sides.
- The Hilandale has typical Hilandale livery (flashes) on the side, not Franklin livery, but it looks as if the Hilandale has been recently repainted...
- The Hilandale doesn't have spats, unlike the Franklin, but that is just a cosmetic difference.
- The Hilandale has what appears to a quite old Hilandale logo stickers on the front and rear, which could have been added at some point, however I tend to think it is original signage from its appearance.
- The Hilandale appears to have equal sized sized windows, whereas the Franklin has one larger and one smaller windows.
[li]The Hilandale has a single full-width rear window, whereas the Franklin has two windows - however Franklin later adopted single full-width rear windows on its Mini model (and I think on the Caravelle?)
[li]The Hilandale has the water tank inlet behind the fridge vents, whereas the inlet on the Franklin is in front of the vents (but that could be explained by the size difference - 16 ft vs 14 ft). - The interior around the galley area is different - no signature Franklin shelf for example.
So, there are quite a few differences, but despite that the overall similarity in shape and overall design remain. What do you think Franklin1 and Hughdeani - do you think Hilandale might have bought shells from Franklin and then fitted them out? Don Ricardo |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2014 13:05:15 GMT 10
Hi Don,
If you look very carefully you will see the only similarity between the 2 vans is the look!
Franklin has much softer lines and a different lower shape on a much smaller chassis.
Franklin had long rear side windows when fitted with single beds,day and night beds had squarer windows to allow a longer kitchen and dressing table..Early Franklins on all models had a single fixed back window,later went to two fixed,then optional two opening before double hopper wind outs became available.
I do think though that there was and still is caravan company spies out there,as so many models then and now look similar even though they are made by different companies!
Cheers
Hughdeani
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 3, 2014 21:06:31 GMT 10
If you look very carefully you will see the only similarity between the 2 vans is the look! Franklin has much softer lines and a different lower shape on a much smaller chassis. Hi Hughdeani, Hmmm...I've stared at the photos again and again. I've compared the number and placement of the ribs on the side cladding, checked the alignment of the front and side windows, compared the doors and their alignment, and the design of the vans still look the same to me, but I bow to your superior knowledge on this matter. No doubt you've seen these vans in the flesh, whereas I have only seen the photos! One of the problems of comparing vans in photos is that unless they're taken from precisely the same angle it's difficult - even impossible - to completely compare size, shape and general "sit". I'm thinking of writing to Ebuy and insisting that the photos for all vintage caravans from now on be taken from identical angles and be fully comprehensive showing all the points on the van I'm interested in seeing... So, what do you reckon are my chances - buckleys or none? Oh, alright maybe I'll save my self the effort!   Interesting info you've provided about the connection between the size of rear windows and layout on the Franklins, as well as the info about the rear windows. Thanks for your reply to my questions. Don Ricardo |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 10, 2015 12:14:47 GMT 10
Photos of a Hilandale caravan branded 'Perls Caravans' listed on Ebuy, August 2015:  This van is identical to the vans built for, and branded as Nomad caravans by Hilandale. Further photos of this van can be found here.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 18, 2018 19:48:13 GMT 10
Hilandale information published in the 1967 and 1969 Winser Caravan Manuals:1967:  (Source: Keith Winser, Caravan Manual & Tourist Park Guide, 19th edition, 1967, pages 171-2) 1969:  (Source: Keith Winser, Caravan Manual & Tourist Park Guide, 21st edition, 1969, pages 226 & 225)
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 18, 2018 23:23:53 GMT 10
Hilandale Panther seen at the Maldon Weekend in February 2016:  
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Post by hughdeany on Sept 19, 2018 8:30:24 GMT 10
Hi Don Ricardo,
I know someone that would kill for the Franklin wheel spats on that Panther!lol
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 19, 2018 14:36:58 GMT 10
Hi Hughdeany, Thanks for clarifying that. You'll be pleased to know that I did actually pause to wonder about the spats - goes to show I am learning from you (even if it's slow!).  There are photos of another van higher up this thread that I think is also a Panther, but I decided to add the photos of the van from the Maldon Weekend for two reasons: (1) The flashes on the side of the 'Maldon' van actually match those on that Panther model shown in Hilandale sales literature, and (2) I had the photo of the 'Hilandale Panther' sticker/signage. Don Ricardo |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 4, 2019 11:41:46 GMT 10
Hi all, Now here's an association I didn't expect...Hilandale and A V Jennings! The advert was published in the Melbourne Age on Saturday, 25 October 1969 (page 72):  (Source: www.newspapers.com ) Looks like A V Jennings bought out George's Caravans Pty Ltd at some point in the late 60's. Perhaps Hughdeany can tell us more? Don Ricardo |
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Post by hughdeany on Mar 4, 2019 12:07:50 GMT 10
Hi Don Ricardo,
Yes I remember AV Jennings taking them over or whatever they did,pretty sure they kept being built by Hilandale though.
Shortly after that I vaguely recall Avondale taking them over and building a few vans badged as Hilandale!
Very confusing!
Cheers
hughdeany
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