Murrumba Star Caravans (Caboolture, Qld)

[atouchofglass]

MURRUMBA STAR CARAVANS

Manufactured by Murrumba Manufacturing Co Pty Ltd
Bruce Highway, Caboolture, Qld

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Greetings Col

It's in the right place.

Looking at the models offered..... a 22ft Murrumba Star
I'd like to see that

The fact that there is only one or two offered on Ebay each year and those being smaller vans
Would be testament to them being few in numbers

Still if anyone has photos of Murrumba Stars you are encouraged to post them ..... please

Beam me up Scotty ;D ;D ;D

Atog

[Don Ricardo]

Thanks for starting this thread off, Kaybee. It's a bit surprising it wasn't started earlier - Murrumba Stars keep turning up one way or another, every now and then.

In answer to ATOG's request, here is a summary of the information that has been posted on the forum about this brand of caravan thus far.

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Post by Daggsey on 8 August 2007:

Gooday all you Murrumba Star fans! ;D

Here's one of the very few photos I have of my Murrumba Star at the NT/WA border in 1983. I am devastated Grand Pooh Bah at your unkind remarks about these wonderful examples of finely crafted fibreglass modules .

Unfortunately, not being an appreciator(??) of the finer points of caravans at the time, I actually can't remember it's age, but I reckon it was fairly old when I bought it in 1981 (or at least it seemed old at the time ;D). I can remember it had tandem 10" Mini wheels on rubber torsion bar suspension. It travelled from Gilgandra (NSW) via the Oodnadatta Track to Darwin and then down the west coast to Wittenoom (WA) where the suspension finally gave up the ghost and I sold it for the value of the fridge.

It was moulded fibreglass inside, just like those moulded bath/shower units you could/can buy, with a lift up hatch at the rear. It was about 11 or 12 feet long and must have been fairly light, because it towed fairly easily behind the petrol Toyota Slowlux 4wd .

Didn't mean to steal your thread Gem,........maybe there's someone out there that can shed some more light on the van you are looking at. I believe that Murrumba Star were built in SE Qld...maybe some of our bananabending compatriots can help with more info.

daggsey


To go to this thread click here

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Photos posted by Surferboy on 7 June 2007 showing a Murrumba Star which was dated as 1958.

According to Surferboy this caravan "belongs to caravan sales yard family. NOT FOR SALE was used during Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962 there was a camper version (car club member might have pics)".
As is evident, the van has had a rather "interesting" modification at the rear.

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Pictures posted on 8 December 2006 by Wildmanaus' of his Murrumba Star (noting that the table was not original):









Wildmanaus dated his caravan as February 1967.

To go to this thread click here

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ATOG will be a little disappointed to see that the fibreglass on Wildmanaus' Murrumba Star has gone a funny sort of silver grey instead of being pristine white. Not sure why... ;D ;D ;D

Seriously though, if Wildmanaus' dating for his caravan (1967) is correct it suggests that the 1967 Murrumba Star price list in the first post on this thread may refer to aluminium rather than fibreglass vans. Still interested in a 22 ft van ATOG?

By the way, has anybody heard from Wildmanaus lately?

Don Ricardo

[atouchofglass]

Don Ricardo
you are so unkind
shattered my illusions and all..... ;D ;D

Then again even Olympic produced that funny grey fibreglass early in the piece.....

Still like to see a 22 foot Murrumba Star,
Now that the scales have fallen from my eyes and I've seen the light!!!!!!!!!!
Light grey fobbergross that is...

On a serious note
Does anyone know what size/models were produced in F/glass??

The other thing I see as a good /modern way of going is the tandem wheels .....
one of the things I would have preferred to see on Olympic's smaller vans.



Very clever use of the fibreglass mould as well...
Notice that the top half is the same as the bottom half??
One mould... just keep popping out the halves and join two together...

economical use of resources .... very smart


Atog

[boblor]

Hi V Vers
A note from a roadtest in Aust. Motor Manual June 1968 states " Recently Motor Manual was able to test the prototype LindaStar caravan, one of two new and revolutionary additions to the Murrumba Star range. The other, the MiniStar, is a 13'6" van weighing 800lb, and running on tandem mini wheels for greater towing stability."
The LinaStar is the brain-child of engineer/designer Tony Pusterla. The MiniStar fits in the back of a ute.
Hope this answers a few questions.
Cheers boblor

[boblor]

V Vers
I made a miss print, the LindaStar fits in the ute, not the MiniStar as mentioned above.
Cheers boblor

[Don Ricardo]

Murrumba Star advertised on Ebay, April 2009:









Some quite clever space saving ideas for the kitchenette cupboards and sink.

[firefighter]

"NOTE" the roof over the van is bolted to the sides of the van
f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Don Ricardo]

1968 advertisement for Murrumba Mini Star caravan and Murrumba Linda Star slide-on camper posted by Franklin1 on 31 July 2009:



Photo of Murrumba Mini Star advertised in the Trading Post and posted by Franklin1 on 30 September 2009:



Note that the colour scheme shown on Daggsey's Mini Star in Reply #1 above appears to reflect the original livery for this caravan as shown in the 1968 advertisement.

Photo of Murrumba Linda Star posted by Mark T on 8 May 2009:



For further information about the development and production of the Murrumba Mini Star and the Murrumba Linda Star go to the following links:

Linda Walkabout slide-on camper

Classic Caravans forum

Note that Tony Pusterla designed both the Linda Walkabout slide-on camper and the Murrumba Linda Star slide-on camper, but it is assumed at this point that they were manufactured independently. It is not known which version of the camper was manufactured first or whether they were produced simultaneously.

[dosse]

Thought we would add some photo's of a Murrumba Star we purchased last week.









Tow coupling brand is Dymwood.



The pattern on the upholstery is also embossed on the cupboard door's.















Regards dosse.

[retro64]

Hi guys,

Congratulations on your purchase and thanks for the photos.


What a great looking van to add to your collection, looks pretty well looked after too.
The embossing that matches the upholstery fabric is really quite unique and special, havent seen it before tho maybe other vans had similar? .

The overall shape is quite space age looking isnt it.

Hope you get lots and lots of enjoyment out of owning it ,
all the best ,
Elona and Lionel, retro64

[boblor]

Hi dosse
It is good that you have recognised that glass is class, no more wood worms. You have a great example of this van there, I have some info on file on these vans if you would like copies. Well done .
Cheers boblor

[bubbles]

Acording to a bloke at the caravan sales yard the rear was altered in order to use an outboard motor and demonstrate that it could be floated across the swan river and remain waterproof ? truth or fiction I know not . The van was still on display at a yard in Maddington up to a few weeks ago when the yard changed hands

[bobandjacqui]

G'day Dosse's, Great find there Dave. Looks like it has been well looked after. How was it to tow?

Cheers Bob and Jacqui

[seeshell]

Those Murrumba Stars are wild.

It seems like it aught to have it's own propulsion system (probably having to do with dilithium crystals).

And that someone with a red shirt will be piloting it to a planet populated with Barbarella clones.

Cheers!
Seehell

[Deleted]

Interesting that van was designed by Anthony Pusterla,he also designed the amazing rear entry ''Pusterla '' caravan of the late 70's too.
Havent seen one of those for years,let alone 1 for sale.
hughdeani

[q4016lanz]

Hi from QLD i have had my Murrumba Star for a few years now we use it a few times a year at Rallys ect.
john

[reddog]

I am a new member to the forum. I have a Murrumba Star 15 foot aluminium caravan in what I believe is original condition. The tow bar is stamped MS8151-1. I got the van from my 95 year old neighbour who has had it in his garage since it's last registration in 1973. He told me it was only taken on the road twice for a short distance. He and his wife lived in it while they built their house. The electrical appliance card is dated 1968. Does anyone know what this is worth.

[seeshell]

Hi Reddog

The older Murrumba Star van sounds really interesting - clearly not the fibreglass type as seen in this thread then (pre-Barbarella then?).

It seems if it has a compliance plate of 1968 that it could qualify as a vintage van - but don't dispair! If it turns out for some reason that it was made after 1970 then it still qualifies as a Classic Caravan, for which there is a sister site.

With regards to price - we don't discuss that here on the forum. The price of a van depends very much on condition, which will always be hard to assess from a few photos. It also depends on what the seller wants for it and what a buyer is prepared to pay - which is a personal decision between the two!

If you want to get a sense of what your van may be worth, it pays to look at closed eBay listings for similar looking vans, or to sit on the forum and watch what gets sold.

Cheers,
Seeshell

[Franklin1]

G'day reddog, and welcome to the forum! ;D

I'm thinking that your van is the "Venus" model, which was the 15ft model available during the late 1960s. The history archives tell us that Glendale Caravans bought the Murrumba Star factory in early 1970, so any Murrumba Star vans would be earlier than that.

As seeshell has said, one thing we avoid on this forum is trying to give people an evaluation of their van's "worth". There is no Handbook/Guide giving values of old caravans, so it all boils down to a straight out buyers-sellers market. Some old vans are well sought after, and others are not so popular.

The description you've given about your van suggests it is in quite good condition, so that will have some bearing on its value.

cheers,
Al.

[reddog]

Thanks Seeshell and Al.

I will take your advice and check out ebay. I will definitely be selling the van as I really don't have the space to keep it and when I travel I use an oz tent and tow a tinnie. Any advice would be much appreciated.
I have had a passerby show interest in the van, but they are not interested in it as a vintage product. My preference would be for it to go to someone who appreciates it for what it is.

Reg

[davenq]

Here is my slide on.It is a recent aquisition and needs some interior work but we like it.

[davenq]

With no cupboard doors at all ,we fixed up the interior today and "curtained" the openings , came up pretty cool ,..oh and it's on top a coolwe utr now.



Small rodtrip next weekend to try it out .
cheers. Dave.

[davenq]

Just thought I'd ask... how many "slide on's " are left? we have been offered large amounts ... for it , but we like ir

[Don Ricardo]

Evening history addicts,

When is a Murrumba Star not a Murrumba Star? When it's a Glendale:






(Photos of a 15 ft, 6-berth Glendale van listed on Ebuy, October 2014)

The 1971 edition of Winser tells us:

"Glendale is a new name on the Australian caravan scene. The Canadian-based company entered the local market during 1970 when it acquired the factory and assets of Murrumba Star, a Queensland firm which had gone into liquidation.

"The parent company, Glendale Mobile Homes, was founded in 1950 by Mr. R. L. Thorn, who went to Canada after spending fifteen years in caravan manufacturing in England.

"The first Glendale was built in a barn in London, Ontario. Very soon a larger building was needed to keep up with the demand for Mr Thorn's product, and a 24,000 square feet plant was erected...

"In March 1970, Glendale purchased the Murrumba Star oranisation and formed a new company, Glendale Caravans Pty Ltd. On taking over the plant at Caboolture, Queensland, Glendale set about re-organising the entire manufacturing line. New models were developed specifically to suit the Australian market, incorporating the best of Australian and overseas materials and design concepts. In August the first Australian-made Glendale caravans were introduced at the Brisbane Show.

"After studying the Australian market, Glendale released a range of vans in the following sizes: 15' x 7', 15' x 8', 17' x 8', 18' 6" x 8', 23' x 8', 26' x 8' and 30' x 8'..."
(Source: K Winser, Caravan Manual and Tourist Park Guide 71, 1971, page 196)

The design and livery of the Ebuy van matches an illustration in Winser, so it is likely that it is early 70's and possibly even one of the vans produced by Glendale in 1970.

Yes, I know that this information is about a 'Classic' van and not a 'Vintage' van, but I thought it was worth recording what happened to Murrumba Star and when the company wound up. It sounds as if it was pretty well gone by the end of 1969. (Off to the naughty corner now for discussing a post 1969 caravan on the forum... )

Don Ricardo

[Daggsey]

Thanks for that update DR......

Methinks not off to the naughty corner, but congrats for letting us know what happened to the Murrumba Star company.....would the assumption now be that all vans branded "Murrumba Star" are pre-1970 or did Glendale continue manufacturing under that brand?