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Post by jdazzle on Mar 18, 2021 12:15:42 GMT 10
Hi all
My love of vintage caravans stems from my childhood where my parents valiantly set about being self-sufficient on the southern tablelands, NSW. My brother and I lived (our bedroom) in a little bondwood caravan (pictured) and I would love to see if anyone has any ideas of its origins. It had an ice chest, two bunks on the left hand side of door (though I suspect my father built the top bunk) and the usual table and bench seats at the back. I have such fond memories of it, and the larger Viscount. That was my parents' bedroom (and my much younger sister, temporarily) and the kitchen/loungeroom. I reckon that is a late 60s Royal, so also picture it here.
Love to hear any ideas! My parents sold them for next to nothing in the early 80s. I think I have subliminally been searching for similar ever since, I now have a early 70s Royal, and my newish 50s handmade, representing my 4th and 5th caravan respectively  .
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Post by cobber on Mar 18, 2021 17:07:30 GMT 10
Where are you Leigh ?. I’m not saying this van is similar to HILDA but it does appear to have “Lips” front and rear. jdazzle, have a look at the above link and see if you can see any similarities. The “lips” I referred to are the lips at the very bottom of the front a back of the van, it was pretty much an exclusive feature of “Clipper” Caravans, made in South Australia. Cobber. ( I can’t remember how to do hyperlinks 😢) |
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Post by jdazzle on Mar 18, 2021 17:51:41 GMT 10
Hmm - a possible start, thank you!, I feel so nostalgic every time I look at these photos. Thanks so much! I have found some more photos, see below. Caravan would have been bought from Queanbeyan, or close by (has NSW plates, so not Canberra). I still remember those hand knits and my Dad's red hat. Safety had a different meaning back then!
I am not sure I see the "lips"?  The interior cupboards and fasteners are familiar, some memory sparked there! Attachments:
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Post by cobber on Mar 18, 2021 19:05:39 GMT 10
G’day jdazzle, Have you seen the Clipper thread in our DHL ? It will give you a better idea of the variety of styles Clipper came up with over the years. Cobber. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 18, 2021 19:48:52 GMT 10
Hi Jdazzle, The "lips" Cobber has referred to are the little vertical 'ledges' where the front and rear walls of your 'bedroom' meet the floorline. On the forum we have informally called them 'lips' for the want of a better description. I've marked the feature in question below:
As Cobber said the "lips" were a particular feature of the Clipper vans built in South Australia. As it happens the shape of the wheel arch is similar to some South Australian built vans as well. That doesn't mean that your van was built in South Australia but it may be a clue.
Regarding the Viscount, the 'lightning flash' design on the sides of the van combined with white acrylic coated cladding was used by Viscount from late 1968 to mid 1971. If the van was produced between 1968 and 1970 it would have been a Viscount Duralvan, and if produced in 1971 it would have been a Viscount Royal. It's not possible to work out which one it was I don't think because there's not enough of the Viscount sticker left on the rear to decipher it, although our resident Viscount expert Twocutekelpies may be able to pick the difference. As far as I know there was no substantial difference between the Duralvan and Royal, just a change of name.
Don Ricardo
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Post by jdazzle on Mar 18, 2021 20:35:27 GMT 10
Right, got it! I was looking at the front and back, not the sides, get it now! Good to know about the “big” caravan as we knew it. It had a great interior with a little bar thing between front door and eating area, well at least that is what I remember. Thanks so much! I love old caravans, seems I’m in good company! |
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Post by jdazzle on Mar 18, 2021 20:50:34 GMT 10
I have just looked through the clipper threads, fascinating, the thing that stands out for me is the shape of hubcaps in one advertisement on the NSW thread. And the slightly awkward “gait” of the two caravans. 😊 Hope ok I reproduce this! Attachments:
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Post by griffin on Mar 24, 2021 21:07:27 GMT 10
It would have been a bit cool in that van in the bottom photo with that snow all about, insulation wasn't a priority!
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Post by sportsman 1 on Mar 24, 2021 22:46:18 GMT 10
Hi Cobber Richard and George, yes it has "lips" but I cant see anything at all that looks like any normal Clipper to me. The general shape, wheelarch shape, no visible color flash, etc are not speaking Clipper to me - at least not the SA variety.
Even the shape of the "lips" are different. I am thinking home made. My 5 cents worth anyway!
Leigh.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 30, 2021 12:05:27 GMT 10
Hi Sportsman1,
I agree with you about Jdazzle's childhood caravan not being a Clipper. I think we were just using that as a reference point for the lips, which are a pretty uncommon feature.
Don Ricardo
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The interior cupboards and fasteners are familiar, some memory sparked there!
