Actual Tow Car photos leaving/arriving home

[kenny]

Here is a HR and an Olympic WOOHOO! (Ack Picture Ipswich Library)

[kenny]

Here's one for The Don! Mini and caravan (check the Morris Major in the window wanting a piece of the caravan action!)  (Ack Picture Ipswich Library)

[kenny]

A quick stop at the store before we set up camp!  (Ack Picture Ipswich Library)
 

[kenny]

Here's an early one from the 30's! (Ack Sunshine Coast Regional Council Library).

[Don Ricardo]

G'day Kenny,

I'm enjoying the various photos you're showing us. As it happens, I can tell you a bit about the caravan convoy shown in the last photo you posted.

The first caravan in the lineup is a Don caravan owned by Dick Robinson and his wife. Dick was the father of Don Robinson who designed and built Don caravans. In 1939 Dick and his wife took their caravan from Melbourne to north Queensland as a sort of 'reliability trial' to test the van, as well as to demonstrate that caravans were suitable for long distance traveling. Along the way the Robinson's met up with some other caravanners and traveled part of the way in convoy. I think this is the origin of this photo.

The Robinson's trip received some newspaper coverage as they traveled, and their grandson Wal has movie footage taken along the way. You can read a bit more about the journey here.

The third caravan in the lineup is a Windsor caravan built in the Melbourne suburb of Windsor (no relation to the modern Windsors).

The second caravan in the lineup has had me tricked for quite a considerable while, but looking again at the photo it has struck me that it is very likely a late 30's Brindle, built in Sydney. There are a few features of the van that have led to me to draw that conclusion which I will now discuss on the DHL Brindle thread, but you will note that the profile of the roof is very unusual and the only other caravan I have seen with that roof is a Brindle. So thanks for posting the photo, you may have helped us solve a mystery.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Nov 5, 2022 22:45:18 GMT 10 kenny said:

Here's one for The Don! Mini and caravan (check the Morris Major in the window wanting a piece of the caravan action!)  (Ack Picture Ipswich Library)

Hi again Kenny,

Thanks for the photos of the Mini plus the camper trailer/folding caravan. Great to see.

I don't recognise the camper trailer and was hoping that Hughdeany might have been able to identify it. There were quite a few camper trailer/folding caravan manufacturers producing trailer based vehicles in the 60's (and indeed as early as the 30's). It may be that this one was built by someone in Queensland, and of course it could be home built.

The vehicle is a Morris 850. Australian caravanners have mostly worked on the assumption that you need at least a 6-cylinder car to tow a van with (and the bigger the better!). However, there are lots of photos of UK caravans being towed by quite small vehicles, including Minis. But of course people in the UK seem to be content to travel slower than us, and don't journey as far as we often do in Australia.

Nevertheless, Ted Palmer - an Australian and friend of motoring journalist Keith Winser - designed, built and published plans for small caravanettes and caravans to be towed by very small cars. His vans went under the name of Trail and we have quite a few photos of his full-size vans (we're talking 8 ft long here!) being towed by Minis, Morris Minors and Farina styled Austin A40's.  Sadly only one or two Trails seem to have survived.

Don Ricardo

[kenny]

Thanks Don, who said libraries were boring, so much great research materials available. Here are some more! (Picture Sunshine Coast):


Top photo: Utility and caravan owned by Ray Madsen departing Noosa Heads for Brisbane, ca 1945
Middle photo: Hazel O'Meara's refreshment caravan parked on The Esplanade at Bulcock Beach, Caloundra, ca 1947
Bottom Photo: Model T Ford towing a caravan built by James and Stanley Whalley, 1941 

[kenny]

Do you think the top photo and the middle photo is the same van altered?? Regards kenny


Top photo: Caravan built by Stephen Short returning to Maroochydore from a fishing holiday at Caloundra, ca 1950
Middle Photo: Stephen George Short, Reg Mitchell and 'Pop' Simpson on a fishing holiday, Caloundra, November 1947 
Bottom Photo: Youngman family towing their caravan on a holiday from the Maroochy River District to Newcastle

[hughdeany]

Hi Don and Kenny,
The little van behind the mini I’m pretty sure is a factory made as I’ve seen the add in one of my vintage caravan books,wouldn’t that be an economical rig!
Cheers
hughdeany

[Don Ricardo]

Nov 28, 2022 22:14:44 GMT 10 kenny said:

Do you think the top photo and the middle photo is the same van altered?? Regards kenny


Top photo: Caravan built by Stephen Short returning to Maroochydore from a fishing holiday at Caloundra, ca 1950
Middle Photo: Stephen George Short, Reg Mitchell and 'Pop' Simpson on a fishing holiday, Caloundra, November 1947 
Bottom Photo: Youngman family towing their caravan on a holiday from the Maroochy River District to Newcastle

Hi Kenny,

Some more fascinating photos you've posted there.

I definitely agree that the first two photos are of the same vehicle, with the caravan converted into a motorhome, or was it the other way around? The side windows, wheel spat and placement of the door are all the same. It's a pretty clever conversion.

The third photo is of a Luxory caravan, built in NSW. You can see some photos of one of a similar size in the link.

By the way I have been converting your attachments into photos so that they're easier to see, they're more permanent and won't expire, and to leave some attachment bandwidth open. I hope that's still ok with you?

Don Ricardo

[kenny]

Hi Don,
I'll always agree with where you would like to put / manage the photos. I spend more time wondering where they fit than finding them!

Re chicken or the egg question, the caption & date for the caravan is 1947 and the caption & date for the camper van is 1950.

I reckon the story (tongue in cheek) went like this: (1948 Reg says to Stephen) hey Stevie boi, that was a great holiday last year, but we always mess about with the truck and the van, wadda reckon before the next trip we make one rig out of the two" (?)

[kenny]

Here's another couple of photos from the Burdekin Library. Both photos taken in Ayr, Qld. regards kenny

[kenny]

Don, delete this one if not on topic, Caption says "Decorated bicycle in Queen's Park, Toowoomba after the Carnival of Flowers parade.
ca 1952-58"

Regards kenny

[kenny]

Here are some corkers from the Queensland State Archives!

Top - Florida Car-o-Tel, Gold Coast. 1960
Middle - Florida Car-o-Tel, Gold Coast. 1963
Bottom - Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast. 1969

Regards kenny

[kenny]

Top - Cunningham Hwy Qld, 1976
Middle - Hervey Bay 1963
Bottom - Ingham, Qld 1976

[Mustang]

Centre Image,
Dolly wheel on the Viscount, the Customline appears to be an Australian made 3 x colour?

[kenny]

Here's a nice home shot. Look at the hauling gear on that Falcon! They're planning their next getaway!

[kenny]

I’m having some old 8mm film digitised and I forgot about visiting this guy who was exploring for coal in 1981.

Interesting how the top of the door folds in!

This is a photo of the digitised 8mm film.

Regards Kenny

[kenny]

Straight from the National Archives, here's a couple of beauties!

First two are 1958
Last one is 1963

Regards kenny

[Mustang]

FC rear mudflaps would have been wearing down !!!

[Warrenk]

I saw these on facebook. The poster said his father liked his Falcon station wagons and caravans. (I have permission to post them)

[Warrenk]

Dee Why Parade

[Jennison]

I spy a Jennison Pathfinder 2nd from the top right. JAJ would have just about been able to see it on the day from his kitchen window up the hill in Rayner Ave in Dee Why😎
Jenno

[kenny]

Getting ready to go on vacation!  Check out the Val's gear with the 70's "move the rego plate to the right" arrangement. Would be nice to see this pair on the highway today!

[kenny]

Check out this Holden, what an Easter weekend away that would have been in 1958!