Travelrama Caravans (South Australia)

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

Back in April 2018, someone posted a couple of interesting photos on Facebook, I think on the Vintage and Classic Caravan Group of SA page (apologies for not recording the details). The photos were taken at a South Australian Caravan & Camping Show. One of the photos has intrigued me since that time:



You can see that the caravan on the right of the photo is a Rowvan, followed to its left by another caravan that I can’t identify at this point.  But then comes something which is really interesting - the two caravans on the left hand end of the photo that appear to be badged as ‘Travelrama’.  The design of those two caravans is clearly South Australian in origin with the double cambered rooves quite separate from the walls, and the rooves look as if they were probably fibreglass.

The two vans look not dissimilar to the design of Roadmaster caravans, but at the same time they do not look completely identical in shape or look to the 1960’s Roadmasters either.

The second photo shows the Caravan & Camping Show form inside the hall:



On the left is a Franklin caravan (is it a Caravelle?) and on the right is an Adventurer.  On the stage is signage which says ‘Caravan & Camping Show’ and I think the date ‘1965’.  This date could fit with the Rowvan in the top photo which was produced from about 1965 to 1967, after which Rowvan wound up its activities.  On the other hand both the Franklin and Adventurer in the bottom photo seem to be clad in white acrylic aluminium which was only introduced in 1967/68, so maybe the date isn’t 1965?  How do you read it?

Putting the date aside for the moment, the question is what is a ‘Travelrama’ caravan?  Is it a model name (eg a Roadmaster Travelrama) or is it a brand name used by another manufacturer we haven’t yet come across or haven’t made the link with?

I’ve done a bit of a search for ‘Travelrama’.  The only possibly relevant information I can find are references to ‘Travelrama Homes’ which was a company that was involved in bankruptcy and liquidation procedures in the South Australian courts from 1967 through to 1971.  The company was based in Darlington Avenue, Darlington (South Australia).  The proprietors of the company were Noland John Picken and Brian Joseph Woodford.  None of these names mean anything to me, but it could be that ‘Travelrama Homes’ refers to caravans.

Can anybody tell us any more about Travelrama caravans?

Don Ricardo

[hughdeany]

Hi Don,
Interesting caravans those Travelramas!
Maybe they were a new model on display for the first time and weren’t that well received! I notice they and the Rowvans don’t have gas bottles or fittings
The Franklin is a Regent and is a Thermopanel one,so it’s probably 1969 with the last of the big roof hatches from what I can see.
Cheers
hughdeany

[redmr2red]

I found two reference to Travelrama on Trove. Possibly not related, but you never know. Did Travelrama Homes build caravans?

The Age 24 September 1956 “WE LOSE US FANS”

NEW YORK, Sunday: Australia has apparently given up hope of attracting free-spending American tourists next year, American travel experts concluded yesterday. "Short - sightedness," "pinch – penny economics," and "sheer lack of imagination" were some of the reactions here to the news that the Australian National Travel Association has decided to pass up the International Travelrama Exhibition next February. The exhibition, in New York's new 35-million dollar coliseum, will be the first world-ranging travel show since the war in this metropolitan area. Organisers expect more than 400,000 persons to attend the show, and many of these will decide on the spot where to spend their annual holidays next year. "That is where Australia will be losing out," said Albert Chase, director.


Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 22 December 1971

Bankruptcy District of the State of South Australia
No 571 of 1967—Re Noland John Picken, of 23 Darlington Avenue, Darlington, and Brian Joseph Woolford, of 5 Johnson Parade, Blackwood, trading as 'Travelrama Homes', at Darlington Avenue, Darlington (Second and final dividend in the joint estate and second and final dividend in separate estate of B J Woolford)

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Hughdeany and Redmr2red,

Hughdeany, thanks for your comments which I think help clarify things. It did occur to me that the Franklin was a Regent, but I was so busy trying to link the photos together that I overlooked the fact that the van doesn’t have the Caravelle’s little lip over the rear window. The facts that the Franklin is a Regent and that it and the Adventurer are clad in white acrylic cladding i think indicate that the second photo was taken at the 1969 Caravan & Camping Show. The date on the sign over the stage therefore probably says 1969.

If that is the case, then that means that the two photos were taken in different years. I am basing that conclusion on the fact that the first photo showing the Travelrama vans also includes a Rowvan. The 1968 Winser caravan guide tells us that Keith Odgers, the then owner of Rowvan, had wound up the Rowvan business in 1967 to devote his time to taking group caravan tours through the outback. That means that the photo must have been taken in 1967 or earlier. However, I think 1967 was the first SA Caravan & Camping Show, so that might mean that may mean that the photo is actually from that year.

That’s helpful to know that the photos are from different years.

Redmr2red, thanks for posting that info about the Travelrama name. I too have been wondering if the name ‘Travelrama Homes’ was actually referring to ‘homes’ in the sense of ‘mobile homes’, ie caravans, but I guess we’ll have to try and find out more about the business concerned. However, I have also been wondering if we have mis-read the name ‘Travelrama’? I’ve made the photo as big as I can, and I can’t come up with anything other than ‘Travelrama’. I tried ‘Travelroma’ but that doesn’t come up with anything. I wonder if anyone else can read the brand name differently?

By the way, to me the Travelrama on the left looks wider than the one on the right. Perhaps one is 8 ft wide and the other 6 or 7 ft? What do you think?

Don Ricardo

[redmr2red]

Could the word be "Travelhome"?

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Redmr2red,

Yes, maybe, although I’ve had another close look at it today and I don’t think it says ‘Travelhome’ and I’m not aware of Travelhome building any vans with this or a similar design. But still any suggestions about the name are welcome. After staring at the screen for a while, I’m certainly not convinced any more that it says ‘Travelrama’.

Don Ricardo

[shesgotthelook]

I have gone through all my Winser mags & the only brand close to it is Trail-a-Home from QLD. No one starting with T in this CTIA membership list;