Sunliner caravans (Forster, NSW & Geelong, Vic)

[murray]

rare 15 foot sunliner being renovated in Hobart
posting photos on behalf of owner

[Rodnet]

Looks good. I have one that started its life exactly the same colours, instead of the usual Sunliner side flash. I refer to mine as a 16 footer because it measures 15' 8". Smaller Sunnie, referred to as a 13 foot van, measures 12' 8". Hope that answers Rohem's question way back as to "when did they grow a foot"   The one above looks to be in exceptional condition. Any more details please?

[Don Ricardo]

HISTORY OF SUNLINER CARAVANS documented by Boblor (part 1)

Hi all,

Quite some time ago, just before Dona Ricardo and I embarked on a trip overseas, Boblor sent me some marvellously detailed documents setting out the information he has accumulated about the history of Sunliner and Gracemur caravans, to be posted on the forum. Unfortunately I didn't have time to do anything before we left, and after we got back I was inundated with work and also ran into problems with my scanner. I apologise to Boblor and to other forum members for taking so long to post his research, but I've now been able to scan the various documents. I'm sure that anyone interested in Sunliner/Gracemur history - or Australian caravanning history generally - will find the documents a fascinating read.

There are a number of documents, some of which contain a number of pages, so I will post them one at a time so I don't swamp the forum. Following is the first part of the Sunliner history based on Boblor's extensive reading and interviews with some of the Sunliner personnel.











Thanks to Boblor for sharing his research with us.

[Don Ricardo]

HISTORY OF SUNLINER CARAVANS documented by Boblor (part 2)

Patent no 222,723 referred to on page 1 of the document in part 1 (see post above):







Drawings referred to on page 3 of the document in part 1 (see post above):





Thanks to Boblor for providing this fascinating material.

[Don Ricardo]

HISTORY OF SUNLINER CARAVANS documented by Boblor (part 3)

This part of the Sunliner history concerns the Sunliner caravans produced and sold as Skylines, and the Sunliners produced in Geelong.



Photo of Skyline nameplate (including a nice selfie by Boblor himself ):



Thanks to Boblor for compiling the comprehensive information about Sunliner presented in this post and the two preceding posts for our benefit.

The history of Sunliner caravans is intertwined with the history of Gracemur caravans which were produced under licence to Sunliner in Bundaberg, Queensland. If you are interested in the history of Sunliner you will probably also find it interesting to read the documentation that Boblor has put together on the history of Gracemur caravans here.

[Don Ricardo]

On 21 March 2016 Midniteflit posted as follows:

hi members ,just as a point of interest,in the DC3Td post regarding "Those that love their fibre", in reference to
the sixteen foot Sunliner van sold on E-Bay.,it is interesting to note the mention of the mechanical DISC brakes
being in working order. this is the second Sunliner i have come across with discs fitted ,lending, at least some,
weight,to the theory that this may have been in fact an option to the later models.(65) This van is dated around Nov.65 ,the other
known one with discs is dated Dec 65..possibly an option around this period or perhaps merely co-incidence.
Anyhow ,something for the purists to ponder, regards MF.

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Later the same day he added:

Following up on last post regarding Sunliner Discs,after speaking to the owner of the local (Sydney )
Sunliner fitted with Disc brakes i was informed that the chasis number on this van is 553.
The van advertised on Ebay fitted with discs is van number 552.
This places them in sequence.Both fitted with DISCS.One van in Sydney ,the other in Mt Macedon Vic
Factory option? In a word ,I think "Yes".

[Rodnet]

Very interesting, thank you for posting. Still searching for any info on Sunliner by Waldens. "Walden" does have a S on the end, whether this is meant to be plural or ownership, I am not sure.
Tracked down a fibreglass pool builder from Sydney's northern beaches trading as Walden Pools. Because of the fibreglass I thought there maybe a connection with the family name. Sadly, no such kuck. Man's name is Wally, wive's name is Dennise, first 3 letters from both names gives us Walden. dead end there. LOL

Rod

[Don Ricardo]

On 16 April 2015, Heywok posted photos here of his caravan, which because of its opening, central front window appeared to be a Gracemur van based on a Sunliner 'type 3' body. Later discussion (copied below) resulted in the conclusion that Heywok's van is in fact a Sunliner:

I have a Sunliner Gracemur...
I am the forth owner i bought it off a gentleman in Gunnadah who had it for 30 + years he bought it off his sister who had it for 10 years and she bought it off her best friend
I am told mine is a 1965 or 66 it was one of the last built...





Heywok's post followed a discussion on the same thread about a modified Sunliner van owned by Pico.

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In response to a question from Don Ricardo about the serial number of Heywok's van, Heywok answered as follows on 19 April 2015:

Hi Don
My van spent its life in and around Gunnadah N.S.W. the guy who had it for 30 years stored it in a shed when not in use and the condition of the interior and exterior was testament to this when i purchased this van back in May 2014. When i bought the van it was dark Charcoal grey with white top.My interior is exactly like the pics above of the interior of Pico's above right down to the ribbed piece of trim on the shelf my hood lining is blue and is in great condition it has some very minor rips in places that are not generally seen inside the wardrobe.I have just replaced the original fridge and put some vents in the side wall new gas lines and certificate new mattress new vinyl on the floor painted the outside bottom yellow and cut and polished the top section. my intention is to keep as original as i can just brighten up the interior with red 2 pac paint on the cupboard doors and trim and just brush paint gloss on the rest of the cupboards and recover the original inner spring cushions i have just bought a new annex for it and am giving the original annex to a mate for his van i have also put new axle and brakes on the van and had it engineered for 1.2 ton large trailer so i could put personal number plates on it SUNNI and just generally tart it up 60's era it is towed behind yellow 29 ford Tudor Hotrod not sure about the serial number as it does not make sense and the guy i bought it off says that the number was on there when he bought it it is not stamped it is welded on it is X44...

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After a considerable discussion about whether Heywok's and Pico's vans were Sunliners or Gracemurs, Boblor stated on 18 May 2015:

Hi All
Heywok's van in my view is a Forster produced van, as all Gracemur vans came with spats and they were available up to the 1970's according to my records.
Cheers boblor

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Following further discussion, Boblor then posted on 19 May 2015:

Hi don ricardo
I will get my records out and go through them, and make comments accordingly.I do remember interviewing a family member from the Forster Sunliner, and her father was given one of the last vans produced as part payment when the factory when'belly up' and they took this van to Gracemur and had a centre front window fitted. I have photos of this van I have taken myself. This tells me forster did produce centre window models...

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Further to Boblor's comments, close examination indicates differences between the central front window on Heywok's caravan and those on Gracemurs. On Gracemurs the central front window is narrower vertically than the front side windows, as can seen in this photo of a Gracemur:



In comparison, the central front window on Heywok's van is virtually as tall as the side windows. In addition, on Gracemur vans the central front window sits flush with the front wall of the van, whereas on Heywok's van the central front window appears to be set in a 'frame' which sits out a few millimetres from the rest of the front wall, indicating a different construction.

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Photo of Tucky48's Sunliner posted here on 12 August 2005, providing another example of a Sunliner with a 'type 3' body and an opening, central front window:



Note that the central window is the same size and has the same 'framing' as that on Heywok's caravan.

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Referring to Tucky48's caravan, Boblor stated on 22 May 2015:

Hi don ricardo
I think tuckys van is a Forster unit with conventional chassis and elliptical springs. Also the panel above the 'A' frame appears to moulded with the body and not a separate unit. I think the front centre window has been an addition.
Cheers boblor

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And Tucky48 responded:

Hi Bob,your right about the box tube chassis and leave spring suspension and the panel above the drawbar was part of the front of the van but I don't recall the front opening window looking like it had been a modification.
tucky

[Don Ricardo]

Photo of BlueBird's 1960 Sunliner posted on 21 April 2017 here:



On the same date here, BlueBird wrote:

I have taken a photo of the Serial Number on the draw bar and compared it to the information on the thread on Our Touring Past.

This photo tells me that the van was built in 1960 - December - and that it's van number 160. I love that this information is available. So fascinating

[grumble]

Thank you for the very informative post,I have learnt a lot of things that I was unaware of,I worked for Bert Tickner at his VW dealership in the mid 1960's early 1970's and we had a small fleet of the vans for hire. I didn't know that Norm Milligan was involved in the caravan business, when I knew him he was building fibreglass boats,canoes etc including the "Milligan's Nipper" in Taree. I have also sailed with his son on various occasions in later years so I will have to pump him for a bit more information if he has any. Unfortunately Norm has passed away.

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

Sometimes it takes a while for the penny to drop...sometimes it can even take two years... 

Back in April 2015, Heywok posted photos of his Sunliner with triple front windows:





This led to a discussion (see higher up this thread) about whether the triple front windows was an aftermarket addition or not, and Boblor reported that his investigations had indicated that the Sunliner factory in Forster did produce some vans with the three front windows.  Several examples of such vans were referred to.

When posting his photos, Heywok stated in regard to his van that: "I am told mine is a 1965 or 66 it was one of the last built". This led to the assumption during the discussion about his van that it was a Sunliner with the 'type 3' (1963 to 1966) body, and it was suggested that the triple front windows were added to some of the last Sunliners to be produced.

However, I recently saw a photo of another triple front window Sunliner on Facebook, and realised that the side window to the left of the door of that van was open. That is significant because the Sunliner 'type 3' body only had a sealed window next to the door, while the 'type 2' body (1960 to 1962) had an opening window. On taking another look, it is evident that Heywok's Sunliner has an opening side window, and that therefore it has a 'type 2' body produced between 1960 to 1962, not a 'type 3' body. I have since checked all the photos of Sunliners with triple front windows I can find and found that all have the opening side window, and none have the sealed window. This almost surely means that Sunliner only produced the vans with the triple front windows between 1960 and 1962.

This seems reasonable when you think about it, because it is a whole lot easier to fit the central opening front window to the vans built with the two fixed, wrap around front windows of the 'type 2' body, than it would be to modify the 'type 3' body which was built with two opening, aluminium framed front windows which were not wrap around. And why would you want to do that anyway?

This understanding about Heywok's Sunliner, also helps to explain something else - its serial number of X44.  The other van we know about with a similar serial number belongs to Troyb, which has the number X141 and also has a 'type 2' body.  The similarity in the serial numbers is easier to explain if they were built in the same period, than if they were built some years apart with different body types.

Another piece of the Sunliner jigsaw puzzle in place. 

Don Ricardo

[suzanna]

hi all, I am restoring a gracemur on sanding back the grey under coat then red oxide you can see the front centre window is cut into van and not in a modified mould.... what I mean is its a sunliner out of the mould and then modified to gracemur.... you can see where it has been cut in screwed , glassed ,screws removed and holes filled..... this matches the drivers lower half from front to back which has been repaired and fitted using the same method.... so sunliner could of done this aswell.....chasis number N X M - 60 ... May be its a sixties thing ha ha...ply floor underneath has written Davies, which was a shop in Targo st Bundaberg that only sold ply and Masonite, father and son business...we use to go there when I was a kid then across the road to the Busy Bee fish and chip shop for lunch which is still run by original owners nephew... my sunliner chasis number 6301X83.... tried to find year of gracemur at main roads yesterday using chasis number but they need a rego number to trace it... these vans still hold some mysteries 60 years later...

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Suzanna,

Thanks for posting that information. It's interesting to read how the central front window has been built into the Gracemurs. The central window on the triple front window Sunliners is larger vertically than the window used by the Gracemurs, but I would expect that a similar technique was employed. In fact you would have to think that the technique was probably passed on to Sunliner from Gracemur.

Don Ricardo

[suzanna]

hi all, I see there is another 3 window sunliner 1963, 1964 on sunliner facebook page.... rare .. amazing what keeps turning up..

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Suzanna,

Yes, interesting to see another one, hey? But it's also got the opening window to the left of the door, so it's a 'type 2' model which would have been built between 1960 and 62, at least on the info I have been able to collect.

Actually your Sunliner can provide a check of the info we have re the body types and build dates. I note from the serial number that your van was built in January 1963. Does it have fixed, wrap around front windows and an opening window beside the door, or the two aluminium opening windows at the front and a fixed window beside the door?

Don Ricardo

[suzanna]

hi don, it has wrap around Perspex windows, with a fixed window next to the door and quilted pvc ceiling on a space frame chasis....

[Don Ricardo]

Photo of the headlining from his 1962 Sunliner posted by Cruisindoug on 3 November 2013 here:

[tuffxa351]

Any of these sunliners for sale

[2sneezles]

hello and thanks for the great information on the many sunliners out there we will be selling ours next month it has the soft roof lining its a 4 berth
thanks again

[Don Ricardo]

Another one of the 1960-62 Sunliners with the triple front window format:



This van belonged to 'Bethsometimes', and was sighted by Jennison at the Museum of the Long Weekend in Canberra in October 2013.

[vantoura]

Hi.
I am currently compiling a register of Forster Sunliners, Waldens Sunliners, Bundaburg Gracemurs and Victorian Skylines. Basically if it looks like a Sunliner I would like it on the register.
All I need is a serial number found on the draw bar either beside the coupling or just behind it on the left hand side. You may need to sand away several years of paint to see it. Let me know if it has a space frame or C section chassis and if it has independent or leaf spring suspension. A couple of photos would also be great and you can email me at [e-mail] Thanks in advance. Richard.

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

In September 2018, a special event was held in Forster, NSW, to mark the 60th Anniversary of the commencement of Sunliner production by Bert Tickner. Sunliners were manufactured in Forster, with a small number also produced in Geelong, Vic.

ABC News provided an interesting report on the 60th Anniversary get together, which can be found here.

Immediately following the event, several Forum members provided photos to be posted on their behalf. A selection is provided below:

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Following are some fabulous photos taken by Sid Coombes of the Sunliner procession crossing the Forster Tuncurry bridge during the Sunliner 60th Anniversary event last weekend:







The photos were posted by Sid on the Vintage Sunliner Caravans Australia Facebook page here, and have been shared with permission.

Sid took the photos with a drone, and with his partner has a wedding photography business called Daisy and the Duke. They are currently touring Australia in their Sunliner caravan, and if you want to see some video clips from their trip, click on 'Australian Roadtrip' on their website.

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Photos of the Sunliner 60th Anniversary event posted on behalf of Kimbo:











Robert Tickner (in the hat), son of Bert Tickner founder of Sunliner, who joined the festivities on Saturday:























Anniversary cake:



Commemorative sticker:

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More information about the 60th Anniversary event and additional photos can be found here.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

ALAN MARSHALL’S SUNLINER

A number of Forum members will remember the name of Alan Marshall, Australian author, story teller and political activist, who was born in Noorat in the Western District of Victoria in 1902 and died in 1984. One of his most famous books was I Can Jump Puddles which told the story of his childhood in fictionalised form and included the details of Marshall dealing with a disability resulting from contracting polio.  It was the effect of polio on his ability to walk that made jumping puddles such a momentous event in his life.  In 1920 the Marshall family moved from the Western District to Diamond Creek, which is now an outer suburb of Melbourne, but was then a country town.  Alan Marshall maintained a connection to that area for the rest of his life, and from 1955 to 1981 lived in Eltham a leafy suburb adjoining Diamond Creek.  Marshall became very involved in defending the area's natural and cultural heritage, and also wrote a history of the Shire of Eltham.

But there's also a connection between Alan Marshall and caravanning.  According to information on an Eltham District Historical Society Inc page on the Victorian Collections website:

"Alan owned land at Research and often lived there in his caravan while he was writing. A story about this land is told by John Morrison in "The Writer and the Swagman", which appears in his book "Australian by Choice."

"Local people also remember Alan living in his caravan beside an old house occupied by his friend, artist Neil Douglas, which was situated on the site of the present-day Eltham College oval and owned by the Pelling family at that time. It is understood that the land owned by Alan Marshall was nearby in Cassells Road.

"Vivienne Turner of Eltham recalled that her family had a photo of Alan and his caravan at Research and a copy was provided to EDHS in 2003."

(Source:  Victorian Collections  victoriancollections.net.au/items/598ff0b821ea680974e6e0dc )

Research is a township adjoining Eltham.

It turns out that Alan Marshall's caravan, referred to in the extract above, was a Sunliner.  The photo of Marshall with his caravan is dated c1962 and is from a private collection courtesy of the Eltham District Historical Society Inc:

(Source:  Victorian Collections  victoriancollections.net.au/items/598ff0b821ea680974e6e0dc )

Thanks to the Eltham District Historical Society Inc for kind permission to reproduce the photograph here.

Don Ricardo