Vintage caravans are quite the thing, highly sought after, lovingly decorated and restored, and fortunately some examples are preserved in major collecting institutions for all to enjoy. Trove reveals some fascinating examples of homemade caravans. Where are they now? Could any of these caravans still exist in sheds somewhere?
A unique example,the Propert 'Trailaway' can be seen at the National Museum of Australia. Also in the NMA collection is the portable cabin, made from a water tank, used on geological surveys by Dr John and Roma Dulhunty, who called it the 'Hollow Log'. A fascinating article about the Dulhunty’s and their travels in this vehicle can be seen here.
An early example of a pop up homemade camper from 1928 overcomes much of the wind resistance of traditional caravans. A little later we can see L. Hutchesson’s homemade caravan in action at Millicent, South Australia. Two boys set off on bicycles for a camping holiday at Snug in Tasmania towing their homemade caravan.
At the other end of the scale there are many caravans repurposed from aircraft fuselages, providing size and accommodation on a generous scale; from a Douglas troop carrier, a wrecked Dakota and one from a Liberator bomber.
The travelling dental surgery, weighing two tons, explored South Gippsland with a ‘comfortable waiting-room and a surgery’. The mobile baby health centre caravan toured Victoria’s Mallee taking health care to the mothers and babies of the region. This apartment on wheels was another example of the motor caravan.
A mobile repairs caravan enabled Mr and Mrs Hill to undertake ‘a de luxe tinkers' tour’, travelling around Australia from N.S.W. through to the Northern Territory, repairing farmers' agricultural equipment.
A mobile hairdressing salon touring Western Australia was set up by the Auburn family in 1948. ’The Interior of the caravan salon is laid out in 3 sections with sliding doors, and it is attractively appointed with every feature of a city hairdressing salon’.
And if you can’t find anything in a shed near you, plans for building your own retro ‘Rover’ caravan start in this edition of the Western Mail.




