21 minute read
Letters to the Editor
Hi Lisa, Firstly, I’m so sorry that you have been unwell again. Pain is a very hard thing to endure. We all understand and I hope that you are feeling better now. I have waited (not so patiently at times for 6 years for a caravan to “retro” and after 5 of those years my husband surprised me with an Alpha. It has sat in our shed amongst numerous classic cars for company, waiting for the guy who rescues such deserving “souls” for 14 months, and last Wednesday he came and got “Lorna Lou” to begin her restoration. At last, the fun begins!! Unfortunately, my husband who has restored many tractors, trucks and cars isn’t into the caravan side of things, so Paul of Phreeway Caravans is doing the hard parts for me. Can’t wait to do the interior. Just thought I’d tell you that bit of news and to add that I thought I’d never get my van but it just goes to show, it pays to wait... and wait... and wait... ‘cause it’s never too late. Finally thank you for all the work you do for the Vintage Caravan Magazine. Cheers and thanks,
JEANETTE PHILLIPS – PAPAKURA, NEW ZEALAND
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Hi Lisa, I just want to say thank you for the Vintage Trailer Magazines, I so appreciate them. I can’t hardly put them down. I’m restoring a 1954 Travelees and 1958 Ford Ranchero.
LORY PRATT – EAGLEVILLE, CA
Hi Lisa, It’s the content of your magazine that makes it special, not the name. “A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.” If a name change makes life easier, go for it, IMO. I’ll continue to buy it! Thanks & best of luck,
NANCY MILLER –GWYNN OAK, MD
Hi Lisa, Vintage Caravan Magazine: I LOVE it Lisa. Can’t wait to see your next issue. I was inspired by your 1956 Mercury and found one restored by a friend in Auburn, California. Here’s a picture (below).
MARSHA BARNETT – WALNUT CREEK, CA
Tin Can Tourists is an all make and model vintage trailer and motor coach club. Rallies,
Trailer information, thousands of pictures, facebook group and free classified ads www.tincantourists.com
A Royal Princess
WORDS & PHOTOS CAROLYN CAMERON
My name is Carolyn Cameron. I’m sixty years old and live on the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia. When I’m not renovating or travelling around in my vintage caravans “Eugenie” and “Annie”, I work as a Visual Merchandiser in the fashion accessories industry. After completing the renovation on “Annie: My Tiny Caravan” in August 2017 and taking a few awesome trips away, I soon realised that if I was to achieve my dream of travelling for an extended period of time over long distances, I would need a lot more space to comfortably accommodate one to two adults and Claire my six year- old Australian Shepherd. I started searching online and decided that a 15-foot Viscount was my van of choice. I just loved those curved windows. It needed to be in very good condition structurally with everything working so I was prepared to pay a little bit more for the convenience. There were a lot of Viscounts advertised that I was very impressed with but they were thousands of kilometres away in other states. It was not in my budget to be doing any major body repair as I would be doing this renovation pretty much on my own, as my onsite tradie had injured his back and was not well enough to assist. I made arrangements to inspect a few others, but they were snapped up before I had a chance to view them. I was ready to purchase one sight unseen from interstate and pay the $1000 transport fee to NSW. Luckily, that did not happen. In March 2018, I found and fell in love with an unregistered 15-foot 1976
Viscount Royal advertised in the next suburb. The owners were selling their house and moving away and did not have room for the van which they had been using as an offi ce/spare room/she shed for two years. The deal was done and I became her fourth owner. She sold for $4300. Fortunately my neighbour two doors down was not using his driveway and agreed to having Annie for an indefi nite sleepover, freeing up our driveway space for the renovation of “Eugenie the Royal” named after the sweet and graceful Princess Eugenie of York. She was all kitted up for travelling off the grid with solar panels, a deep cell battery and an extensive 12-volt lighting, power and sound system, 240-volt power, gas AND a stainless steel cage that took the place of the original wardrobe. Her second owner was an avid trout fi sherman and spent the winter months in the snow country and had installed a pot belly stove and built a housing
Before
to contain it. I wish I had seen some photos of that stove! Her interior was a mis-match of timber and white painted laminate and painted black walls. Her upholstery was original 70’s Orange as were the beige patterned fl oor tiles. I would keep her fridge and cooker and recycle her 12-volt light fi ttings, cabinet handles and hinges and the padded backs from her dinette seating. She also had her original awning and annexe with the original wooden tent poles included. I added an Instagram account @eugenie_ the_royal to blog her reno progress and set myself an ETC of fi ve months.
This would coincide with the annual Viscount Owners Get Together at a local campground. The fi ve months came and went and all I had managed to achieve on my own was to remove everything except her upper cupboards, patch up and paint the walls and cupboards, attach her Tic Tac splashback adhesive tiles and put down new fl ooring. I needed help and it was going to be costly. I contacted three local caravan repairers who all required me to bring her to them for a quotation. She was unregistered so could not be towed without a temporary certifi cate which was also costly and
time consuming. I fi nally found Marc from Your Palace Caravan Renovations on Facebook (How fi tting as she was after all, a Princess) who came to my home to give me a quote. He was so helpful and totally understood my unusual layout. Two weeks later she came home with her new raw lightweight ply interior. Over the next sixteen months she was painted inside and out with her new green and gold colours. Her benchtops were custom made, her bedroom was wallpapered and privacy screen inserted, her faux tin ceiling was installed, curtains and cushions were made hung and fi tted. I also had an awning custom made off the original by Express Annexes. My palace was coming together. The only thing left to do was her plumbing. I was dreading this. Over the previous six months, I had contacted over a dozen plumbers and gasfi tters to give me a quote for a “caravan”. They either didn’t reply, were too busy, not interested or wouldn’t do the work at my home. My neighbour recommended to me the plumber she used for her kitchen and bathroom renovation. Clayton was happy to “give it a go” as he had done some contract work for a local caravan repairer. In nine hours, he installed the sink and tap and reconnected the gas to the fridge and cooker. He connected the water to the mains, tank and external
shower and hooked it all up to a 12-volt pump and provided me with the much needed gas certifi cate. He did a great job but admitted on completion that he would never work on another caravan. Poor Clayton, he’s still in therapy! . Her kitchen benchtops were screwed down and fi nally after twenty-one months she was road ready and was registered the following day. Eugenie is my dream princess. She was designed as a home to be lived in for the long term. Her maiden voyage was
only a short drive from home and Claire and I did it solo. Having bought my own tow vehicle, I was able to take her and Annie wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. I am so proud of what I have designed, created and achieved with Eugenie’s renovation and when we’re out and about and folks pop in for a visit their reactions say it all. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting this” and “OMG! It’s like a little house!” “Soooo beautiful” It makes it all worthwhile. Eugenie, Claire and I took our fi rst long trip in February 2020. A 2440 kilometre, two-week round trip to Victoria for the Bridgewater Vintage Caravan Extravanganza. I was feeling a little nervous about such a long trip and doing it solo, so when my dear friend Lisa suggested we do the road trip down to Victoria together, I was all in. A few of my Vintage Caravan Instagram buddies were also making the trip and as it turned out we were all camped near one another and I was so happy to fi nally meet them in person alongside their lovingly and beautifully renovated caravans. So will I renovate another caravan? As the saying goes “I’m getting too old for this” – renovating that is. I have two beautiful vintage caravans. Annie goes on short trips away and attends Nostalgia and Vintage Caravan Events and Tiny House Festivals throughout the year and Eugenie, we will take each other anywhere we want to go. I am looking forward to being semi-retired and having the time to see more of this beautiful country we call Australia in my palace on wheels.
Palm Springs Modernism Week TRAILER RALLY 2020
WORDS & PHOTOS LANA WHITING
With a spare day up my sleeve in LA, I decided I couldn’t miss the 2020 Modernism Week Trailer Rally, so I rented a car and drove the one and a half hours from my hotel to the glorious desert oasis of Palm Springs. I was all dolled up in a vintage inspired dress, pinup girl hairdo and my favourite caravan handbag. As I walked into the event, it became apparent that not everyone gets dressed up for these things like I do – I stood out like a sore thumb! Never the less, the fi rst thing I hear (11,000km from home) is someone shouting “Lana?” I immediately recognised the face as Jean from Tin Can Awnings, who I had never met, but had commissioned to make a pink striped awning for my van and ship it all the way to Australia. I had only seen her picture on her social media, and she had apparently recognised me from Instagram too, and knew me as the Aussie girl who bought one of her awnings! I immediately felt welcome in this strange and wonderful place, full of the most impressive vintage caravans (or camper trailers, as the Yanks call them) I’d ever seen! I was immediately drawn to a pink 1965 Serro Scotty which matched my outfi t perfectly! It had the most fabulous retro chandelier inside – and if you’ve
seen inside my van, you’ll know I’m a chandelier fan! Beyond the fabulous pink trailer sat the most extensive collection of Airstream trailers I’ve ever seen in one place, including a tiny 1964 Bambi which the beautiful ladies from Silver Trailer designs had turned into a travelling shop front for their jewellery designs and accessories. I was in heaven! I must admit – although I was wearing head-to-toe pink, I was likely starting to look green with envy. As I moved around the crowd and spoke to all the friendly owners, it became apparent that I wasn’t the only Aussie at the rally. They all heard my accent and insisted that I must fi nd the Aussie Airstream Queen – Chloe from Vintage Airstreams Australia. I kept on moving through the aisles of beautiful relics, listening out for another Aussie accent – and fi nally I found her! I introduced myself as “apparently the OTHER Aussie” at the event, and Chloe was so kind to show me around the rest of the event and introduce me to as many people as she could. I was blown away by the stunning condition and restoration of these Yankee trailers – you have to hand it to them, everything is bigger in America! I don’t think I would ever be able to get used to the door being on the ’wrong side’, but one thing is for sure, I had an absolutely fabulous time at the Modernism Week Trailer Rally, and as soon as I win the lottery (I can dream), I’ll be straight back to the USA to hunt down my very own slick silver Airstream.
The
WORDS LANA WHITING
PHOTOS LANA WHITING & PAUL PUGH
In 2014 I was a few months away from marrying Mark, the handsome (and tolerant) cabinetmaker and baking cakes and cupcakes for my friends and family whenever I got the chance. Baking made me so happy, I wondered if maybe I could open my own business. It was also around this time that I found myself dabbling in the pinup/ rockabilly scene. One day we went on a day trip to the Cooly Rocks On festival on the Gold Coast to check out all the classic cars. As we were walking in, I noticed the most fabulous pink Sunliner caravan, owned by Vintage Caravan Magazine. I was OBSESSED. Maybe I could get my own van to run my cupcake business from?
I took my late Mum out for high tea one day in Cooroy, and told her of my grand plans to fi nd a vintage caravan and start my own cupcake business. She pointed behind me, at a house across the street and said “Like that one?” I looked behind me and saw the cutest little York and couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it on our way in. After lunch, I asked the owner if she would sell it. She had only just bought it, so didn’t want to part with it, but said she had seen lots of them when
she drove from Kenilworth the previous week. So I told Mum we were making a little detour on the way home. Sure enough, as we drove through Eumundi and Ridgewood I noticed lots of vans on large properties but none of them stood out. Then, all of a sudden I saw it. THE ONE! She was on a big property in the middle of the paddock. She was pink! I went to the gate and shouted out to see if anyone was home. A little dog came to the gate to greet me and I noticed he had a phone number on his collar. Later that night I called the number and told the owner how I had seen her van and got her number off the dog! I asked if she would sell and she said she would talk to her husband and get back to me.
A few days later she phoned and said they would sell and to make them an off er. We settled on $1800 and that weekend my Dad and I went and picked it up on his tow truck. We stored it at my in-laws property where it ended up sitting for a few years while our busy lives got in the way. We started to get to work on it in 2017, between full time jobs, fi tting in any work we could on spare weekends, and we fi nally got her fi nished at the end of 2018.
“Queenie” is a 1963 Millard Safari. Upon researching them, I found out they were manufactured around 1962–1964. When we pulled it apart we found an electrical compliance certifi cate that was dated 1963, so we assumed that was the year it was made. I think we were pretty lucky, considering it had been sitting unsheltered in a paddock for years, it wasn’t the WORST condition I’ve ever seen one in.
My husband’s mate is an electrician so he was able to do all the wiring and put in some extra power points. The ceiling and one corner were pretty badly water damaged, so they were removed and replaced with plywood, along with part of the fl oor and some of the wooden frame. My husband broke his arm around the time we were working with the plywood, so I quickly became an apprentice who had to work a jigsaw and
drop saw (amongst other things) under my cabinetmaker husband’s supervision and instruction. The frame was also bent outwards on one side so we had to add some internal steel to straighten it back. My father-in-law reinforced the chassis by welding extra steel onto the bottom. We enlisted a professional upholsterer to redo the click-clack sofa and dining seating cushions in pink and white.
We took out the old ugly fl ooring and replaced it with retro black and white check vinyl tiles. We also replaced the table laminate but kept the original table, and repainted all the cupboard doors in a similar light pink to what they already were. Replacing the window rubbers was an absolute pain! It was so hard to fi nd the right rubber pattern. We found the closest one we could and it meant days of jimmying them in with a screwdriver and dish soap while I was terribly sick with a chest infection. Silicone removal was also another job I despised. I would always procrastinate when it came to that job, but in the end I think we did the best we could to get rid of it all.
My father-in-law is a panel beater by trade so he repainted the outside, keeping with the original light pink again. The blokes at the paint shop had quite a laugh at this blonde bimbo with a list of ingredients I provided by my father in law to buy, especially because of the colour choice!
I managed to sew the curtains myself – in fl amingo pink fabric of course. I can operate basic functions on a sewing machine but I was pretty proud of my eff ort! The job that took the longest was defi nitely polishing the aluminum – we could never fi nd a product that we loved, and many products were used, only to start again when we were suggested something diff erent. Many, many days were spent polishing, but I think the end result is fantastic. I ordered new custom made stickers for the back and front, they were originally blue but I got them made pink.
My own father is a mechanic by trade so he did all the wheel bearings and things like that. The tyres and rims it had on it were actually so big you could hardly get
them off . He was able to source some light truck tyres and rims that were then also painted – you guessed it – pink! All up it took us over a year to complete. I had absolutely NO idea how much work was involved (even though my husband had tried to warn me, but of course I didn’t pay attention!). We were lucky to have had a cabinetmaker, electrician, mechanic and panel beater to help us – the only thing we really had to pay for was the upholstery.
I was glad that I found a caravan that was already pink, as I don’t think I could have convinced my husband to help me with such a girly project otherwise! We kept the original pink stripe on the outside and the pink cupboards on the inside. From there on it was simple; everything was either pink or white. It was always going to be my “girl cave”, and my love of fl amingos played a big part too. Anything I saw in stores that I thought would fi t in with my pink girly theme was purchased and immediately added to what I called my “caravan glory box”. When it fi nally
came time to put everything in, I was so chuff ed and proud that my vision all came together.
Our fi rst adventure was to Lennox Heads for my birthday in 2018. It’s about a three-hour drive for us and I was so nervous. I don’t have kids but I can imagine it’s how parents feel when taking their baby home from the hospital for the fi rst time. I checked everything about ten times before we pulled away from home and I kept yelling out to my husband to slow down, even though everyone was overtaking us on the highway. After the fi rst hour or so of driving I started to calm down and then when we got there in one piece it was such a relief! We hadn’t even put the fi rst peg in the ground for the awning and people were coming to check her out. It rained the fi rst night so I was a bit worried, but we didn’t have any issues. My Pomeranian, Teddy, loved it and we had such a fun time having him with us. By the time we drove home I was totally at ease and we got home safe and sound.
After our maiden voyage I had a birthday party for all my friends to come along, and I wanted to make it sort of a “caravan warming” party as well. I really wanted to get the caravan in the backyard but it meant disassembling our back fence and trying to fi nd a way to drive down a service road to access the space behind our house. We managed to get it into the backyard with a lot of swear words and I was able to set her up for all our friends to enjoy with a few drinks.
Since then, we’ve taken her on plenty of mini holidays and also to vintage caravan shows and events. We’ve attended the Historic Leyburn Sprints and the North Coast Street Machines show in Ballina, where we won best vintage caravan both times. The furthest she’s ever been was to Nindigully Pub for the famous pig races last year. It was an eight-hour drive from the Sunshine Coast but so worth it. It’s such an awesome event, and she defi nitely stood out amongst the mix of bush swags and tents!
Between the pink caravan and a fl uff y little dog, people just don’t know what’s funnier. Our dog Teddy is the “director of fi rst impressions” and is always running around wanting to meet people. When people see the caravan they can’t help but laugh at the whole package – I’ve been compared to Barbie and her pink camper. A lot of people ask Mark how he puts up with so much pink and he laughs, “it’s just a colour!” he says.
One day I hope I can own a Sunliner, because that was the van that I fell in love with all those years ago at Cooly Rocks On. Or maybe one day I will win the lottery and import my very own Airstream from the USA. Until then, I’ll continue my glamping queen adventures in my palace on wheels – my pink pride and joy!
