The purpose of this site is to communicate with other early caravan enthusiasts, view the projects of others, identify the manufactures and features of the various makes of caravans, and to gather information on the whereabouts of pre 1970 caravans to assist interested people in locating them for a prospective purchase.

The vintage caravan website has now been running since August 2002. Interest in the site has been excellent considering it is the first Australian site on the subject. Introduction of the discussion forum in July 2004 has greatly boosted the interest in vintage caravans, and consequently the forum membership has grown rapidly. The forum has uncovered some fantastic photos and stories from the past, and encouraged many people to take part in the hobby of old caravans.

The forum has worldwide participation, and ‘vintage caravans.com’ is now recognized as Australia’s classic caravan website.

The interest in old caravans is growing, and the purpose of this website is to support that interest.

Vintage caravans are a part of Australia’s motoring heritage that has been largely overlooked by classic & vintage car enthusiasts. There had been, until now, very little interest in old caravans, yet they played such a large part in family holidays of the 1940’s through to the 1970’s.

A classic car towing an early caravan of the same period is a unique sight in Australia, but not so in the UK and United States where vintage caravanning clubs have been formed.
What better way is there to go on weekends away with the car club than with a period caravan for use as accommodation?

I have collected Holden cars for many years but only have recently become interested in old caravans.

I first got the vintage caravan bug in 1996 when I saw a FJ Holden towing a teardrop caravan in South Australia, the combination of the old car and caravan looked really cool, but only in recent years have I been able to purchase and use an old caravan.

Caravans of the thirties, forties & fifties came in many different shapes and sizes, and like the cars of the era, really look dated today. Many designs were very round, and as such, really look the part when being towed by a car such as the FJ Holden. Caravans of the sixties & seventies, whilst still coming in many different shapes and sizes took on a more modern & uniform look with their aluminium construction, large aluminium windows and generally square looks. They all looked similar in design, whereas caravans from the previous couple of decades really had a lot of character as many different designers’ interpretations of caravans were on the roads. Unfortunately, these caravans of mainly wood construction had a short life span & were mostly trashed years ago.

When one of these rare caravans is found in good restorable condition, it is really interesting to see the fixtures & fittings inside them. The manufactured caravans as opposed to the homemade caravans are particularly interesting as they often have features unique to their own make of caravan. A good example of this is the Don caravan owned by Jim Maskell, as featured on this site. It has a bath under the front seat, and a fold out wash basin.

Please enjoy the site and e-mail me leaving your comments.
Mark Taylor
Morley
Western Australia
E-mail: mark@vintagecaravans.com
Mobile: 042 725 1204

If you would like to see the American Vintage Caravans site please click on the link
http://www.vintage-vacations.com
Visit Australian Camper Trailer, Caravan & Motorhome Network. Whether you use a Motorhome, Caravan or Camper Trailer they have all the contacts you'll ever need. To get you started, keep you on the road or off the road. This Network does all the searching for you and is being expanded all the time.

www.caravan-parkfinder.com
An extensive caravan parks directory with online booking, a portal for caravan sales and rental, and a comprehensive guide to caravan and motorhome holidays.