Carapark Caravans.

[Richard]

I stumbled across this photo through google and I had forgotten it was one of mine.

38 ft Carapark Zestline.
This huge Carapark Zestline was purchased new 1962 and the owners shipped it to their home town in Tasmania. The van weighs in at around 2 ton empty and was originally towed with a Ford Custom Line. The Zestline runs on triple axles and from the front it has the main bedroom featuring a full built in wardrobe with internal and an external door. Behind this are the lounge, dinning and kitchen areas with a full bathroom featuring a bath over the axles. At the very back of the van is the driver’s bedroom which also has a built in wardrobe and its own external door.

[Richard]

Sticking with the big van theme here is a Newcastle built 37 ft Carapark Zestline that was originally built for Greg Bullen of Bullens Circus.

[Richard]

The guys from Time to Roam Magazine have put together a great article on the history of Carapark caravans starting on page 21.

Here is he link to the emag Time to Roam

[Richard]

After helping out the guys from Time to Roam with the Carapark article and with the assistance of Col Chipchase that worked at Carapark Newcastle I have come up with the following timeline for the company.

Caravan Park / Carapark Timeline.

1928. *The first small “Covered Wagon” was designed and constructed.

1929 *The Missendon Rd workshop was set up and commercial production achieved at the end of this year.

1930. *A larger model was in the planning.

1932. *Hire fleet first started.
*14 and 16 ft mobile homes went into production.

1935. The name Caravan Park Ltd was registered.

1939. The first all steel superb was built.

1940. Production ceased during the war.

1944. Newcastle factory opened.
Production of the Hunter commenced.

1945. The first all steel Superb’s rolled off the assembly line.

1946. Production of the Rankin Roadmaster commenced.

1947. Production of the Two-lite commenced.

1949. Caravan Park Ltd listed as a public company with 160,000 ordinary shares listed.
Production of the Hunter Junior and Hunter Minor commenced.
Caravan Park open Australia's first motel at Lansdowne Bridge.

1950. Mr J T Walsh was appointed general manager for Australasia of Caravan Park Ltd.
Caravan Park Ltd forms Caravan Credits Ltd to handle the hire side of the company.

1951. Caravan Park Ltd. has acquired 11 acres of land at Nudgee, Brisbane, for the erection of a 10,000 sq ft factory.

1953. Production of the first all metal caravans commences. (toasters.)

1954. Caravan Park restructures and forms Carapark Productions as the parent company with two subsidiaries as Carapark Pty Ltd and Carapark Motels Pty Ltd.
Newcastle factory damaged by fire.

1956. The first of a small number of Caraparks exported to New Zealand.

1959. Production of the first all metal Zestlines starts.

1961. Carapark acquire the Gypsy caravan company.
Carapark directors recommend the take-over offer by Motels Australia.

1962. Motels Australia sells of sections of the caravan construction side to former Carapark executives.
Carapark at Maitland renamed Carapark Industries.
Carapark at Summer Hill Sydney renamed Carapark Sydney Pty Ltd

1963. The Zestline model name changes to Astronaut.

1964. The economy Voyager model released.
The Astronaut Mark II released. (rear door.)
The Newline 16 model released.

1969. Carapark Industries goes into liquidation.

1970. Hunter Motels plan to sell off Carapark Pty Ltd as well as Caracraft Pty Ltd at the Ashfield site in Sydney, with the operations sold, relocated or terminated at the discretion of the directors.

This is the end of a 42 year legacy of caravan construction for Mr R J Rankin.



Please note that this may change as new information comes to light.

[Richard]

This early photo is part of the Propert photo collection and was posted by the Time to Roam magazine when they did a feature on Propert Caravans.

This is the early Properts workshop at Missenden Rd Newtown and features a Propert hand bodied car.
The caravan was originally thought to be a Propert caravan but with the keen eye of Griffin it was later revealed that it was actually a Caravan Park caravan, as Ron Rankin had a Caravan Park factory across the road from Propert's.

The 1940 ad below (posted by Griffin) shows what looks to be the exact caravan in the photo above naming it as a Caravan Park "Mobile Home" Model 10.

[Richard]

A not so clear image from 1958 of the Carapark dealership VW in Fyshwick, Canberra.

[Richard]

1961 vintage caravan ad from the Australian Womens Weekly featuring a Carapark Zestline.

[Richard]

1952 vintage caravan ad from the Australian Women's weekly for Carapark caravans. Its interesting to note that near the bottom of the ad there are three drawings of caravans available from the Carapark Commercial division.

[Richard]

I came across this 1960 vintage caravan ad for the Nepean Caravan Centre while looking for something else, at the time it didnt strike me as anything unusual but I still saved it to a disk. Then while fiddling the other night I re read the ad and thought it unusual.
The Nepean Caravan centre were agents for Carapark Caravans,
near the top of the ad it states

"Carapark dealer has the following caravans for sale."

and lists 2 Zestlines, which is a model we know of.
Then an Ambassordor is listed. Is this a Viscount or a Carapark model ?
And finally a Southern Cross. Again is this an entirely different brand or a Carapark model ?

It just strikes me as unusual that the ad states "Carapark dealer has the following caravans for sale"
and two of the vans listed arn't Carapark models that I have come across before.

But in saying that I have heard that Carapark started building low cost caravans under a different name in Melbourne, so could this be the "Southern Cross" brand ?

[Richard]

You dont see this type of vintage caravan too often, its a Carapark Leisure Liner 14 ft caravan currently on Gumtree.
Which looks to be in pretty good original condition, well except for the door.