Our Touring Past

gday richard
do you need a builders license to erect it wouldn,t want to be raining when setting up !
which brings me to the question what is in the sides , are they fly screens which you would weatherproof
with a canvas flap ?
cheers phil

Hey Phil.
Yep you and inside the van would get a tad wet if it was raining. There are alos canvas screens that cover the fly screen sides as well. Yep more time getting wet if its raining.

For those that are on my Vintage Caravans Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/925540644241821/ you would have seen this little van for sale that was advertised as a replica of an old van.



To tell the truth I didnt think much about it as it had 13" wheels on it and the roof didnt have the usual Eicke and Provis canvas over it. Well that was untill I stumbled across the patent for this van which I had already posted here.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=597 (Second patent down.)


From here in I was very interested in this little van, and with help from Bob in Adelaide the van was identified as an original. I then organised the purchase, and with the help of Michael from Custom Vehicle Solutions https://www.facebook.com/customvehiclesolutions/ the van was picked up in Adelaide and delivered to my door 3 days later.

The full 1930 and 1936 patents submitted by Norman.

While I was researching the Eicke and Provis brand I shared some of the information with Richard Dickens and he put me on to the cover photo of "Still Swinging The Billy" which shows a mark two Eicke and Provis caravan.

I did a bit of snooping around my caravan and came across these name badges hidden under many coats of paint.



With more research on Trailer Caravans on trove I came across a brochure for an Aero caravan by William Norman.
So after a few phone calls to the SA state library I had a copy of the brochure.
Now the caravan is an Eicke and Provis / Trailer Caravan but the brochure is advertising an Aero Caravan. From what I can see this isnt a sales brochure but a brochure on hireing and Aero Caravan.

An ad and article from the 1932 edition of the South Australian Homes and Gardens magazine which is featuring an Aero Caravan Hired from Trailer Caravans Ltd. the article also mentions a caravan built by Mr Wiltshire but more on that later.

Forgot to add a photo of our Eicke and Provis Caravan/ Norman Caravan/ Aero Caravan/ Trailer Caravan with its original wheels back on.

Looking good Richard, have you got a tow hitch to suit for the FJ?

George