A 1937 ad for Windmill Caravans, and it is interesting in all of their advertising they highlight the fact that they were "pioneer builders", and started constructing Windmill caravans in 1923.
ourtouringpast.com THE vintage caravan restoration website
and home of The National Caravan Museum.
Another Windmill Caravan ad, but at the bottom of the ad it states that they are Pioneer Builders with 14 years experience. This would mean that they started constructing caravans way back in 1923.
ourtouringpast.com THE vintage caravan restoration website
and home of The National Caravan Museum.
I picked up a NOS box of these Winmill badges years ago at the Bendigo Swap meet, but it has taken me a while to add the info that goes along with the badge.
ourtouringpast.com THE vintage caravan restoration website
and home of The National Caravan Museum.
Information on early caravan builders is very hard to come by, but after hours of searching I have found this article from 1936 that was printed in the Melbourne Argus.
It gives a very good description of two more Windmill models, the Scooterette and the Moreland Cruiser.
I have transfered the article to text to make it easier to read.
The Argus April 1936
CARAVANS ARE HERE TO STAY.
Builders Busy in Melbourne.
Caravanning- one of the most popular ways for a motorist to spend his week-ends and holidays in Europe and America is at last attracting Australians.
There are several caravan builders in Melbourne who are working hard to fulfill orders. Their products are a vast improvement on the clumsy enclosed trailers which were built here at one time, and are offered at a reasonable price.
Last week I paid a visit to Windmill Car Trailers Pty. Ltd, of 35 Geelong Road, Footscray. In the workshops I found a cluster of delightful little travelling homes in various stages of construction. One was named the Scooterette, and is priced at £57/10/ complete. It has three bunks with comfortable mattresses, cupboards, a table, and a host of ingenious little devices calculated to increase your comfort. A car of only 9-hp or 10-hp can easily handle such a caravan, as it is constructed with light materials throughout.
Even this is not the cheapest model. There is a two-berth type for £31/10/, and another for £42/10/ The most popular, however, according to the builder is a four-berth type priced at £97/10/ The four berths actually consist of two well sprung double beds placed across one end of the caravan These are fitted with soft mattresses, and safely protected from the weather and insects ensure a peaceful and comfortable nights rest, no matter what the weather may be like outside.
Provision is made for carrying crockery and cutlery food water clothing, and sporting gear, and the equipment even includes an efficient little stove, so that, should it be raining meals can still be cooked without difficulty.
Although this caravan appears to provide all that is necessary, one can still purchase a more expensive type called the Moreland Cruiser. It sells for £155 and has every modem luxury. Electric light of course, a stainless-steel sink and a good quality American stove
For those who just want a trailer to carry camping equipment there are types ranging from as low as £14
All these vehicles have strong axles and handsome steel wheels with big balloon tyres. Strong draw-bars and a sturdy universal joint are provided. The necessary fitting to the back of a car costs only 12/6 extra
The beauty of these vehicles is the fact that given a coat of paint occasionally they will last for many years and may be left out in all weathers. Consequently their use is by no means limited to the holidays. Parked at the end of the garden they make splendid summer houses or even spare bedrooms and with a few minutes preparation provide a means of escape from the city for a week-end or a month.
ourtouringpast.com THE vintage caravan restoration website
and home of The National Caravan Museum.
Here's a Windmill advert from The Argus 25 January, 1936, describing the range available as 'super streamline' with 20 designs. With prices from 37 pound they were considerably cheaper than the vans offered twelve months later. I wonder what a patent S.J.B. coupling is? Something for Richard to get his teeth into on his patent searches.
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