We partook of Chinese on the Sunday night and as we left a couple were heading in and commented on the Velox and all the other old cars around town. I explained the Caravan Nationals were the reason and it turned out they are keen caravanners, presently with a 13 foot 'modern' Olympic.
As always I asked about photos and it turned out they had some which are included below, including the Olympic.
"The van was homemade it was ply on the outside and had a steel square tubing which was visible inside. It had a dinette inside the front door on the left a kitchen in the middle and double bed at the rear. The water tank was portable and was located on the kitchen wall above the sink. We carried it out and filled it at the tap. It was quite heavy and had a tap at the bottom. The cold food was kept in a Esky using ice. Carol and I travelled to all States for period of two years working as an electrician and stenographer. Mackay in Queensland and Perth were our longest stays with various other towns and cities in between. We had a good annexe which severed us well. In 1960 when we started there were very few caravans made and some of the names you see today did not exist . We certainly remember those days early in our marriage and even today we have a small 13 foot Olympic full height van which we love and use often if we are not camping. This information may be of interest and maybe we shall see you again in South West Rocks."
When talking with them Bruce said they had been back to Eucla and the only part of the building visible was a bit of the chimney. If those bowsers were still there it would nearly be worth a dig, but someone else who had been there told me there was only one bowser in later years.
An interesting van and bit of history, wonder what ever became of it, that wasn't discussed. I reckon the Dub did a great job towing all that way too. I'm not a Ford fan but sometimes think an old F100 would be a good thing to tow with these days. Maybe it's just fond memories from my days in the police when we used and abused them - and someone else was picking up the fuel tab!
Thanks to Bruce and Carol at SWR for sharing your good times.
George
