caravan

1937 was a transition year for Oldsmobile and that was certainly the case here in Australia for the locally assembled models. There were several key changes that took place in 1937, the most significant being a shift from timber-framed bodies to an all-steel structure. The Holden Body plant at Woodville, South Australia also transitioned to an all-steel turret top on Sedan & Sloper Coupe's to follow what Fisher Body had introduced in 1935 in the U.S. for the G.M. range there. Detroit executives apparently underestimated GM-H, they didn't initially believe that the Holden plant was capable of producing the All Steel Turret and was quite surprised when Laurence Hartnett - Managing Director of G.M-H confirmed that not only could the Holden Body plant produce the all-steel turret top, but they had been doing so for the Chrysler, Dodge, De Soto & Plymouth bodies that Holden's had built throughout 1936 for the Chrysler Corporation. Source: www.oldsmobileinaustralia.info/37hist.html

Do you remember visiting the school dental clinic? Many of us are familiar with clinics in classrooms or even mobile caravans, but did you know one of the first traveling dental clinics in Queensland was a rail car? The school dental scheme was developed by the Department of Public Instruction in the late 1920s. The Rail Dental Clinic ensured children from the country got the same level of care as those living in the city. The rail cars were created from existing rollingstock. The carriages were fitted out with surgeries that had electric lighting, heating, and the latest dental equipment. The rail cars also had a waiting room, kitchenette, and living and sleeping quarters for the dentist. A carriage behind the dental clinic held a small truck, allowing the dentist to visit locations away from the towns on the scheduled rail stops. We hold a 1935 itinerary for a dental rail car that was based at Cairns and made scheduled stops at many towns across Northern Queensland, including Mount Molloy, Bamford, Georgetown, Tully, and Port Douglas, to name just a few. Operating for another 50 years after that trip, the Rail Dental Clinic service was discontinued in the early 1980s. An allied service – the Infant Welfare Railway Car service – treated mothers and babies throughout regional Queensland, and provided nursing advice and education. The rail car was constructed at the Ipswich Railway Workshops in 1929. Based in Hughenden, the rail car began its first journey across the state in early 1930. Initially, the service had no fixed itinerary and traveled to towns on the main coastal line and all the branch lines as needed. In 1939 it traveled on an itinerary across North West Queensland. In December 1982 the service finally rolled to a stop, and the rail car clinic was later donated to the Railway Historical Society. Source: blogs.archives.qld.gov.au/2015/10/19/all-aboard-the-root-...

THE GREAT HOLIDAY BOOM The end of the war heralded the start of what the Sydney Morning Herald called in 1947, the ‘Great Holiday Boom’. A rush of affordable European and English sedans onto the market coincided with pay increases and big changes at work: two weeks of paid annual leave, a two-day weekend, and for many, regulation of the 40-hour working week and even long-service leave. While it might once have been just a dream, for Australia’s post-war families, owning a car became almost as important as owning a house and suddenly, everyone wanted to hitch up and go. With more time off and the money to cover holiday expenses, Australians embarked on annual beach holidays and forays into the little-explored outback, armed with maps provided free of charge by oil companies and motoring associations. The introduction of the production line revolutionised caravan manufacturing, and Australia’s Big Four led the way: Viscount and Millard in NSW, Franklin in Victoria, and Chesney in Queensland. In all, 22 manufacturers joined Australia’s inaugural 1954 caravan show in Melbourne showcasing their affordable, lightweight caravans decked out with Laminex benchtops, vinyl couches, carpeted floors and innovative gas and electric-powered kitchens. When Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley launched Holden’s FX in 1948, one in every 10 Australian homes had a car in the garage. Once homegrown cars went into production in the mid-1960s, most Aussies had access to one and with rental caravans readily available, the caravan holiday could finally begin. Source: caravan.hemax.com/News/10865/Rise_of_the_Aussie_nomad

Congrats on Explore! ⭐ January 15, 2024

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