South Australian show turns back the clock

The inaugural Vintage & Classic Caravan Grand Parade has been given the thumbs up by the organisers of this year’s South Australian Caravan & Camping Show.

The static display, a first for a mainstream RV show, attracted 44 vintage vans of all shapes and sizes, and at one stage threatened to overshadow the new models on display in the main pavilion.

“We had huge interest from the public during the day,” said event organiser, Shani Oaten. “We had quite a lot of people tell us they came to the show just to see that.”

Held on Friday, February 22, the Vintage Parade with its colourful and stylish array of original, restored and modified caravans, provided a snapshot of Australian caravanning history. For many old timers, it would have been a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

With many towed by matching-era vehicles, the old vans were also a poignant reminder of why vintage caravanning has become so popular in recent years.

In fact, for the hundreds of showgoers who made a beeline for the old models lined up behind the main pavilion at the Adelaide Showgrounds, some could have been mistaken for being transported back to the first South Australian Caravan Show, held at the same venue in 1967.

While the big names in the main pavilions included Jayco, New Age, A’van, and Concept, the vintage parade was a reminder of some of the big brands of the 1950s and ’60s Australian caravanning boom including Adelma, Adventurer, Globetrotter, Miami, Viscount and Roadmaster -- many of which were manufactured in South Australia.

The oldest van on display in Adelaide was a home-made replica of a UK-built 1930s Eccles De Luxe, which has to be one of the first ‘pop-top’ caravans. It had the perfect matching tow vehicle in a 1928 Model A Ford ‘woodie’.

Among the many boldly-styled curved bodies, wrap-around windows, venetian blinds and bright and cheerful period decor and trinkets, there were many highlights.

Creating plenty of attention was a pale pink, 1960s Sunliner, owned by the flamboyantly dressed editor of Vintage Caravan magazine. It's regular tow vehicle is an equally stylish 1963 Vauxhall Cresta.

Although the American-built Airstream on display is very familiar to vintage caravan enthusiasts, less well known is Carapark's Aussie version from the 1950s, complete with aviation-inspired, polished aluminium look.

Chatting with owners, some of which travelled from Victoria, NSW and Western Australia to take part, it was quickly obvious the amount of fun you can having owning, restoring and travelling around the country in a vintage van.

For some, it’s a stylish accessory for their classic car. While for others, like the adult owner of a late-‘60s Adelma that he used to holiday in as a boy, it's a life-long addiction. 

And many are still used regularly despite their age. A tiny 1950s home-made bondwood caravan, towed by a 1936 Chrysler sedan, has travelled half way around Australia in the last two years with its third owners.

Judging by the number of 1960s examples on display – six in total – it would be fair to assume that Roadmaster caravans were as popular as Jayco in their day.

Local Magill resident Russell Walsh also took the opportunity to publicly display for the first time his 180 tiny, hand-built replicas of classic and vintage caravans. He spent the last 20 years creating the incredible collection, which were neatly lined up on a table. 

Our favourite? A very stylish red and white ’60s Oasis, complete with American diner-themed interior and hot-rodded, golden Holden tow vehicle. Priceless!