Published back in September 1970, the first Caravan World magazine looks quite a bit different to our current iteration. It was only 44 pages long and priced at a mere 30-cents per issue (although 30c would have gone a bit further back in the 1970s than it does now).
Much of the content is of a similar nature, with a few caravan reviews, technical advice, features and trade and club news. Some of the information was a bit less caravan-centric, such as discussing snow season that year, including the benefits of different ski fields and ways to get there.
An unfamiliar brand
One caravan review did stand out due to the unfamiliar name — Carola Caravans. The brand was based on Lonsdale Street in Dandenong, Vic, and was the nearest TravelHome Caravans agent to Caravan World’s office at the time. Caravan World reviewer Gwen Haslar organised a four-day loan of a TravelHome van, and tow tested it with Carola Caravans proprietor Tom Knox.
The reviewed van was 15ft long by 7ft wide and slept up to six people with two double beds/lounges at the front and rear and the central L-shaped dinette doubling as a bed for the kids. It was said to be “a good example of compact living for the larger family with a smallish car [and that] its economy price would appeal to them too” ... although Gwen did admit that it would be rather crowded inside with more than four people.
Appearance wise it was quite the classic 70s caravan, with a white baked acrylic aluminium cladding with a light orange flash along each side — the 20lb (9kg) gas bottle was even painted white to match the van.
Inside the van there was a Morphy Richards Astral refrigerator, which was incorporated under the sink unit, a two-burner stove/griller, an extra two power points over the sink and plenty of storage space. As you’d expect of the time, there was no bathroom on board. While the black and white pictures didn’t do it justice, we easily imagine what the optioned-on “French mustard soft vinyl upholstery throughout [and the] ochre Axminster strip mats” looked like in reality (the orange/yellow theme was on par with the times). And the tin-Perspex cupboard doors, laminated walls, linoleum floors and cotton curtains on all the windows completed the look.
When it came to towing, Gwen noted it travelled well on a cinder track at 35m/h (approx. 56km/h) and was just as happy on the highway at 60m/h (96km/h) “but above that speed it developed a slight sway, possibly due to our tow bar being too high for the coupling”.
During the review Tom Knox pointed out some of TravelHome’s benefits compared to its competitors, including stress bars on the A-frame for extra strength and safety, fully removable vinyl upholstery covers, water tanks located behind the axle instead of in front of it for extra protection, and the fact the van’s framework is 2in x 1in timber with a solid half inch thick floor, and a chassis that is all steel and specially tailored to the floorplan. Gwen also noted that (at the time) TravelHome caravans had the longest A-frame towbar in the caravan trade, measuring at 3ft 5in, for better and safer towing.
While recommended as an economy van, the price was not included. However, the price of some towing mirrors was ($7.50 each), and it’s nice to see that we at Caravan World haven’t failed in our mission to extol the virtues of these accessories in our 54 years of publishing!
(Check out this article for more info on essential gear for your caravanning setup.)
If you remember the Carola Caravans brand or know what became of them, be sure to let us know. It’s a rare day that our esteemed editor John Ford doesn’t recognise a name.
Final highlights
The magazine also dedicated three of its precious 44 pages to the 1970 Melbourne Boat Show, which apparently had the smallest display of caravans and campers ever. Some event highlights included Crusader launching the Pixie caravan, which was priced under $1000, only 8ft long and included fully independent suspension. For the camper trailer enthusiasts, there was the Trail Blazer folding camper van by Holiday Equipment, and of course, given it was primarily a boat show they couldn’t go without showcasing a few standout boats as well. The article wrapped up with the final comment that 1971 looked to bring an influx of camper trailers to the show “for they are fast becoming popular among today’s outdoor minded Australians on the move”. Perhaps we’ll discover if this prediction was correct as we continue looking back through our archives.
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Looking back: Caravan World's first magazine | September 1970