The year 1970 was the start of a decade of turmoil and change in the world, but when it came to the caravan industry, Aussies were loving the chance to explore the great outdoors with all the comforts of home.
I’m sure as this column progresses, we’ll flick faster through the decades than month-to-month, but let’s idle in the early days of Caravan World a while longer.
if you misssed the part one in this series, which looked at the first-ever Caravan World, head here.
Franklin’s ‘little ripper’
While a Franklin caravan might be an iconic retro van now — and the inspiration for many restoration projects, DIY re-fits or custom builds — back in 1970 the Victorian brand was in full swing. Founded by Geoffrey Robertson from Ballarat, Vic, in 1947 this Aussie manufacturer was long recognised for its innovative and locally built vans.
Our second Caravan World issue in October 1970 featured a review of the Franklin Regent, a 12ft 6in (3.8m) four-berth van affectionately dubbed ‘Franklin’s little ripper’ by the reviewer. This van sported Franklin’s iconic curved exterior, and it was noted that it was this “aerodynamic shape […] that makes them look neat and so suitable for towing. No wonder they are selling in such big numbers today.”
The Caravan World review of the 12ft 6in Franklin ‘little ripper’ in October 1970
Despite only being 12ft 6in the van had room for four with a dinette lounge up front that doubled as a bed and a Day/Nite Converta lounge down the back. Both of the lounges sported olive and beige linen-grain vinyl piped with gold, an aesthetic that followed through to the gold flecks in the table up front and the “olive, lime and cinnamon floral design” drapes. Since the pictures are black and white we’ll have to trust Franklin’s interior design vision. The reviewer did note that the table was a bit high for small travellers — a problem we’ve solved with telescopic table legs.
The kitchen was located in the middle and featured all the usual accoutrements, including a sink, Tudor two-burner/griller stove, Hallstrom fridge and plenty of storage.
On the nearside wall there was a full-length wardrobe with mirror on the outside of the door, which the reviewer approved of heartily for both practical and aesthetic purposes.
One of the features that surprised the reviewer was that despite being a small and inexpensive van, the floor was tiled rather than a simple one-piece floor covering which they noted “often tends to buckle after hard usage”.
Build-wise, the van sported a white baked acrylic aluminium exterior on top of a ThermoKool sandwich construction. An aluminium stoneguard was fitted on the front windows for extra protection, and it was noted that all the blinkers and stop lights were wired and certified by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SEC). The chassis was box steel and the floor was one-piece rescote.
This was the first Franklin the reviewer had checked out in a couple of years and noted that they were “very pleasantly surprised at the vastly improved and superior finish to this and other Franklin vans, examined at random in the sales yard. Franklin has long been known for its smooth production methods and low prices, but this was the first time I’d realised they’d caught up with some of the more expensive vans when it comes to quality and careful finish.”
The 12ft 6in van was noted as weighing 12cwt — needless to say I needed to Google that one. Turns out a ‘cwt’ is an abbreviation of a ‘hundredweight’ which was 112 pounds, or roughly 50kg by modern calculations. All to say, the Franklin Regent weighed in at just over 609kg which is minute compared to vans these days. As is the price tag of $1510, which would be more around the $20k mark these days.
(For more information about modern caravan weights, head here.)
The little Franklin performed well during the tow test, navigating rougher roads well and “on main highways and in city traffic it followed the tow car like a hungry calf follows its mother”.
All up, the Franklin Regent got the tick of approval for its towing performance, build and fit and finish. And as the ‘little ripper’ was dropped back at the Franklin yard, the reviewer spotted a Franklin Freeway six-berth tandem axle caravan, which they promised to review in the near future — so if you’re interested to hear about that, let us know.
Final highlights
The rest of the short magazine — only 44 pages — comprised of further reviews, including the newly released Suncamper, a Coronet Prince 17’ and the Millard Grande Villa. And a ‘villa’ it is, for rather than being a caravan this was a 50ft by 10ft 6in mobile home, designed more for everyday living than towing capability. The interior was decked out in a Spanish/Mexican style and comprised of two self-contained bedrooms, a laundry/bathroom, lounge with a bar and a spacious dining room/kitchen. The picture of the front cover gives a good example of the vibrant colour scheme and finishings that carried on throughout the build.
A few of the other features in the magazine bore topics quite familiar to us now, including discussions on why motorhomes haven’t seemed to gain as much traction in Australia as they have overseas, the importance of regular caravan care and maintenance (this was prompted by a severe hail storm in Melbourne in late 1970 that damaged many caravans), and the laws and regulations all caravanners must abide by and how these can differ state to state. The vans might have changed these days, but the important topics will always be relevant.
A story about the importance of repairs and maintenance following a Melbourne hailstorm
THE NEXT STEP
If you want to learn the latest caravan news, find the most innovative new caravans and camping gear or get inspired to plan your next adventure on the open road in the Aussie great outdoors, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. We promise to send you only the best content.
Related articles:
Looking back: Caravan World's first magazine | September 1970
Looking back: Retro royalty in the second Caravan World edition | October 1970