Old Viscount and Carapark vans from the 1970s
Malcolm ponders the question about whether the products of today are built to last.
There are any number of gadgets and devices around that, when first developed and brought to the market, everyone wondered just how they might be used. Some of those devices faded away, but others have become very much part-and-parcel of life. When Apple first released its iPad in 2010, I thought they were a fad. A decade and counting later, I’ve owned a couple and generally don’t move around without it. I have found an iPad or tablet is beneficial when travelling.
The little problem I have encountered with my current model is that the battery is fading and only lasts a day. When I enquired about a replacement at my local repairer, he indicated that the battery could be replaced. However, after noting the age of the iPad and the fact that it was likely that Apple would cease doing iOS upgrades shortly, this was not a good idea. This built-in redundancy is a little frustrating since the iPad mostly serves my needs. Now, a portable battery pack has been pressed into service while I consider my options.
A bit of history
In my wanderings, when searching for caravan photo locations, I often come across odd pieces of Australian history, sometimes not that far from civilisation.
On a recent trip to the Hunter Valley (Newcastle, NSW), I came across a couple of old caravans in a roadside paddock. One was a Viscount from the early 1970s and the other is a Carapark Voyager, about 10 years older. I couldn’t get too close to look but I thought that while the Viscount was a good restoration project, the older van may have presented a few more difficulties. Anyone who has been around a bit will know the old caravans from the 70s and 80s are to be found in all kinds of odd and not so odd, places. There’s plenty to be found in many a coastal caravan park and it’s something of a testament to the caravan industry of the time that there are so many survivors. How many of today’s caravans will be around in 50 years?
Parked near the old St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Seaham, NSW
Something else I came across on the same trip was a rather magnificent sandstone church in the somewhat quiet town of Seaham, NSW. Built from locally quarried stone in early English style, the church was consecrated in 1860. It looked out of place in the area, but after a bit of research, I discovered that it was one of the few building survivors of a bad bushfire that destroyed most of the town back in 1939. It’s now private property but something of a testament to the skills and determination of early settlers in the area along the Williams and Hunter rivers.
Little surprises like this are often found near the river systems of big cities. In the case of Sydney, there are quite a few historical finds along the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers, such the First Fleet cemetery I stumbled across once. In earlier times, navigating a river was much easier than cutting bush tracks.
Small motorhome, big space
Electrically operated, drop-down beds are a clever design feature that effectively uses space twice. Designed chiefly for small motorhomes but also used by some innovative caravan designers, drop-down beds are a great way of using the air space above a lounge or dinette. There are some limitations, but it means you can have your cake and eat it too.
Not so long ago, I looked over a Windsor Daintree motorhome. It has a Renault Master cab chassis and is just 6.58m (21ft 7in) long. The layout includes a decent-sized lounge/dining area directly behind the driver’s cab and a full-width bathroom across the rear. The drop-down bed sits above the lounge and, when lowered, is accessible from both back and front. Even the kitchen bench, often quite diminutive in a motorhome this size, has all the essentials, including some good-capacity drawers. For a couple, it offers more interior space than a large van conversion of a similar length, and because of the drop-down bed, it has some flexibility.
Windsor Daintree motorhome with drop-down bed layout
THE NEXT STEP
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