After helping my daughter with her Reno the idea of renovating an old van just wouldn't leave my thoughts and I decided that this was something I would love to do, even though it was unlike anything I had ever done before. Be sure to check out the wonderful full story below. You'll love it!
The acquisition had to be affordable, preferably minimal cost, due to the unavailability of surplus funds.
The first thing I did was to mention the notion to my husband and unfortunately received a rather disgruntled response, along with an inexplicable eye roll at the crazy-ness of my idea. Not a great start to my dream. He certainly didn't catch on to my passion at all. Oh well! Looks like this was going to be a solo flight.
So I began the hunt. Firstly checking available vintage vans on the internet and found that they were well out of my budget and often being sold by people who knew their potential, but selling rubbish.
Then came the idea that I would commission all my friends to keep their eyes peeled for a candidate that may be sitting in a paddock looking unloved and an owner who may be glad to have it out of his life. This process spanned over a couple of months, mentioning to anyone I came across to keep their eye out. Along with me doing 'caravan spotting' drives around the area. I would even do it while my husband was driving and it wasn't too long before I noticed that he was even on the case. In fact, on one occasion he even strolled into one place to check if the owner was keen to be rid of their van sitting in the paddock, but alas, someone had already put a deposit on it and they were suppose to be back to pick it up, but as yet hadn't done so.
In the months following my husband began to catch my vision and I could see him almost excited about the prospect. So that was exciting. What a great man!
In July 2016, my girlfriend Sharon rang me from Tumbarumba which is near Tumut, to tell me that on her way to a funeral she had spotted a van at Batlow which was on a property and she thought it might be a possibility. She called me excitedly and I asked her to enquire. So she popped in and chatted to the farmer and he told her that it had been sitting there for quite some time and the cows had chewed the wiring at the front. He said that over 12 years earlier he had used it to accommodate fruit-pickers when he was in the fruit growing business. She asked if she could take some pics to send to me and he was fine with that. Then he looked at her and said, "Actually, I've got another little one inside the shed, if you'd like to have a look at that." So with purpose and intrigue, she followed him to the shed. He apologised that she couldn't get to look inside as it was in the corner of his shed, where it had sat for many many years and was completely hemmed in with farm machinery. Sharon took more photos, exchanged phone numbers with the farmer, and then as soon as she left, she rang to report the find.
I rang the farmer and chatted with him and he was keen to get rid of both the vans if possible and told me that the one in the paddock was slightly longer but the little one in the shed was in better nick.
He said, "She's pretty small though. We put a new bar fridge in it over 12 years ago for the fruit-pickers and we had to forklift it through the roof hatch, cos the door was too narrow." "It's been sittin' there for 12 years now and not been used, so I reckon the fridge would still work."
It took us a few weeks to make plans to arrange to check the vans out and to decide whether we would want either or both of them. It wasn't an easy, streamlined process as we live 10 hours drive from Tumbarumba.
My husband Carl had been chatting to his cousin Ian, who generously offered to take his tilt tray truck down and pick it up. In fact he was keen to take whichever van we didn't want. He was thinking of doing one up himself.
So on the 17th August 2017, both Carl and Ian left at 3.00 am to head south on the caravan expedition. They planned to stay overnight before heading home. But like true men they drove straight down and then straight back, testosterone does that! They however only returned with one van, the little one from inside the shed as they felt that the other one was too far gone.
I was so excited! In the wee hours of the morning I was waiting and watching as the truck drove in with my new 'little' van. And little it was! Just 10' long - in fact 10'6" long. I just giggled when I saw it sitting up on the truck — it looked like a little jellybean. Sooooo tiny!
Tucked away in a shed in Tumbarumba Yes! It’s VERY little, very old and we are VERY happy.
Now the journey really begins.....
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