Member stories
Transforming vintage caravan: complete restoration guide
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Aussie classic caravans are having a moment - and we’re here for it! We caught up with new Camplify member Elysha and owner of Rosie to get the lowdown on vintage caravans. Passionate about exploring Australia, mother of three Elysha takes us through her journey to finding the perfect retro caravan, its transformation, and how others can now book Rosie for their next getaway!
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Get to know Elysha and her lovely family a little better...
I’m Elysha - 31, happily married to the most incredible human and Mum of three - Indiana (5) Hugo (3) and Daisy (1). Growing up, we were lucky enough to experience so many incredible adventures as a family - from hotels through the US, sailing the Whitsundays on a boat, to travelling across NZ and Europe in a Motorhome and camping with friends at South West Rocks. It’s funny - my siblings and I are always reminiscing on the times we shared together travelling, and whilst we loved it all, we ALWAYS come back to our favourite trips being those that we were here, in Australia, exploring our incredible country together. Be it in a tent, van or on a boat - the closeness that camping is really bringing everyone back together, you appreciate the simple pleasures in life again and realise just how little you actually need to be happy.
**_ BEFORE: Rosie the Vintage Viscount - @Roamingwithrosie_**
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How did you choose the right van for your family?
Jimmy and I had long dreamed of renovating a vintage caravan and spending warm Summers with our kids outside enjoying our beautiful country. We had alerts set up on gumtree, eBay, marketplace - you name it! We researched for hours and read blog after blog, finally deciding that if we could just find something that was watertight and had a solid chassis, the rest didn’t matter so much.
Many weekends were spent travelling all over Sydney - the kids in tow, looking at vans. Majority of them did not end up being watertight, nor did they have a solid chassis (the term for caravan base frame) - despite what the ads promised! And then finally, literally 1km up the road from where we live, a van we drove past every day came up for sale. We knew she was a goodie and were there with our deposit at 8:00 AM that morning.
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Where did you end up finding her?
We live in Avalon, and Rosie was located in Palm Beach. The lady we purchased her from had actually bought her with the intention of renovating her as a place for women fleeing domestic violence situations to stay until they found their feet. She set up a charity and was inundated with lots of donated caravans in much better condition than Rosie, so decided to move the original one on before she was able to commence any work on it. She named the caravan Rosie after Rosie Batty, an incredible survivor and campaigner against domestic violence. When we offered to purchase the van, we were told we could take her as long as we kept her name - Rosie. Perfect!
**_ BEFORE: Rosie the Vintage Viscount - @Roamingwithrosie_**
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Tell us about the exterior...
Rosie’s exterior when we got her was pretty dire, to be honest. She had smashed windows, dents and dings all over - not to mention about 5 different layers of paint. It was a BIG job fixing up her exterior, but definitely one of the most rewarding changes we made. We wanted the paint colour to complement her interior, and I actually love the end result. It’s a colour that you just don’t seem to get sick of - and it compliments the Australian landscape, it almost reminds me of the colour of a gum leaf.
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How did you plan your layout?
When we bought Rosie we actually only had Indy and Hugo, so we planned for the caravan to be able to sleep four people - but we really wanted to make sure there were a functional kitchen and seating area as well. The double bed is up the back of the van, the kitchen and bunks are opposite each other in the middle and the bench seats and table are at the front. Fast forward another year or so and along came Daisy. For now, we are able to remove the table and put the portacot in its place - but eventually, we will modify the seating area to allow it to turn into a fifth bed for her.
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Tell us about the interior...
Just as there were 5 layers of paint on the exterior, the same went for Rosie’s interior - the top layer being a lovely shade of purple! Fortunately, the majority of the kitchen cabinetry and overhead storage cupboards were functioning well - and so we were able to salvage most of it! Jimmy re-built the bed, added the bunks and a storage drawer for each of the kids underneath, he built the bench seats and table too. He lined the ceiling in v-groove and saved the roof hatch. All the hinges and handles were re-sprayed in brass - he even got the original clock ticking again!
Many coats of paint, some marble-look laminate on the kitchen and shelf tops, timber-look vinyl for the floor and she was almost complete. We added soft tones for the bed linen (I may regret the white later - ask me again in a few years, ha!) and some special little personal touches like bookshelves for the kids, ceramic wall lights on the bunks and a feature penny-round tiled tabletop. But my favourite part of the interior would have to be the bench seat cushions that Jimmy even sewed himself - zipper and all. I’m telling you - this man really is incredible, he can do it all!
Why Camplify?
When we finished Rosie, we had lots of people who had followed our journey from the start interested in taking a peek inside - and many of them wondered whether we would ever consider letting other people use her too. It got us thinking and then we heard about Camplify through another vintage caravan renovator we followed on Instagram. We did some research and thought we’d give it a go! And what do you know, our labour of love that was sitting in the driveway for 80% of most weeks started to help other families live the dream of adventuring and making their own memories together - we love that we can be a part of that!
Located less than two hours away from popular campsite, Patonga & NRMA Ocean Beach Resort and under three hours from the Hunter Valley and Port Stephens, the holiday options are endless. She can also be a very fancy spare room for any visiting relatives or friends. If you have experience in towing, you can hitch Rosie up to your own car or alternatively Elysha’s family offer a service where they can drop off to a location of your choice within a 100km radius of Avalon NSW.
The information in this blog is accurate and current as of the date of posting. Please be aware that information, facts, and links may become outdated over time.