Tripping around by car

Our Sepia Saturday theme for this week shows a charabanc with a string of private vehicles behind it, presumably tripping around the countryside for a day’s outing.

My family’s album shows a variety of cars used for getting from one place to another, for going visiting and going on holidays.

Bandmaster Tom Tansey had left Castlemaine to live in Beechworth in 1929 but here he is with his wife  back visiting his daughter and family in 1936. They now had a trip home of 281 km (184 miles).  I wonder what the top speed was in this 1920s car on roads of variable quality.  They are standing in front of the house “Adelphi”

On to 1950, visiting Kyneton and going bush  in their 1920s car.  I love the running boards and wouldn’t mind if cars still had them,  Later on I had my first driving lesson in this car. Meanwhile down in a back shed there was a bull-nosed Morris Cowley, having a back-yard makeover and being honed and oversize rings fitted to the pistons.  Unfortunately There is no photo of that one.

In 1950 it was a 1930 Marmon for a trip to Apollo Bay.

And of course to go fishing off the rocks nearby.

But if you look closely you’ll see that there are no flash fishing rods and reels but simply some sticks to which were attached string and hooks.  No record has been kept of any catches.

In 1953 it was a Nash for a trip to Mount Macedon.

In 1957 it was time for one of the boy’s toys and a girl’s best accessory,  a 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom I for a trip to Castlemaine.

Then there was the MG. This young fellow, shown here in 1965, later managed to take the cap off the radiator and stuff some Matchbox cars into the radiator.  At another time he was left in the passenger seat while his father went into a shop.  He let the handbrake off and the car rolled backward across the street,  Fortunately no damage done.

After this dalliance with an MG , it was on to safe, sensible family cars.

More tripping around, whether by charabanc or private cars, can be seen through  the links on Sepia Saturday.