One nugget I gleaned from the internet was the existence of Scenic Caravans in Dandenong. They specialise in custom-built vans and provide reclining leather chairs when requested. The beauty of going down this track is that the chairs are an integral part of the design and the van is engineered to accommodate them.
At the time, they were advertising a second-hand van with recliners so I emailed them to make some enquiries. A couple of days later I received a phone call from Dave Hamilton who is the designer of their vans and chief salesman. Five minutes with him changed my thinking to the possibility of a new van. The deal was their “Show Special’ - 19-foot caravan with centre-door, air conditioning, shower and toilet, queen-size bed, a washing machine, and leather recliner chairs, at a terrific price - just a wee bit more than we were considering for a second-hand one. Who could resist? Certainly not Marilyn!
We arranged a trip to Dandenong to have a look and July 19th saw us on the train with high hopes that we were about to realise our dream. There was a little thought nagging at me that it seemed too good to be true but my pessimism was misplaced - all the vans we saw were fantastic and Dave could not have been more helpful.
The deal was done and, after listing the few extras we couldn’t live without and choosing the colours, we handed over a cheque for $1000 and went home to wait for November 19th, the notional completion date.
November came and went and it was not until March that we finally took delivery. That was our choice as we knew we wouldn’t be ready to set off until then.
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