Time to Roam Magazine Issue 3 - June/July 2013 | Page 12

Catching
the Kombi bug
Australia’s enduring love for the VW van
By Ruth Morris

Ruth Morris with her much loved camper

12

www.timetoroam.com.au

We all love Kombis, apart from
when we are stuck behind one.
When did this love affair begin and
why do so many people fall in love
with a brick-shaped hunk of metal
on wheels?
Everyone knows someone who has owned
a Kombi, or wishes they did. Volkswagen
fanatics often refer to catching ‘The Bug’, and
we are not talking about chasing the other
popular Volkswagen, the Beetle. The love of
Kombis is as contagious as any disease, but
there is no immunisation and no cure. Once
bitten by ‘The Bug’ the victim is left helplessly
in love, craving to own their own rusty brickshaped symbol of freedom, regardless of how
limited their mechanical knowledge is. But
let the bug-bitten beware! The love now