During
Before
but had never got around to it. She told
Caroline she had used the caravan for an
arts festival called Ten Days on the Island
in 2005 and when Caroline did a bit of
a search about it, she found out that the
previous owner had curated a project
where a group of caravans travelled to
different sites around Tasmania.
One of the highlights of The Tasmanian
Arts festival: Ten Days On The Island,
is a project called “Radio Holiday” that
documents the lives of those living in
Tasmania’s historic “shack” communities.
Caroline found out that these shacks,
which dot the Tasmanian coast and
highlands, began springing up between
the first and second world wars, and they
all have a unique look. Radio Holiday,
which is housed in a group of caravans,
features photographs, paintings, and
radio pieces about these shacks”, she
tells us.
When Caroline first saw the Skyline she
says that although she loved the shape,
she thought it was in much rougher
condition than she had seen in the
photos that had been posted online.
“I was with my mum at the time and she
said that if I didn’t buy it I would regret
it – and she was right – although I didn’t
know how much work I was getting
myself into!” she laughs.
The ensuing restoration took about a
year to complete, with Caroline working
on the van about one day a week and
during all of her school holidays. The first
thing she did was throw everything out
of the caravan, including the broken rear
fold out sofa bed. The rest of the built
in structures and features were kept,
needing nothing more than a very good
22 | vintagetrailermagazine