Panel Van

What is an old ‘Sandman’ panel van doing in the Museum? It has surfboards on the roof rack, but you would hardly call those symbols of WA’s maritime heritage. The thing is, the use of panel vans, station wagons and FWDs for recreation along the coast is an indicator of the change in the culture of leisure in WA since the end of the Second World War. In the past, the coast was something forbidding, with very little habitation along its length, and very little development of recreational facilities. Most people had little interest in visiting the isolated spots which are now major surfing, camping and fishing areas. 

Before the Second World War very few Western Australians owned a motor car. After 1945, war-surplus vehicles came onto the market and economic prosperity put new cars within reach of the many Australians. This, coupled with the growing popularity of surfing and just ‘getting away from it all’, saw a surge in the establishment of unofficial settlements in places like Port Kennedy, Wedge Island and Seabird, and the growth of established towns such as Mandurah, Jurien Bay and Gracetown. What was once inaccessible came within reach.