Geoff Mattingley
 

From the 1920s operators of furniture vans in Victoria would install basic seating in their vehicles to carry passengers on excursions at week-ends. In 1934 the Transport Regulation Board made this arrangement subject to a special licence, with conditions such as annual inspection of the vehicle and a requirement to obtain a permit for travel more than 50 miles (80 kilometres) from Melbourne. There was a large market for such services for football club trips, Sunday School picnics and school excursions; at one time there were 480 `picnic vans' licensed in Victoria, more than the number of tour buses. It was not uncommon for 20-30 vans to be used for a combined Sunday School picnic in the fifties. From the sixties, the increased availability of modern buses (or coaches) and their greater comfort saw the business decline. There was also some
 

Bogged van on the Murray Valley Highway, Christmas 1947.
Melbourne Bushwalkers collection