A remarkable photo diary documents the journey of two women who traveled around Australia in a VW in 1963 _ UK & Au historical

   

Spelio had these slides to sort, and the diary to Blog one day. He scaned them ready for Betty's 90th birthday in Mrach 2014, 50 years since the trip.

“Two of my aunts Dorothy and Betty drove around Australia in their Beetle on a great adventure which Betty has written up in a 100p typed diary, and Dorothy photographed the trip with a 1000 Kodachromes.”
Betty 'looking towards Byron Bay' with Gi-Gi on hill, 13th Jan 1963

 

Betty climbing Transit Hill, Port Macquarie, Jan 1963

 

Betty in flooded road, Queensland, January 1963

 

Canefields on the first stage of the around Australia trip in Gigi the VW in 1963

 

Dorothy climbing Transit Hill, Port Macquarie, Jan 1963

 

Dorothy on 'Razorback lookout Coolangatta', Jan 1963

 

VW in floods, Queensland, Jan 1963

 

 4 miles of Port Douglas beach to drive along, Feb 1963

 

 Approaching Ingham and the Halifax bridge, Feb 1963

 

Betty and Ron looking at Black Mt Cooktown, Queensland, Feb 1963

 

Betty driving Gi-Gi off truck after crossing the Herbert, Feb 1963

 

Cooktown, Queensland, Feb 1963

 

Cooktown-Helenvale, Queensland, Feb 1963

 

Dorothy at hotel on Magnetic Island, Feb 1963

 

Dorothy in 'old tram from early days', Port Douglas, Feb 1963

 

Evelyn and Betty, Magnetic Island, March 1963

 

Betty on Gi-Gi on the Mount Ebenezer Road, April 1963

 

 The Olgas at 1.30pm on April 6, 1963

 

 The Olgas from Ayres Rock, (VW at base of the Rock), late afternoon of April 1963

 

Betty and a morning wash-after cleaning the oil filter, Western Australia, May 6, 1963

 

Caravan at Scarborough, May 1963

 

 Dorothy doing the morning chores, somewhere in Western Australia, May 6, 1963

 

Dorothy in Boab prison tree near Derby, May 15th, 1963

 

Stop for a beer then on towards Onslow Whim Creek, 17th May 1963

 

Shannon River, WA Southern area of the state, Sept 1963

 

A garden for charity on the Port Wakefield Road out of Adelaide, Oct 1963

 

A salt lake en route to Arno Bay, Oct 6th, 1963

 

Betty on arrival at West Beach, Oct 7th, 1963

 

Betty, Whyalla, Oct 1963

 

 Ceduna, South Australia, Oct 1963

 

Charity garden, Oct 1963

 

Filling up water bottles near Gi-Gi on old Eyre Highway, Oct 1963

 

Filling water can before Eucla, Nullarbor water tank, Oct 1963

 

State border, Oct 1963

 

Alice Springs telegraph station, 1963

 

Betty and termite mound, 1963

 

Betty at campfire, 1963

 

Betty at house, 1963

 

Betty at lake, 1963

 

Betty beside VW, 1963

 

Betty has a quiet smoke in Perth, 1963

 

Dorothy on Cairns mud flats, 1963

 

Dorothy on Nullarbor, at the mailbox of Nullarbor homestead, 1963

 

Dorothy relaxes in Gi-Gi in the Kimberley, 1963

 

Gi-Gi heading across an outback river crossing, 1963

 

Gi-Gi VW running repairs, 1963

 

Muddy road, 1963

 

On the way up to Queensland, 1963

 

On the way up to Queensland, 1963

 

Tropic of Capricorn in Queensland, 1963

 

VW at highway, 1963

 

VW heading down hill, 1963

 

VW rear with Betty somewhere remote, 1963