Char-a-banc Tour Comes to Town!

In October 1922 a charabanc tour came to Moruya from Melbourne en route to Sydney with a cameraman on board:

A BIG party of tourists from Melbourne passed through Moruya on Tuesday. There were 35 in all, and they are travelling in two big char-a-bancs. They left Melbourne last Monday week, and are proceeding by easy stages to Sydney, and will return by the main southern route to Melbourne. There is a cinematograph operator with the party, and he is taking moving pictures along the way.

Moruya Examiner, 14 October 1922

The journey was expected to take 8 days, but took a few days longer due to the state of the roads. The journey was reported in the Herald (Melbourne), 11 October 1922.

What is a Char-a-Banc?

A charabanc or “char-à-banc” is a type of early motor coach usually open-topped, common in the early part of the 20th century. The name derives from the French char à bancs – carriage with wooden benches.

Charabancs were normally open top, with a large canvas folding hood stowed at the rear in case of rain. If rain started, this had to be pulled into position, a very heavy task. The charabanc offered little protection to the passengers – in the event of an overturning accident, they had a high centre of gravity when loaded (and particularly if overloaded), and they often traversed the steep and winding roads.

Read more in Wikipedia

Adelaide Hotel with charabanc parked in front
MDHS Collection
Princes Highway Tilba 1919
J. H. Harvey Collection State Library of Victoria
Motorized Charabanc of 1920s. Photo in the Book of Knowledge, 1924. OCLC: 60401094
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One response to “Char-a-banc Tour Comes to Town!”

  1. peter geoffrey freeman Avatar
    peter geoffrey freeman

    I ALWAYS ENJOY THE WEEKEND READ OF THE MDHS NEWSPAPER ALBEIT 100 YEARS AGO

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