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.
Leave a Reply