Brisbane filmmaker Justin Brown and professional restorer Josh Newbury are taking an old caravan and turning it into a multi-purpose portable party house.
By utilising the crowdfunding site Pozible Justin and Josh are restoring a 1959 Pilot caravan to its original potential. Justin says when the caravan is finished it will be rented out for a number of events and occasions such as festivals and trade shows as well as being used as anything from a holiday home, a mobile bar or VIP lounge ― even as an iconic backdrop. “We're also looking at weddings, parties – anywhere you want to instantly have a beautiful thing,” Justin tells us.
“If you've got it for the weekend you're really treating yourself. I can picture it at a festival, I can picture it on an ocean cliff top as a little getaway, a surprise for someone's anniversary or birthday... and we can just put it on the back of our car or truck and tow it anywhere and leave it with people and let them do with it as they please.”
Justin, who has a love old things, restored a 1969 Viscount caravan a few years ago, so the '59 Pilot is not his first restoration project. It is, however, his first restoration project with a professional to help him. “I learnt from the first one that I don't really have that many handyman skills. You think that you do but then you end up spending more time fixing the things that you really stuffed up than actually doing anything practical.
“This time I've got Josh Newbury who's a really great designer/ builder, a very clever guy who's done film sets and beautiful bars and shops. He's just a go-to-guy for lots of interesting, beautiful projects, and he's just as passionate about it as me. He's the one who's going to make it look amazing.”
Josh is no stranger to projects such as this one. “My background is stuff like this,” he explains. “I've done-up maybe ten mobile vehicles, and a few boats as well, and I'm just really into the small compact design nature that these things entail. This one in particular, you just don't see caravans like this and it's in reasonably good condition... I just liked the idea of it.”
Justin's Pozible campaign is now more than a third of the way to its $10,000 goal. While finances are an issue, Justin and Josh are determined to finish the caravan within the next few months. “We're trying to get it finished so it all comes good by September. We've got a few events very keen to have it. Then for the Christmas season it would be pretty handy for a few people... It's something from the '50s which is just so worthy of restoring. It would've just rotted away on a farm like probably the thousands that were made. Once you're hooked, you can't stop until you make sure it's done.”
After the caravan is fully restored, Justin is planning a surprise launch party with special prizes for those who donated to the cause. “Just before the end of the year, we'll tow it to a secret location, and have lots of Shampines, which is the Pineapple Lounge's cocktail. I run the Pineapple Lounge up at Woodford. Because I film Woodford Festival I have a lot of musical friends and they're all keen to come and play, so we'll have a few bands... it'll be great.”
Written by Darcy Stephens
This project, while already featured on the main Pozible site, is also one of the first projects to be listed as part of the localised Brisbane Edit.
