Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Sadly, this classic sliding-window Mini estate has seen better days but, on the positive side, it's still on the road and its B -reg designation suggests that it's not been that long since it passed a roadworthy.  It is probably a Morris, rather than an Austin version, as far fewer of the latter made it to Australian shores.   Mini estates - or, as they're also known in the UK, Travellers or Countrymans - weren't common here in Oz, either.  We did, however, see large numbers of Mini sedans, vans and Mokes, as well as some rarer Speedwell editions, plus a few Wolseley and Riley variants. According to the UK-based Mini Traveller and Countryman Register ( http://www.minitravellerandcountrymanregister.org ), all Morris steel-sided and 'Woody' estates were given the Traveller designation, while their all-but identical Austin cousins - in either guise - were called Countrymans.  Being steel-sided or wood-embellished therefore has nothing to do with

This 1960s Valiant Regal station wagon, seen parked just off Noosa's Hastings Street cafe / shopping strip, was a joy to behold.  It was extremely straight and rust-free, and featured a lovely paint job and very tidy interior.  All its accessories - from the chrome hearse-style roof racks through to its rear dust deflectors and white-walled tyres - were bang-on for its era, too. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

FOLLOW ME ! (C'mon; you know you want to !) Just click on the 'Google   +' button in the top right-hand corner of the uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com front page.  U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogpot.com).

The sheer ingenuity of rat-rods makes them very appealing.  This particular vehicle, spotted in Victoria's Lakes Entrance, is a case in point, with home-made engineering evident in the engine fitting, brakes, suspension and mudguards.  It's an automotive work of art!    U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) All iPhone images.