Gypsy Wagons Australia - Our making history. House trucks, Vardo's, Tiny Homes and inspiration

Gypsy Wagons Australia

House trucks, Vardos, Tiny Homes,

Gypsy Wagons Australia's making history

Home Dimensions and Prices Interiors and options Shepherd's-huts Delivery Gallery History

We acknowledge, with deep respect, the Palawa people as the traditional and ongoing owners and custodians of Lutruwita, its land, sea, sky and waterways. We pay our respects to the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.

We are a Tasmanian based couple who design and sell wagons within Australia. Each of our wagons are unique with its own character and flavour. We were established in 2003 but our history with wagons and other tiny homes on wheels goes further back. as you can see from some of these images,. Our wagons have evolved over time and we have plans for making many more elaborate constructions in the future!

Harry is a Luthier (making Hurdy Gurdys, Vielles and other traditional stringed instruments), and carpenter by training, and he builds each or our wagons, chassis up, from scratch, and I do the painting, traditional scroll-work and make the lead-lights.

I think most people find the idea of gypsy wagons and the travelling lifestyle has a magic and romance to it and Harry and I are no exception, with both of us loving wagons since childhood (who could forget stories like that of Mr Toad on the open road in his gypsy caravan in the 'Wind in the willows'). Harry also grew up with his uncle making decorative open carts and drays.

In the 1990's Harry first made a small Shepherd's hut (small mobile living hut used in the past for Shepherd's to stay in during lambing) that he lived in for two years, and since 2000 we have had a lot of fun together in house-trucks and eccentric campers.

Extended overland travels from Turkey through Eastern Europe and finally to the West, (funded by the sale of one of our earlier wagons built on the back a magnificent old aqua-coloured International truck) further fuelled our interest.

Romani people have in the past commonly travelled with pack animals, carts (open and covered) and bender tents. In the early 1800's circus troupes and travelling showmen began using living wagons. Some time after, the British Romani began to adopt similar wagons, with the wagon-living heyday extending from the mid-1800's-1930's. These elaborately decorated horse-drawn wagons or "Vardo" were highly prized and typically commissioned by specialist coach builders, with the Romani people often participating in the carving and decorative work. There were around six distinct types of wagon, but our design is based on the 'Reading' wagon, named after the town Reading, England, where this type of wagon was originally built.

Romani populations are diverse and today Romani people live in many parts of the world, including Australia. Throughout their history, Romani groups have often been persecuted, stereotyped and misunderstood. As a good starting point for us gadje (non-Romani) we suggest reading Ian Hancocks 2002 book 'We are the Romani people' University of Hertfordshire Press, to gain an understanding of Romani history, traditions and diversity, If you are interested in the lives and history of the Roma in Australia, the 2017 'Australian Gypsies- Their Secret History' by Mandy Sayer is a great read.

Tenille and Harry,

Gypsy Wagons Australia

Harry's early Shepherds Hut

Early wagon built by us on the back of an old International Truck found in a local paddock. Harry built medieval instruments in this before it funded some of our travels in Eastern Europe. It has many lifetimes of its own since leaving us with, the wagon part recently turning up as a story-telling hut at 'Dark-mofo" in 2017 and the old truck is now for sale (2021) at Willow Court, New Norfolk.

Gathering of some of our early house trucks and wagons.

Tasmanian Public works Department wagon renovated by us

This little wagon served as a bathroom

Early Shepherd's Hut, and House truck being constructed