Golden Fleece Servo

2.8L Hilux · 21-06-2012, 09:25 PM

Hi Fellers, I'm in the process of restoring a '67 Morris Mini Deluxe. I was stripping out the interior and found this stuffed down the back seat.
I'm 21 and have never seen a Golden Fleece service station before. Does anyone have any idea of when it might have been printed? Or any idea of the cars shown in the second photo?

foxtrot3 · 21-06-2012, 09:30 PM

Hi. The distances in kilometres would make it mid 70,s or there abouts but I cant remember when they closed. Cheers MD
Just checked wiki, taken over by Caltex in 81.

TC200six · 21-06-2012, 09:30 PM

Wow, that's quite a find. The Golden Fleece company dissappeared in 1981 I think.

The brochure you found came from the later years of the company when was opening roadhouses in the late '70s. This is one of their ads from around that time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXVkKayp8h8

edit: after a Google search, I discovered there is still a servo with golden fleece signs in Kondinin, WA.

Jim Goose · 21-06-2012, 10:24 PM

awesome find!

as for the cars... a old Nissan on the left... a kingswood in the carport? and still trying to work out the car on right

Evgeni · 21-06-2012, 10:45 PM

Here is a photo I have from an old magazine from the late 70's. An age gone by. I remember the servo's used to have an attandant filling up the car for you and the bowser had a little glass window with little coloured balls in them to prove fuel was actually going into your car. At least that what I thought it was meant to be for!

Is the car on the right an old Valiant? (original brochure scan).

TC200six · 22-06-2012, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evgeni

Here is a photo I have from an old magazine from the late 70's. An age gone by. I remember the servo's used to have an attandant filling up the car for you and the bowser had a little glass window with little coloured balls in them to prove fuel was actually going into your car. At least that what I thought it was meant to be for!

I wonder was his name Stanley?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4HZcUGPr3A

Road_Warrior · 21-06-2012, 10:51 PM

Well then what a blast from the past.

I remember being able to see the Golden Fleece sign at their depot in North Fremantle from my booster seat in my Mum's Datsun 1000

Hang on to that brochure. That's a piece of our motoring history right there.

greencapri408 · 21-06-2012, 10:56 PM

The pic i'n the brochure looks like the servo at border town

blackf6 · 21-06-2012, 11:28 PM

My Granddad used to deliver fuel for golden fleece.

Geez Louise · 21-06-2012, 11:31 PM

I would have been about 6yrs old when I saw my first Golden Fleece station (well that I remember anyway)

Great find. Thanks for sharing. What a blast from the past!

Cheers
Col

**buggerlugs** · 22-06-2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

I would have been about 6yrs old when I saw my first Golden Fleece station (well that I remember anyway)

Great find. Thanks for sharing. What a blast from the past!

Cheers
Col

So does that mean they have been around for over 50 years

flappist · 21-06-2012, 11:37 PM

We love you Stanley, your service is the best.
Coz you give Golden service, golden service nothing less.......

KIWI-1 · 21-06-2012, 11:40 PM

Looks like Valiant VH indicators and C-pillar. Have emailed bro-in-law for confirmation.

wrongwaynorris · 22-06-2012, 05:03 AM

Golden Fleeces were renowned for really good food at very reasonable prices . As a kid whenever we went on long drives we always ate at a Golden Fleece .

EA30TH · 09-01-2014, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

Golden Fleeces were renowned for really good food at very reasonable prices . As a kid whenever we went on long drives we always ate at a Golden Fleece .

100% same here. I remember all the long trips we did from Canberra to QLD on holidays in our Charger. Golden Fleece always open 24 hours and great food because the owners ran the place, not some care-free kid getting paid junior wages.

Rodp · 22-06-2012, 06:04 AM

Yeah, I'm thinking VH or VJ Regal. Looks like the headlight is round on one photo and oblong on the other. Round, VJ, Oblong, VH.

LTDHO · 22-06-2012, 07:45 AM

Golden Fleece reminds me of the long drives when the family used to go camping.

SLO247 · 22-06-2012, 07:56 AM

Awesome.

aussie muscle · 22-06-2012, 08:15 AM

At least when you went to golden fleece you knew what they were going to do to you.

GA_0009 · 22-06-2012, 08:57 AM

Anyone else got a great hatred towards caltex now? Bring back the fleece!

Road_Warrior · 22-06-2012, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA_0009

Anyone else got a great hatred towards caltex now? Bring back the fleece!

Caltex have been allowed to swallow up quite a few iconic brands over the years. Remember AMPOL?

GA_0009 · 22-06-2012, 09:10 AM

I also found a road map in the back of a XB I'm restoring.

sarrge2001 · 22-06-2012, 10:15 AM

They where phased out but still around in the country towns in the early 80's.

If I was doing a long trip i'd always try to stop at a Golden Fleece roadhouse for food.

On a slightly related note, anyone remember the King Neptune holding the trident (i think it may have been a fountain?) next to the Neptune Service Station on South Road, Sturt??

2011G6E · 22-06-2012, 10:37 AM

Great find!!! Hang onto them, as they're an interesting part of your cars history, or if you sell them later on, collectors pay stupid money for some of those things.

The cars look like something big and American, possibly a mid to late sixties Chev, driving out, and a Datsun 1600 parked near the bowsers out the front. A HQ sits under the awning over in the background.
EDIT: Now that I have a closer look, yes, the headlights look like that big car is a VH/VJ Valiant sedan...not a Chev. Whoops.

I've seen the Golden Fleece light up yellow plastic ram from the top of the old bowsers going for rediculous amounts...really big sums of money for a good one.

Apparently the real hens-teeth-rarity treasure are the super-rare black plastic rams, which were on diesel pumps...you have to remember that way back then, diesel was only for dirty old four wheel drives, trucks, and the occasional (very occasional) oddball French car like a Puegeot. Diesel was usually sold from depots, and it wasn't many "normal" servos had a diesel pump.

smally289 · 22-06-2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarrge2001

They where phased out but still around in the country towns in the early 80's.

If I was doing a long trip i'd always try to stop at a Golden Fleece roadhouse for food.

On a slightly related note, anyone remember the King Neptune holding the trident (i think it may have been a fountain?) next to the Neptune Service Station on South Road, Sturt??

Yep, the Neptune Servo on South Road Darlington was always a 'must stay awake' moment for me as a kid travelling home to the hills from Adelaide.

Edit : Just found this http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/...15/2138672.htm

Riksta · 25-06-2012, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evgeni

I remember the servo's used to have an attandant filling up the car for you and the bowser had a little glass window with little coloured balls in them to prove fuel was actually going into your car. At least that what I thought it was meant to be for!

I long for the day I randomly find a bowser with those coloured balls. I reckon they'd all disappeared by the time I started driving & needing to fill up (1997) but always remember as a kid, the guy coming out to fill up the car and dad paying cash through the window! And those little balls - they were hypnotising...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarrge2001

On a slightly related note, anyone remember the King
Neptune holding the trident (i think it may have been a fountain?) next to the Neptune Service Station on South Road, Sturt??

I was only discussing that Saturday night with a mate at the pub. Along with Marineland (remember that one?) and everybody's favourite, DazzleLand.

music189 · 26-06-2012, 05:11 PM

Im 53 and my old man had a Golden Fleece servo, my first job at 13 was pumping petrol checking tyres, under the bonnet levels, cleaning windscreens, etc used to love it too. I can remember throwing out the Golden Fleece "supreme" oil 1 pint and 1/2 pint glass and tin oil bottles when metric came in If only I had keep them worth a bit now.
should have keep all the sheep from the pumps too.

we used to put out the petrol price every morning and when litres came out it was 11.5 cpl!!!!!

We used to clean those oil bottles every week and ours all had little caps on them.

Before that he worked at a place that sold Esso petrol still got one of those little Tigers in a key ring in the shed!

Kevaclone · 26-06-2012, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riksta

I long for the day I randomly find a bowser with those coloured balls. I reckon they'd all disappeared by the time I started driving & needing to fill up (1997) but always remember as a kid, the guy coming out to fill up the car and dad paying cash through the window! And those little balls - they were hypnotising...
.

The little plastic balls were a recent thing, before that, and for many more years they had a revolving finned disc in a round glass

if you want to find and old pump, try your local dodgey independent servo, especially if they have an old shed on the site that looks like it's not been used for a long time, they can be full of old memorabilia

Iggle Piggle · 10-01-2014, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarrge2001

On a slightly related note, anyone remember the King Neptune holding the trident (i think it may have been a fountain?) next to the Neptune Service Station on South Road, Sturt??

King Neptune used to be a great spot for yabbying back in the 80's - filled many buckets there in my youth.

Wonder if Golden Fleece disappeared because people started flying places on TAA or Ansett while drinking Tab?

XC50077 · 10-01-2014, 03:29 PM

One of the very last AMPOL servo/roadhouse has just changed to Caltex. Located at Upper Colo on the Putty Road and is a favourite stop for many a traveller. Called in last Sat. for a bite of decent tucker at good prices and always make a point of stopping at these roadhouse truckstops so they hopefully don't disappear altogether.