Australian VW History

Here is an in-depth story of the history of Volkswagen in Australia, spanning over seven decades since the first Aussie soldiers saw the Kubelwagen during the war.

Did you know that Volkswagens sold here from 1954 to 1976 were not made in Germany? They were made right here in Melbourne. Aussie VWs of the 1960s are quite different from their German/US/UK cousins. Here is the story of how the Australian factory came about - and what happened to it.

Apart from a few hundred Transporters, there were no Volkswagens sold in Australia at all between 1981 and 1990. The story of how VW died in Australia, and how they were resurrected and slowly reestablished in the 1990s and 2000s, is here too.

You have probably seen lots of historical VW photos from Europe and America. Well here we have added lots of unique Australian historical VW photos which, we hope, you won't have seen before.

Just click (left) on the five-year block you are interested in. Or start at the beginning and read the lot!

We hope you enjoy learning about the fascinating history of Volkswagen in Australia.

Written by Phil Matthews