Golden Fleece Servo

[V8 6I]

Glad to see this tread came up again to clear a few things up.The servo pictured was the Golden Fleece in Craigieburn Victoria I should know as I worked there pumping petrol at 69.9 cents per gallon in early 1976.The man and woman were the owneres Bob and Diane and the lady serving at the tables is my mother.These pics were taken in late 75 just before I got the job there.I remember my mother saying there was someone coming around to take photos.Like Coles and Wollies they all look similar so no wonder everyone thinks it the one they remember.I hope this helps.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by washoutbeach

Back in the day kids, when you drove into a servo, it was an experience.

You never got out of the car.

Back in the day kids...

You'd pull up next to a pump and a guy with a clean uniform and a cap would run out and say

"Good morning Sir, fill 'er up?"

You would open the bonnet.

The pumps were auto and hed set the trigger up and while it was filling, he'd wash your windscreens, fill up your windscreen washer, if you needed wiper blades, he would fix those, then check your oil and then pump up the tyres. If you needed oil, he would top you up using a old glass oil bottle full of muck.

You didn't have to move from your seat at all.

You'd give him $5.00 and he'd run off and get your change.

Then he'd stand to attention as you started the car and smiled at you as you wished him good day and waved him goodbye.

"See you next time" they used to say.

And kids, even after all this, if he didn't wait until you had left, you had something to complain about!

If they charged you for anything other than the actual petrol, that was a total rip off too

And back in the day, service stations where about service, they weren't trying to sell you a grossly overpriced Coke, toilet papar or a special on icecreams and lollies. There were no newspapers, cigarettes, coffee etc.

They only stocked oil, maybe the odd fuse.

And back in the day kids, more than three cars in a row was a traffic jam.

And people knock the performance of old cars and stuff, bt for the gentle quiet conditions, they were wonderful.

And kids, back in those days, families actually had meals together at a place called a "dining table"

And only Dad needed to work, so you got taken care of really well.

And almost everyone in Aus drove a Ford or a Holden and there were heaps of good jobs where you could no almost nothing and get paid, in todays terms, a small fortune.

Most people were happy and there was no such thing as stress.

Interesting, but you lost me when you got preachy with the dining table bit.

[TC200six]

I happened to visit a nostalgia restaurant last May which had a museum full of old oil company stuff, including Golden Fleece.
Scotty's Garage in Upper Flagstone, Qld.

[2011G6E]

In 1982 petrol in Bundaberg was about 32 cents a liter. I remember this because it's the year I started driving.
I also remember it was 36 cents a liter in late 1982 when I picked up my Charger with the heavily worked 265 hemi in it. I worked on a farm outside town, was running after a girl I was going out with most nights, and also went to the drags outside town on a remote road thursday and saturday nights and occasionally competed.
I was taking home about $180 a week working on a farm, and was pouring over fifty bucks a week down the throat of the Charger...

...and it was worth every cent...

[MercurySilver]

great old thread

i can remember Esso from when i was a kid in the uk
mate at works old man has a shed full of old fuel type stuff
nothing in min t nick just a shed with stuff sitting about on shelves and the walls
think i might check under the back seats and under the vinyl in the old xb weekend
you never know............

[Kieron]

Anyone in Perth who's interested, the Capricorn Society in Burswood have a collection of Golden Fleece memorabilia and other stuff in there reception last time I was there.

Talking of Esso, my FIL was a area sales manager for them in Malaysia, still has all sorts of promo stuff brand new, t-shirts, umbrellas, nail clippers, bags, tissue box holders, key rings etc with the "Tiger In Your Tank" logos, pretty sure I could get all sorts of Esso signs, oil cans etc!

[noflac52]

The other brand mentioned here is AMOCO. "Put Amoco in your machine, Amoco nice and clean" "The one with the final filter"

[Danny]

There used to be an Agip servo in Lower Templestowe here, that was pretty cool.

[hazrd]

I knew nothing about Golden Fleece (only just missed out) until I read this thread. Thanks for the share. It was a great read!

[TC200six]

Originally Posted by noflac52

The other brand mentioned here is AMOCO. "Put Amoco in your machine, Amoco nice and clean" "The one with the final filter"

People who remember the 1970s all seem to recall the series of "AMOCO in my machine" jingles on TV and radio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20JAZlQzJu8
Although, that "final filter" on their fuel hoses they pushed like hell in those ads was nothing more than a gimmick. If it was such an advantage, everyone would have it.

I've seen a comment on YouTube by someone who claims to have worked at an AMOCO say they just turned the filter around to flush the dirt out of it, so the next person to use the bowser would get a tank full of dirt. Sounds nasty LOL.

[Kingsley]

Where I grew up as a kid (Katoomba - Leura) we had a number of servo's within a a couple of k's. The Golden Fleece was a 24hr which was the only servo with a pressure washer as a car wash, a Esso, Mobil, Shell and a couple of Ampols. Even off the highway in town there were a few combined servo/new-used car dealerships. My dad worked at Holden dealership at Springwood that also had a Ampol servo. He was forever bringing home 'Jolly Swagman' merchandise from that place.

[D Block]

Golden Fleas.

[vbvbvb088]

I think Mike Willesee promoted AMPOL?

[EA30TH]

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.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

So petrol really wasn't all that much cheaper back then, considering inflation? What was the average middle class wage back in the late 70s, about $200 a week?

Got me thinking.
average australian earnings ATO figures;
1971 $4,352
2010 $65,005
Average price of pertol for same years; easy to find figures
If we assume the poster's above figure of circa 20c/l is an acurate cost vs 2010's published average figure of $1.34/l the cost of petrol today as percentage of income is about half that of 1971.
1971 - 0.00441%
2010 - 0.00206%
The old days werent so 'rosy' as petrol cost was a greater impost on your budget than today...if my maths hold up. Not to mention the thirstier cars. we do live in a good world after all.
In researching this the price of fuel in 2030 is estimated to be $2.72 +/-/L
http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2010/files/sp_005_Gargett.pdf


JP

[cobramania]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Got me thinking.
average australian earnings ATO figures;
1971 $4,352
2010 $65,005
Average price of pertol for same years; easy to find figures
If we assume the poster's above figure of circa 20c/l is an acurate cost vs 2010's published average figure of $1.34/l the cost of petrol today as percentage of income is about half that of 1971.
1971 - 0.00441%
2010 - 0.00206%
The old days werent so 'rosy' as petrol cost was a greater impost on your budget than today...if my maths hold up. Not to mention the thirstier cars. we do live in a good world after all.
In researching this the price of fuel in 2030 is estimated to be $2.72 +/-/L
http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2010/files/sp_005_Gargett.pdf


JP

That maybe so, but through the '60's, '70's, '80's & even into the late '90's, you used a lot less fuel, per week/per year.

In the '60's the average distance traveled in a year was around 4000km, the average in the '70's was around 6000km, through the '80's it was around 8000km & we hit the 10,000 km mark sometime in the '90's.
The average distance traveled now per year, for most people (& their cars), is between 15,000 & 25,000km.

Back in the old days (up till the early '90's), bread, milk & other items were delivered to your door daily (in most places).
You generally only went shopping 1 day a week, & the supermarket was in your suburb or the one next to it.
Kids walked to & from school, you'd walk up the street to the "corner store" to get grocery items you may have run out of, before your next weekly shop.
You'd walk most places or catch public transport (including to & from work).

The only times the car would come out, would be to grocery shop (too hard to carry all the bags on the bus or walk home), but then the supermarket would generally home deliver them, so you could still walk to the supermarket.
It'd come out for a family Sunday drive, for holidays & work commuting, (if you really had too).

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by cobramania

That maybe so, but through the '60's, '70's, '80's & even into the late '90's, you used a lot less fuel, per week/per year.

In the '60's the average distance traveled in a year was around 4000km, the average in the '70's was around 6000km, through the '80's it was around 8000km & we hit the 10,000 km mark sometime in the '90's.
The average distance traveled now per year, for most people (& their cars), is between 15,000 & 25,000km.

.

According to the ABS statistics from the day
(http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausst...92080_1976.pdf)

1963 13,700 km/s per year across all vehicle types
1971 15,900 km/s per year across all vehicle types
1976 15,300 km/s per year across all vehicle types

and 2012's years yearbook
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@....20activity~187
2012 14,900 km/s per year across all vehicle types

so not a big difference in AVERAGE traveled distances across the last half century

JP

[jpblue1000]

double post

[Olbucko]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Got me thinking.
average australian earnings ATO figures;
1971 $4,352
2010 $65,005
Average price of pertol for same years; easy to find figures
If we assume the poster's above figure of circa 20c/l is an acurate cost vs 2010's published average figure of $1.34/l the cost of petrol today as percentage of income is about half that of 1971.
1971 - 0.00441%
2010 - 0.00206%
The old days werent so 'rosy' as petrol cost was a greater impost on your budget than today...if my maths hold up. Not to mention the thirstier cars. we do live in a good world after all.
In researching this the price of fuel in 2030 is estimated to be $2.72 +/-/L
http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2010/files/sp_005_Gargett.pdf


JP

Petrol was approx. 9.4c a litre, (38c a gallon), in 1971, it did not reach 20c a litre until about 1980. This makes petrol about the same price in 2010 as 1971.

Australians today have a far greater disposable income, and far more things to spend it on, than we had back then, but we winged about the price of petrol back then too. Nothing has changed!

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Olbucko

Petrol was approx. 9.4c a litre, (38c a gallon), in 1971, it did not reach 20c a litre until about 1980. This makes petrol about the same price in 2010 as 1971.

fair enough, I was relying on another posters memory and claim from that period.
But goes to show the price relative has remained fairly steady and so have the distances travelled.
Given the most affordable cars ever, best economy were not that bad off in the 2000's compered to the good old days!

JP

[rjr]

Originally Posted by TC200six

People who remember the 1970s all seem to recall the series of "AMOCO in my machine" jingles on TV and radio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20JAZlQzJu8
Although, that "final filter" on their fuel hoses they pushed like hell in those ads was nothing more than a gimmick. If it was such an advantage, everyone would have it.

I've seen a comment on YouTube by someone who claims to have worked at an AMOCO say they just turned the filter around to flush the dirt out of it, so the next person to use the bowser would get a tank full of dirt. Sounds nasty LOL.

The Amoco final filter had a paper type element in it much like an oil filter.

The also had a check valve in them so if someone installed the filter the wrong way around it wouldn't pump fuel.

It would be fantastic if the oil company's would do something like that now as the internal filter in the pumps is nowhere as efficient as Amoco's Final Filter.

It probably would be possible to pull a filter out in an emergency situation and flush it an reuse it but I doubt this would happen very often and the person would then need to know the correct installation procedure. The maintenance company would only be 1/2 hour away with a new filter.

Also no filter no worky because of the check valve so the customer could always be 100% sure his fuel was being filtered.

[rjr]

Originally Posted by Kieron

Anyone in Perth who's interested, the Capricorn Society in Burswood have a collection of Golden Fleece memorabilia and other stuff in there reception last time I was there.

Talking of Esso, my FIL was a area sales manager for them in Malaysia, still has all sorts of promo stuff brand new, t-shirts, umbrellas, nail clippers, bags, tissue box holders, key rings etc with the "Tiger In Your Tank" logos, pretty sure I could get all sorts of Esso signs, oil cans etc!

Check and see if you have any of the rubber Tigers on a key ring. They gave heaps of those out.

Pull the tail out [it comes out easy] and feed it through the hole between his legs and see what you end up with.

[2011G6E]

Yes, fuel economy was pretty abysmal back then, even for "economy" cars. Our 1982 Celica with the two liter and five speed (and factory air con) is pretty much standard except for a Ram Flow air cleaner. It is lucky to crack 10ltr/100km on the highway. In fact, back in the seventies and into the eighties before the days of widespread EFI and overdrive gearboxes (manual and auto), that was the figure to aim for...10/100. That was seen as the mark of "great fuel economy" if your car could do that regularly.

Nowadays if even a large sedan couldn't crack 10/100 the reviewers would have a field day with the "inefficient" car.

I have a 1981 Wheels magazine in my hot little hand, and looking through the "official" fuel economy figures makes for interesting reading.
Here's a few from common cars at the time:
* Gemini sedan (4 spd manual), 26mpg (10.9lt/100...close!)
* Cortina 2ltr manual: 24.9mpg (11.3lt/100)
* Commodore 3.3 six, manual: 19mpg (14.9lt/100)
* Falcon 4.1 manual: 21.7mpg (13ltr/100) (no idea how the Falcon with the bigger engine used less fuel than the lighter Commodore...).
* Toyota Corolla: 32.3mpg (8.7lt/100). Remember, the Corolla was a fairly small car then.

And the auto fuel economy figures for these cars?

Yeah...you don't want to know them...old style three speed autos do not for good economy make...

Power figures from then make some interesting reading too...
* Gemini: 50kw
* Toyota Corolla: 54kw
* Cortina 2ltr: 70kw
* Holden Starfire Four: 58kw (I owned one...I doubt that...)
* My Celica? 66kw...wow.
* 4.2/5.0 Holden? 100/126kw
* 4.9.5.8 Ford? 140/149kw
* 4.1 Ford? 94kw
* 3.3 Holden? 83kw
* 4.3 (265 hemi) Valiant? 120kw!!!! Yes!!!!
I remember a radio advert from the time in 1981...it had two guys talking about buying a new car. One guy said "I'm buying a big six", and the other said "Oh, the 3.3ltr Holden with 116hp?"..."No, a big six"..."Oh, the Ford 4.1 with 130hp?"..."No, a real big six, the 4.3ltr Valiant hemi, with 170hp!".

Most powerful car on sale at the time in Australia?
* Lambo Countach: 276kw
Least powerful?
* Suzuki Hatch...19kw. I drove one of these belonging to a mates girlfriend...and what a pustulent crap bucket it was, wobbling about on it's crossply (yes, crossply) tyres...I think it was the last car to be sold here new with crossplies.

Some people say "Oh, but they changed how they measured the power then! And yes, they did...they actually measured it as the engine sat in a road car you actually bought. No engine sitting on an engine dyno with no ancillaries or water pump or air cleaner or exhausts. They started to measure it with an air cleaner, alternator, water pump, full exhaust, all anti pollution, the lot...no cheating. What they measured is what you actually got when you drove out of the showroom in your new car.


I love reading old car mags and seeing how things have changed...

[hurst]

Checking to see if anyone remembers the Golden Fleece service station on the South side of Goulburn...It had a Motel, Restaurant, Bowers and Workshop...

I remember going there as a kid and spending hours watching out for flash cars.. like GT Falcons, Thunderbirds etc...

It was a busy servo being on the Hume and a lot of ski traffic stopped there..

The bowser attendant used a cash register at the bowers...you don't see that
anymore.....no one was robbed back then....

Looking for a photo of the front out the servo if anyone has one...
Did find one of the Motel part that Golden Fleece owned and it just
shows the restaurant sign in the background...

Maybe someone remembers staying at the Motel....hurst..

[noflac52]

I had a great time buying and driving big V8 luxury cars back when the middle east oil crisis hit , when all these servos were around.
Everybody was unloading the big cars in near new condition and jumping into corollas etc.

You could pick them up for next to nothing and I worked it out that it would take me five years before I caught up to the price of a corolla the same age travelling a similar mileage.

The purchase prices were that different. What a great time!

Travelling in luxury performance cars while most others were crammed into their tiny economical tin boxes and when I pulled up at a bowser of any of the old servos I just used to smile and think "life's good".

[Iggle Piggle]

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?

[Olbucko]

I remember in the late sixties as an 18 year old ratbag calling in to a Golden Fleece servo on the way home from the pub to buy petrol from the coin operated pump, then someone would pull the golden ram off the top of the pump, and we would play football with it. Eventually someone would miss a catch and the thing would hit the ground and smash to pieces, then we would hot foot it out of the place. No such thing as CCTV in those days

I also remember the Golden Fleece restaurants on the major highways in the early 70s, they had good food at a very reasonable prices. They were probably killed off by the ''Scottish Restaurant'' chain that stated to take over the country in 1972.

[XC50077]

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.

[rjr]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

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?

Neptune service stations were just Shell stations under another name [I was told it was tax dodge but I really don't know]

[rjr]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

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?

Golden Fleece was owned by a shipping company called H C Sleigh ... they were bought out for their market share by Caltex.

edit ...it's on Wikipedia >

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Fleece_Company