The Austral Cycles Project
Unfortunately not a lot is known of the Austral and it's beginnings. It is generally thought to have came into production around 1910. The years proceeding that are then a mystery.
At some stage possibly around the early 1930's Bruce Small purchased the company and it then fell under the Bruce Small banner being produced into the 1950's.
Austral bicycles were built in Malvern Star factories once under the ownership of Small and were stamped with Malvern Star like serial numbers.
Outside of the 1910 reference as a starting point the appearance of a bike referenced as "Australs" in 1896 in relation to the Austral Cycle Agency does raise a question. Is this simply a coincidence in name or some small link to a later bike which morphed from this Agencies bicycles into the Austral.
The Mystery of the Austral Bicycle... An out there theory.
Further references appear in following years such as the one below to a bike called the "Austral" in 1903. Alick McNeil seems to be a name associated with this model quite commonly in searches. In the same year McNeil registered a business with the Austral name in the title.
Another reference appears in 1901 a bike called the "Austral Bicycle". Which would confirm the Austral Cycle Agency was producing a model called the Austral.
From 1903 moving forward a few years further references appear in 1906 such as the one below listing once again an Austral bicycle.
Onto 1910 and we reach the time frame for which had previously been mentioned that Austral cycles started to be produced. Here shown below we have another advertisement for McNeil which this time states "All Austral Cycles are built in our factory". Whether much can be read into the statement "All Austral Cycles" is to be debated. It does however leave open the possibility that McNeil took over the name of Austral Cycles and kept producing a model of bicycle under that name.
If you have an opinion on this subject or information to support or refute this theory please contact me.
The aim is to produce a more detailed and accurate story of the history of the Austral bicycle.
