Where has Mr Whippy been seen? Handful of mobile van locations revealed after reader callout

If there’s a fitting place for Mr Whippy to travel, it’s Bonnie Doon — the “serene” location made famous in the classic Aussie film The Castle. Here’s where else Mr Whippy has been seen.

Sightings of Mr Whippy vans have been reported in some Victorian streets and a handful of camping grounds and holiday parks around the state, amid fears the iconic ice cream vans have been forced to remain parked in tourist spots to trade.

In response to a callout from the Herald Sun asking if Victorians beyond Gippsland — where a second generation van continues touring — had seen Mr Whippy vans travelling their streets recently, a few lucky locations were revealed.

Altona Meadows residents were quick to say they had seen one in recent times, as did those in Aspendale, Patterson Lakes, Sunshine, Beveridge and Lalor (albeit rarely and only on “very nice days”).

Fittingly — given its fame as the quintessential Australian holiday spot on the classic film The Castle — there have also been Mr Whippy sightings at Bonnie Doon, and in past years at the Rosebud camping ground.

We’re betting the tinkle of Greensleeves from the Mr Whippy van at Bonnie Doon only adds to “the serenity” and “vibe” of the lakeside holiday spot, and that the fictitious Kerrigan family at the centre of the 1997 Australian film, The Castle, would approve.

A Bonnie Doon scene from The Castle.

The Kerrigans on the water and happy at Bonnie Doon.

But sadly, readers revealed they hadn’t seen the van travelling through the Rosebud park this season.

It was a similar story in Moorabbin, where Mr Whippy was spied in past years but not recently.

Holiday-makers at Bonnie Doon are still sometimes reportedly treated to a mobile Mr Whippy. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

What happened to Mr Whippy?

It was the sound of summer in Australian suburbs and towns — the peculiar but telltale chime of Greensleeves, as interpreted by a candy-coloured, ice cream-laden Mr Whippy van, as it made its way around streets of brick veneers.

An ice cream cone set children (or their parents) back little, when they chased and caught the touring wonder that could turn a day spent under the sprinkler from ordinary to exquisite.

In some parts of the country, such as Victoria’s Gippsland and Queensland’s Fraser Coast, the travelling, chiming Mr Whippy tradition continues. But many Victorians no longer hear the strains of Greensleeves on their streets, as the ice cream vans remain stationary in tourist spots, or aren’t present at all.

Concerns by some councils about the vans “stealing profits” from local businesses that had higher overheads — and parents’ fears of children nicking ice cream money and potentially getting hurt running on to roads — have forced Mr Whippy vans off the streets.

In 1991, Melbourne City Council branded the vans a danger to kids, saying: “From our point of view, they are dangerous when they’re mobile.

“They can be a traffic hazard and a threat to children who mindlessly run out to them”.

The council also said it had an obligation to protect ratepayers who sold similar products.

In 1991 Melbourne Council said Mr Whippy vans ‘can be a traffic hazard and a threat to children who mindlessly run out to them’.

A busy Mr Whippy van in Melbourne in 1967.

Competitors imitating the Mr Whippy look and ice cream offerings also flooded the market, dramatically reducing profits.

And amid the rise of cooking shows such as MasterChef, gourmet ice cream in fancy flavours — from creme brulee to basil, chilli and cappuccino — became popular.

An increase in child allergies and “food intolerances” — particularly around nuts and dairy — didn’t help, and, of course, less spare change is now rattling around Australian households these days.

But Mr Whippy has changed with the times and is now being sold in Metro petrol stations, advertising its soft serves as “gluten free”, and making ice cream vans available to hire for weddings, parties, private functions and even funerals.

A traditional Mr Whippy van and ice cream cone is nothing if not highly Instagrammable.

Gary Ton, general manager of the Dib Group’s Metro Petroleum, said Mr Whippy was introduced to the company’s service stations before Covid hit, and is now a feature of new petrol stations opening around the country.

Metro Petroleum is one of the largest independent service station networks in Australia with more 300 outlets across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Mr Tong said Mr Whippy soft serves held fond memories for many older Australians and was also proving popular with younger generations, who had heard of the iconic ice cream brand and “want to see what it’s all about”, and Instagram their treat.

Mr Whippy holds fond memories for many Aussies. .

Second generation owner Robby Staff operates the iconic Mr Whippy truck on the Fraser Coast.

Altona Meadows and Aspendale residents are among those Victorians who report a Mr Whippy van still sometimes travels through their streets.

And in Gippsland, the Zaal family have been tinkling and soft-serving ice cream through the streets of Lakes Entrance, Moe, Morwell, Traralgon and elsewhere for more than half a century.

Daryl and his wife, Elizabeth, took over running of the Mr Whippy van from Daryl’s father, who bought it from one of the country’s earliest Mr Whippies, Queensland’s Bob Staff.

Mr Staff’s son, Robby, now runs “five or six vans” on the Fraser Coast, Mr Zaal said.

“It was Robby’s father who sold my father his first ice cream van,” he said.

The Zaal family have run Mr Whippy in Gippsland for two generations.

Mr Zaal hopes one day his kids will take over his Gippsland van, to keep the family Mr Whippy business alive and mobile. These days it does its best trade during summer at holiday parks.

But he is also among the ice cream vendors seeking to capitalise on growing demand for Instagrammable, quirky or nostalgic functions and events through hire of his van.

“We’ve done weddings, we’ve even done funerals. You’d be surprised at the functions we do now,” Mr Zaal said.

Now priced at $4.50, the cost of a single cone hasn’t risen too much over the years, he said, and a Mr Whippy soft serve remains a simple but comparatively affordable life pleasure.

Mr Whippy vans circa 1965.

The Mr Whippy van at the BIG4 holiday park in Lakes Entrance in January 2021.

“In the supermarket, prices have gone up a lot and things like fuel have gone up … pretty much everything’s gone up a lot more (than a Mr Whippy soft serve). If you try and charge too much for ice cream, you’re gonna be cutting down the average family person to maybe once a week,” Mr Zaal said.

Children still came running when they heard his van’s music and chased it down the street, because some things never changed, he said.

And “the kids’ smiles” were the best part of the job, Mr Zaal said.

“You’d be surprised how happy an ice cream can make a little kid.”

History of Mr Whippy

1958 – The original Mr Whippy ice cream van company was founded in Birmingham, England, by Dominic Facchino.

1962 – Ten Mr Whippy trucks arrive at Botany Bay, Sydney — all with the distinct Greensleeves melody associated with the brand. The ice cream vans are an instant hit in Australia’s warm climate and Mr Whippy soon expands across Australia, including to Victoria.

Ice cream vans compete for trade along Melbourne’s St Kilda Rd in 1968.

1964 – The Mr Whippy company extends its operations to New Zealand.

1965 – A Mr Whippy truck appears in the Beatles film, Help — putting the ice cream brand firmly on the radar.

1966 – The company is acquired by Walls and Unilever.

1970 – More than 200 vehicles are sold to private operators and the brand starts to retail through shopping centres.

1982 – The trademark ‘Mr Whippy’ is registered in Australia by Mr Whippy Pty Ltd.

A chicken crunch twist on a Mr Whippy soft serve.

There have been many Mr Whippy competitors over the years.

1991 – The Herald Sun reports that the familiar sight of Mr Whippy vans could vanish if Melbourne City Council doesn’t make them legal. About 60 Mobile Ice Cream Vendors Association of Victoria members stage a protest outside Olympic Park, angry they are only legally allowed to work for 10 days during Moomba. “We’ve appealed to the council numerous times to legalise this,” then association president Tom Tapsas said. He warned that up to 200 operators could be forced out of business, with fines for working illegally ranging from $300 to $1000. Association secretary Enzo Discipio said the council should introduce a licence scheme similar to the taxi system. A council spokesman said the vans were allowed to operate during Moomba only in a controlled festival area.

“From our point of view, they are dangerous when they’re mobile,” he said. “They can be a traffic hazard and a threat to children who mindlessly run out to them.”

The spokesman said the council also had an obligation to protect ratepayers who sold similar products. But it was not a closed issue. “We are looking at future planning which might incorporate their use,” he said.

An original Mr Whippy van.

2000 – Franchised Food Company buys the business. There are now 30 retail outlets on Australia’s east coast.

Sept 2012 – Mr Whippy sues celebrity chef George Calombaris over a dessert called “Mrs Whippi” served at his restaurant and sold for $9.50, saying it’s a trademark infringement.

The first it knew Calombaris was calling his ice cream desserts “Mr Whippy” was in May 2012, but the name was changed to “Mrs Whippi” after an initial legal letter was sent from Mr Whippy.

The case was settled in February 2013, with Calombaris paying $4000, which, according to Mr Whippy, was donated to charity.

Calombaris slammed the court action as ridiculous, saying: “Again I was a political football for someone to get a bit of publicity.”

2015 – Franchised Food Company announces plans to take Mr Whippy soft serve back to the streets, this time using three-wheeler tuktuks instead of vans. However, as of 2020, the brand is not listed among the company’s franchises. There seems to be at least one tuktuk operating in Melbourne as of 2019, but they claim to be the only and original.

2019 – Dib Group purchases the company.

2019 – Dib Group’s Metro Petroleum — one of the largest independent service station networks in Australia with more 300 service station outlets across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and WA — introduces Mr Whippy soft serve cones to its stores and officially introduces Mr Whippy thick shakes.

2021 – The Dib Group announces it “aims to reinvent the original Mr. Whippy soft serve concept” and for Australians to “stay tuned”.

Feb 2022 – A Mr Whippy Facebook post states: “Mr Whippy®, Australia’s most iconic ice cream brand, is returning soon – but not as you know it!”

Twins Talan and Tahli celebrate their birthday in 2021 with a visit from Geelong’s Mr Pro Whipp ice cream van, which does kids parties. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Sept 2022 – Mr Whippy posts: “SNAP IT or it didn’t happen – Don’t forget to tag us and #MrWhippy to feature on our page #MrWhippy”, as it takes advantage of its Instagram appeal and also: “Ain't no party like a Mr Whippy Party! Whether it’s a milestone birthday party, Corporate function or even a Wedding, there’s always room for dessert and what better way of giving your guests more than just standard sweets than by having your very own Mr Whippy Truck or Cart servicing your guests with quality service!”

Feb 2023 – Mr Whippy posts on social media: “Make your next Private Event WHIPPY with our Event Packages! To book the iconic Mr Whippy flavour for your next birthday, corporate function or special gathering, be sure to click the ‘Book Mr Whippy’ tab on our website for more information!”

Is a Mr Whippy van still travelling through the streets in your suburb? Let us know in the comments.

Originally published as Where has Mr Whippy been seen? Handful of mobile van locations revealed after reader callout