White House has a small but wide ranging collection of vehicles which illustrates the changing types of vehicles used from the horse drawn pre-motoring age of the 1880's to the motor age of the 1920's.
A special display "Peking to Paris 1907-2007" highlights the 1917 Packard Twin Six which was driven across two continents and through 9 countries taking part in the 2007 rally. A DVD presentation of the rally can be watched before continuing through the museum.
Private horse drawn vehicles are represented by the 4 seat Ladies Park Phaeton (W.H. Stevens, Collingwood, Victoria) in the coach house, its original upholstery and harness in good order and complete with traveling rug. In the garage is the fine original 2/4seat buggy (Scholten and Marsh, Bendigo, Victoria), its original coach paint still largely in sound condition and in quality seldom replicated in modern restorations.
Commercial horse-drawn vehicles fittingly, given the Ingamells' transport operation from White House, include the last cab to operate in Launceston, a General Service Wagon from World War 1 - until the advent of motor transport, the back-bone of military transport - a Baker's Cart last used by the White House Bakery in the 1990's, the Ice Cream cart operated by E.Williams of Hawthorn in Victoria, the colourful Arctic Soda Fountain purportedly used at Glenelg Pier in Adelaide and the Waterous Pumper, last used by the Sedgwick Fire Brigade in Alberta, Canada.
Passing to the motors, the earliest at White House is the Locomobile steam car, designed by the Stanley Brothers and a reminder that whilst now it is generally assumed that the majority of vehicles are petrol powered, in the early days there was strong competition between the makers of steam, petrol and electric cars to capture the market. The tall and handsome Waverly Electric is typical of the electrics which found favour in large cities due to their ease of operation and adequate performance for town work.
Early petrol-engined cars are represented by possibly the oldest Australian built car in private hands, as well as De Dion Bouton, Renault and Hupmobile, whose quality and longevity is attested to by their high survival rate.
The post war period is illustrated by the Humber and Stearns Knight, the former small and well engineered, designed for the narrow English roads, whilst the Knight-engined car is larger and more suited to the wide spaces of North America, as well as by one of the last "T" model Fords, which more than any other car is credited with putting the world on wheels. The 1915 Republic truck is typical of a mid-teens one-tonner, with its chain drive and solid rubber tires.
