The Gypsy vardo, of the bow-top variety (which Merunga’s home is a fantastical variation of,) didn’t make an appearance until the 1800s, and the Gypsies were some of the last people to take a cotton to them.  I guess they’re actually Romany, or Romi, or whatever, I’m prepared to be corrected on that, preferred their tents and their feet, while the traveling middle class of England decided the luxury of a traveling home was for them. (I’ll point you both to the Wikipedia entry on vardos, and the the fantastic and informative ‘The English Gypsy Caravan,” to learn more on the subject.)

The Gypsies did eventually give in, but Merunga beat them to it by a good 1300+ years. With and indoor stove, glass windows, and what appear to be leather springs on the wheels, Merunga is most definitely a woman ahead of the times.