First three digits of the chassis number tell the tale.
1 = Beetle
9 = Manufactured in Australia. Euro/US Beetles have a 1 here. Samba etc don't recognise the '9' as they don't know about Australian made Beetles.
5 = Year model. 1965 in other words.
Originally this car was 6-volt, drum brake and 40-hp 1200cc engine. But it's been 45 years since it rolled off the Melbourne production line. Yes the H engine is from a 1968-on 1500 Beetle. Does it really have front disc brakes ?
Sadly no, there are no specific Australian production records still in existence. VW Australasia went out of business in 1968 and the national franchise was taken over by LNC Industries. They lost the franchise in 1987, and since then Ateco, TKM and Inchcape have all had the VW franchise at various times. The records have long been lost, probably thrown out in the 1960s or, at the latest, 1977 when Nissan bought the factory.
The best we can do nowadays is annual Australian VW sales, which we compiled from various sources (mostly the FCAI). Go to
http://www.clubvw.org.au/history/history.html for the in-depth Aussie VW history, and detailed annual sales figures. For example, in 1965 (your model), VW sold 18,077 VW 1200s, 3,158 1500 Type 3 models, 4,311 Kombis and 31 Karmann Ghias in Australia.
To further 'nail down' when your car was built, there are a couple of places to look. Inspect each of the five wheel centres, under the hubcaps, for the date stamp. The road wheels may not be original after all these years, but your spare might. Also look at the back of the speedo for a date stamp. And also under the chrome covers on the front blinkers (if they are original).
