I forgot about that article! There's a more recent and detailed Australian VW history at the Club Veedub website, here:
http://www.clubvw.org.au/history/history.html I'm in the process of expanding and updating it now, should be twice as big in a month or so when the updated webpage launches.
Yes my comments for the '61 refer to the Deluxe Beetle, which was the only model available in Australia initially. But as Lee and Joel have spotted, yours seems to be the Standard model that was introduced in August 1962 (the month after the release of the upgraded 1962陆 Deluxe model).The Standard was released to try to counter the price threat from the Mini 850. At the time the Deluxe sold for about 拢950; which was quite expensive. The Standard was mechanically the same as the Deluxe (except for no steering damper), and a lot of the Deluxe parts were left off it to save money. As Joel said, no glovebox lid, no interior light, no chrome trim on the dash, no chrome horn ring (there was even no steering wheel centre cap, so you could see the wires poking out!), no fuel gauge, no grab straps, only one sun visor, no windscreen washers, only basic headliner with lots of painted metal showing and plain trim. Outside there was no chrome trim, only the plain blade bumper in grey painted steel, and grey hubcaps. It was listed for 拢849 initially and was later discounted to 拢799. From the chassis numbers, that one looks like late '63. Australia didn 't use the German August-July model year; we were usually February-January but this often varied.
The Standard was sold alongside the Deluxe, so the Australian VW buyer had a choice of two models (actualy 3 - you could order a Sunroof Deluxe too). In 1966 the Deluxe went to 1300cc but the Standard stayed 1200cc. In 1967 the Standard was upgraded with a few more Deluxe touches such as chrome bumpers (blade only, no overriders) and chrome hubcaps, and was renamed the Custom. It was made until September 1968 (as a 1967 model) when local manufacture ended. The Deluxe ended in March 1968.
The Standard was popular with buyers in country regions who didn't need the Deluxe touches, and was often used as work vehicles or runabouts on farms. The Standard was also the model of choice for motor racing, being lighter than the Deluxe. All the Beetles that raced at Bathurst in 1963 (coming 1-3-4-5-8 in class) and in 1964 (7th in class) were Standards.