Found..
..out that despite the thought to the contrary W.O. Census # 1 to 5208 and effectively up to # 15000 were indeed used in theory for 'Impressed' vehicles with some batches alocated to impressed Ambulances with 'A' prefixes. However it is clear that the numbers quoted above could never have clashed with the AIF numbers. If the vehicles had indeed been acquired locally then they would have carried Mid-East numbers.
Perhaps one day I shall stumble on the National Archives file relating to the official status of the issue of these vehicles unless someone has beaten me to it! Is tghere anything in the Australian Archives perhaps?
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