Practically Classics Forum

For many years the annual “Picnic at Hanging Rock” car show in Western Victoria has been the pinnacle of the classic car show calendar.

The show is held approximately an hour’s drive from Melbourne in the grounds of a country racecourse. It was also the location of a famous Australian movie of the same name.

The show attracts many interesting cars that only come out once a year, from all nations and marques.

This year’s show, held on February 13th did not disappoint. The organisers closed the gates after over 4000 cars were permitted entry.

The only problem was trying to see it all in one day!

Some of the better pics I took:

My own car, of course.





My son asking why the car is buried?



And a local who wandered in for a look...

Let's face it Brett, at this stage of her career Skippy would turn up to the opening of an envelope

Amazing spread of motors though.

Mmm, shiny rust-free stuff. Nice. Yellow MK 3 'Tina, grey A30 Countryman and the Trabant for me please.
Hang about.... A Trabant in Australia? Are there many of those over there? I'd imagine there wouldn't be, just watch someone come along and tell us that the place is wall to wall with them.

I'm also smitten with this:


Now that's proper. What is it and why are there none at UK shows?

Trabants are extremely rare in Australia, that is only one of three known to be down here. I would have loved to take it home.

Here's another pic of it. Note the guy in the East Germanu uniform in the background packing up the memorabilia.



The car that caught your eye is an FC Holden Special Staton Wagon (or Estate) of 1958-1960 vintage. A different angle of the same car.



This was the period when Holden, much like their Vauxhall cousins, were heavily influenced by US trends. It was made about a mile from where I am sitting at work now. They run a "Grey" motor, a torquey long stroke OHV six cylinder derived from a chev motor and three speed column manual. But a lot of people swap in the "Red" six from a later Holden.

I drove a 1961 EK Ute (or pickup) for a while in the mid 90's, the model that replaced the FC. I was an inpoverished student running two cars at the time and someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Ah yes, it had to be a Holden. I think it's how a '56 Chevy wagon would look if it shrunk in the wash.


Only three Trabs down there eh? Hmm, maybe the UK could send some, in exchange for rust-free V-dubs?

There's not many rust-free V-Dubs left. But there is more decent sixties cars around than 70's.

Split screen Kombis are leaving for the UK in droves. Often cars we consider too rusty to fix. I fed better examples into the crusher 20 years ago because nobody wanted a split screen back then.

If I had a choice I'd have a Trabi estate. I just remembered, there is a smashed Trabi estate in a Museum here, I have a photo of it somewhere. Some Dutch boys were travelling Aus in it, on Holland plates. They were clipped by a truck and it rolled. It had a full cage in it though, so they were okay. They donated the wreck to the museum.