Found Tractor!

Hey, Zach!  We found someone had left this neat little tractor outside the house today.

D'you think we can keep it?

James

More cars at the Rock

As I said this time last year, every year, on the Valentine's Day weekend, the Macedon Ranges & District Motor Club hosts the 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' car show. It's a great event with thousands of interesting cars in a unique venue and really is a giant picnic. Here's this year's selection, starting (above) with a Yank Tank in front of the Rock.

While there's a fair amount of repetition of popular classics, there's enough rare and odd stuff if you keep looking. There's a French bias in this list, just because the French built so much neat machinery. After all what car show would be complete without a DS Goddess?

The Nash above is the first of many contenders of why the American machines are bigger than the British; although a Mini on the wing's hardly fair!

Good to see an old friend from London.

That famous signature logo pops up all over.

Australian icon, the early Holden.

And of course a good representation from Germany. Beetles (or Bugs) are still popular worldwide, but Australia has a good representation of the other 60s types on the road as well.

However you don't see many of these here, however common they are in Europe. This one for Greg!

I'm not sure, but I think that may be Thunderbird 9. FAB!*

Neat logo, and an English reminder. Not so exotic in the local lingo, sadly.

Winner of Best Commercial and oldest driver (at 88, for the owner) this magnificent Thornycroft, with solid tyres.

And if your parents are dedicated, no need for the young ones to miss out. However the green machines 'off-driveway' capability seemed as limited as you'd expect. Think the motor got a bit grumpy.

Just in from the Sudan, or possibly a Victorian barn...

The locals were very patient with all the visitors. This guy seemed a lot more sensible than his many admirers (they are wild animals and they can kick hard, folks). The Moggies seemed almost as rare this year.

One of the overall views. It's a great venue.

And to finish, Austin corner. Didn't Noddy drive one of these?

More pictures, including the above, can be seen here in my photo account.

James

*Thanks to the various people who've kindly helped the idiot who tried to make a lame joke about how the car looks a bit like one of the Thunderbird Supermarionation machines, and was nothing to do with Ford Thunderbird cars, or the USAF Thunderbirds, or a drink or any stations west... It's actually a 1965 Buick Rivera. Please do not continue to write in.

Cars at the Rock

Every year, on the Valentine's Day weekend, the Macedon Ranges & District Motor Club hosts the 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' car show. It's a great event with thousands of interesting cars in a unique venue and really is a giant picnic. Here's a taster of just some of the cars seen last Sunday.

The variety is impressive, and cars are both sometimes grouped by club or theme, and mixed in around the trees.

It wasn't just cars, but there were 'bikes, a few tractors and commercial vehicles, and a display of static engines, including this mobile shearing kit.

'Inga' the 1952 Austin Lodestar was a highlight, fully fitted out inside with 1950s kit.

And there were plenty of other big beasts around the traps.

Because of the venue, sometimes it felt like a time-warp, back to a picnic in the 1930s.

The kangaroo herd that so successfully derailed the races at the rock recently were very much there, and very confused as to where to go. This is probably the busiest, noisiest and most crowded day at the rock, certainly from the wildlife's point of view!

This wedge took me straight back to my 1970s Matchbox Whizzwheels and the colour combinations rarely seen since.

Not the more famous (and popular) Minor, but a Morris Oxford.

And it wasn't the only Morris , there, this Bullnose was nice to see from one of our old hometowns.

A set of split-screen VW Combi vans in the Volkes Corner.

Where this 'feral' VW was also scaring small children.

Meanwhile, over at the cricket oval, was this neat little FIAT, worth buying for the number-plate alone. Pasta on your plate? Cool.

And a good day out was had by all, I'm sure.

James

Imagine...

A concours car show in a Great Exhibition era building.


Intrigued?

Cinquecento!

Time for an Italian Job - this one's for Greg & Eileen.


Inspired by Eileen's neat painting of the iconic original FIAT Cinquecento (above) on her blog Easelarts (go have a look, it's neat, and an impressive run of artwork) I've dug out some shots we took of the original FIAT 500 in Italy and the modern pastiche supermini.

Original in Rome.

An Italian Job set, with a trio being used as pace cars in the Giro d'Italia bicycle race we ran into the Italian hill-towns.

And parked up with another retro-pastiche, seen in a typical street, this time in Arezzo.

Tragically, according to the Wiki page, this modern car "is available with four different trim levels: Naked, Pop, Lounge, and Sport". Meh.

James

British Steampunk is alive and recordbreaking...

From the British Steam Car website.

Another land speed record falls to the UK. Perhaps one that's not exactly facing ferocious competition these days, but it is the fastest steam-powered car in the world.

On August 25th, 2009 at Edward's Air Force Base in California, USA, the British Steam Car, driven by Charles Burnett III broke the existing land speed record by a steam powered vehicle with an average speed of 139.843 mph over two consecutive runs over a measured mile. This was recorded and has since been ratified by the FIA.

On August 26th, 2009 the British Steam Car, driven this time by Don Wales, broke a second record by achieving an average speed of 148.308 mph over two consecutive runs over a measured kilometer. This was also recorded and again, has since been ratified by the FIA.

From the Steam Car website.

BBC Report here.

Well done, team, and that'll teach them to say steam power is dead! Not to mention the recent construction of an all new mainline steam engine in the UK. (That would be the 170 tonne 18 year project locomotive No. 60163 Tornado.)

Oh, and for those that might be puzzled by the headline, Steampunk (Wiki page) refers to an aesthetic and idea combining generally 19th century concepts (such as steam power) and style with more modern developments, usually along an alternative history line - William Gibson & Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine being often cited as a pioneer of the idea - and a rattling good yarn too. But they didn't foresee this real-world steam development.

(Thanks to Ross for the pointer.)

James

Right or left?

The left (blue) and right (red) worlds. But what type of left-right battle? Driving, of course. Image Wikipedia.

I was intrigued to read a BBC report regarding Samoa switching to driving on the left, having driven previously on the right. It's one of those not important but critical distinctions, I think, in that it doesn't matter which side you drive on, as long as everyone does the same. Having driven on both the left and right, as per the local road rules, and in Malta* as well as occasionally (briefly) on the wrong side of the road when not concentrating during international travel, I (mostly) feel comfortable with both. Claims for one being technically or ergonomically superior or inferior I think are bull, but as that's rather lacking in detail I'll ask my car ergonomicist and report back. Meanwhile...

It's also a good benchmark of international insularity. Anyone in a country that drives on the left (the minority) is aware that the majority drive on the right, but know it's possible to do either. Many used to driving on the right regard driving on the left as an unnecessary challenge to their international experience, and one that should be abolished. In other words, it's an example of the benefits of different options, rather than a monoculture - or diversity.

What makes Samoa interesting here, as they are switching from a majority preference to the minority one - against the odds, and according to the BBC the first country to attempt the change since the 1970s. Here there is an economic reason offered, to use second-hand cars from Australia, Japan and New Zealand, three of the strongest, industrialised democracies in the greater Asia-Pacific. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. Certainly driving a car designed for the other 'hand' in any country isn't much fun.

Wikipedia offers the listing of which preference countries have today; interestingly the Canadians preference for the right would at first glace seem to be one of the examples of the effect of the proximity of the USA in comparison to the other members of the old British Empire countries (- Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand all still preferring the left) but, according to the Wiki link was resolving a very un-Canadian muddle. Newfoundland was an exception then, too. The oddest factor I ever observed in Canada was in Victoria, BC, whose somewhat over-dedication to Empire involved having London type Routemaster buses with the exit platform facing into the traffic - an excellent effort for tourist culling.

The history of the 'rule of the road' as it's usually known is fascinating (as in the Wiki link above) encapsulating a lot of social history, commerce, muddling as well as technical factors, the last usually being the only one generally considered in passing. Then there's the preferences (and effects) of mounting a horse, boarding an aircraft and the side bicycles chains are fitted.

I'm sure we'll return to this topic. In the meantime, remember: Look both ways when crossing.

James

* 'The British drive on the left, the Americans drive on the right, and the Maltese drive in the shade.'

Wet lace

When it rains in Melbourne, it often really rains. Yesterday was a beautiful 30 degrees, sunny, nice. Today was thunderstorms and a 1/2 hour power failure here. And this is what it looked like out of the front of our house. That's the rain overflowing the guttering over the Melbourne Lace at the front of the house.

It collects on our front step, and makes a nice pool to check if your shoes leak in.

Meanwhile our most-entertaining low bridge nearby shows how quickly runoff can gather. There's a couple of massive drains from this dip, but they aren't enough when it rains.

Whatever the weather Melbourne will provide something different shortly.

Toby's just pointed out that the walk is overdue, and it's not raining. Let's go find some sniffs.

A great Australia Day out

Today was a very special day. Thanks to the huge array of great things there are to do in Australia (and particularly Melbourne) on Australia Day, we were able to sample a free couple.

First stop was the RACV Australia Day Picnic and Federation Vehicle Display. What that means is something in the order of 500 cars, bikes and trucks of all kinds back to the earliest days.

The bling alone is something else.
Once, car makers put out Art Deco design for the masses. Even the door handles were attractive grace-notes.
Even sometimes outclassing the sculpture. The Picnic is in the Kings Domain Gardens, a great venue.
My friend Brad's Merc (a topic we will return to in a later post). We stopped for a bite with Brad and Kistin and their friends, under a tree on the grass and watched the passing scene.

Self-portrait in a wing mirror.

And a terrific shot by Bev.

Fred Flinstone minds the dash of an Austin aesthetic.

While the kids and families had a blast. There is an adult in the Canadian Military Pattern truck, we think! (We saw so many cool cars and stuff we'll be returning to this in a later post or two. This is just a taster.)


That wasn't all. There was a RACV/AFA 'Flyball' competition which Bev particularly enjoyed. As Bev's photo shows, the lady's top says, 'we have hot dogs' Some of the little guys (one Jack Russell just launched) lapped the bigger ones.

We'd noted that there was a tall ships gathering on the other side of the bay at Williamstown. So we thought; "why not?" and decided to cruise across and have a look. We were very glad we did.

There was Melbourne's own Enterprize replica, built here as a copy of the first ship to settle the area.

And visiting was the 1903 Alma Doepel, which has moved to Melbourne from Port Macquarie for a major refit at Docklands over the next year or two. I think we'll be seeing a bit more of her.

Meanwhile a young lass was having a great time zooming about on the water. Here she is just having tacked.

We had great weather, warm, nice breeze, beautiful sun, and just perfect conditions. We got home tired and happy. This is the life.

It was a grand day out.

James

(PS: For those that know their flags, you may have noticed they weren't the usual suspects. The flag in the heading photo is the Royal Australian Navy Ensign, flown from Young Endeavour. And the centre flag on Enterprize in the last photo is the flag of Victoria, not Australia.)