10 replies to this topic

[Spider]

All British Day,

3rd March, 2025

Echunga, Adelaide

 

I was lucky enough this year to have time to participate in the All British Day at Echunga in the Adelaide hills early in march this year. Graham, our President, had kindly made all the arrangements for what would be our biggest display in this show ever.

 

First - I had to get there ! A 'quick' 1400 km dash from Sydney to Adelaide. Stopped once I got off the Main Drag (Hume Highway) to send a pic home, let everyone know I had actually left !

 

 

 

Oh, and that I was OK.

 

Hit Hay by Midday and it was getting rather warm

 

 

 

 

Made Tooleybuc, on the NSW / Vic border, beautiful town on the Murray River for my overnight stop.

 

 

 

Day 2 and Murraryville in the Mallee, a never miss photo with some WWII tanks

 

 

 

 

On to Pinnaroo on the Vic / SA border, stopped off for morning tea, only to find that one of my most well liked Bakery's has closed

 

 

 

Life is no longer worth living now.

 

 

A few days later, meeting up with some of the crew for our convoy to Echunga

 

 

 

 

Our Club had a record 14 Mokes on display, including a former Police Mini Moke as used by the Welsh Police from 1967 to around 1969.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graham proudly showing off his almost finished Twin Cam Turbo monster Moke

 

[Spider]

We even made the local TV news

 

https://www.facebook...335020040869581

 

Sue's Mini Moke as delivered to the Wrexham Police

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sue with her ex-Police Mini Moke - she really gets in to it !

 

 

A few days following the show, I left the Moke with Jack in Adelaide and few home to other,,,, errr,,, pressing matters - life is awful getting in the way.

 

I returned early in May, with my patient wife to attend to a few Club matters, including a mandatory pre-trip Inspection Day, kindly held at Graham's Workshop.

 

 

Back at Pinnaroo, didn't bother with the Bakery, with a tear in my eye, we left South Australia once more, headed in to 'bandit country'.  Oo-roo from Pinnaroo,,,,,,

 

 

Grain Shed and Silo at Underbool.

 

 

 

 

The floating wharf at Tooleybuc. Magnificent to catch it in the later afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tooleybuc Motor Inn and a friendly early morning visitor. He / she slept on the Moke Roof - wading off the local dragons no doubt.

 

 

[Spider]

Stopped in at Swan Hill hoping for some breakfast, but do you think we could find a Bakery ?  What kind of country town is this place ??

 

At least the Silo Art is awesome

 

 

 

 

Just down the road from there, we found our 'Post Card'

 

 

 

Lake Boga (yes, pronounced just as it's written !)

 

Working our way up-stream, is Cohuna and part of the Torrumbarry Irrigation Scheme

 

 

 

 

In this part of it, they had an area for to encourage native fish breeding

 

 

 

 

Winding our way on to Echuca. Lovely town, loads of local history, probably the only decent part of Victoria.

And, the Beachworth Bakery

 

 

 

Now this IS a Bakery !!

 

 

 

What's more, it's on the river !

 

 

 

Tearing ourselves away from Echuca, we head up the 'Long Paddock' as it's become known, to Ned Kelly country and Jerilderie

 

 

 

 

While there is another great rural bakery here

 

 

The shadows of the day were getting long, so after a stretch, we pressed on to Junee, though, in hind sight, we should have had an early day and stayed the nigh here, there's a great RSL !

[Spider]

Of course, a visit to Junee,,,,,,

 

 

means the Licorice Factory !!  Mmmm,,,,,,

 

 

They also do Chocolate too,,,,, a new addition since I was last here,,,,,

 

 

 

Naturally, they do have a shop,,,,,,

 

 

 

 

Grabbing a 1kg Box of Licorice, we spotted a Freckle that we just had to have, to give a sense of scale here,,,,

 

 

 

That one was a Kilo too !

 

Onward, onward, onward we head,,, stopped at Cootamundra for a stretch

 

 

Get you tongue around that !!

 

Ended the day at Bathurst and Mount Panorama Race Track, in the wet.

 

 

 

Next day and the home stretch now

 

 

 

On the home stretch now

 

 

Flying at an altitude of 1100 metres, the poor Moke wasn't too keen on going much quicker here

 

Passing through Lithgow and on to the Bells Line of Road. I've been trying to sap a pic of this sign for around 40 years, the road here is narrow with nowhere to pull off, but with the aid of my missus, we got it !

 

 

 

One for mab01uk (Martin) ;)

 

 

 

 

[Steam]

Great trip.
I wish I had known, you passed within 2km of my place, I could have made you coffee or sprung you a frothy.
Swan Hill has a number of good bakeries but none remain on the main street so hard to find, coffee shops seem to have taken over.

[Spider]

Great trip.
I wish I had known, you passed within 2km of my place, I could have made you coffee or sprung you a frothy.
Swan Hill has a number of good bakeries but none remain on the main street so hard to find, coffee shops seem to have taken over.

 

That's be right,,,,, of all the random roads and routes we took and drove right passed your front door,,,, without as much as a toot !

Sorry mate, I had no idea, but now I know where you are, for sure. I will be heading back late July, though that will likely be a 'bullet train' trip over again, not sure what I'll be doing on the return, but will definitely keep you in mind. I seem to go that way often-ish now days.  I gotta say, i do love that part of Vic, it really is very nice.

[Designer]

Hi,

 

WOW Is there no stopping this gentleman, a legend in so many ways.

 

Paddy

[lippo]

 Great pics, looks like a really fun trip. I don't remember Mokes in the police in the UK, but perhaps I'm too young (nope) or Merseyside Police never had them - not many hills around here.

[MatthewsDad]

Great photos, thanks for sharing. Trigger happy memories of driving a rent-a-dent across Oz years ago.

[Spider]

Thanks for the feedback guys, glad you're enjoying it

 

I forgot the all important maps.

 

This was my Route over;-

 

 

 

 

And the much more leisurely trip back;-

 

 

 

 

[Shaun78]

Looks like a great trip,Australia is a great country to drive,so much to see,when I was there I drove Melbourne to Sydney,until you drive it you don't realise how vast the country is.hope to get back one day.