Freeway to Wodonga and back; AOA 2022
Those of us who took the option of two nights’ stay amounted to just two cars from the Brisbane area, the Airton Atlantic and my Freeway.
However, we were joined in Wallangarra by Joe and Judie Sciacca from near Mossman in far North Queensland. They were in a Land Cruiser towing their immaculate 1927 Austin 12 /4 Windsor Sedan. All of us had an uneventful trip to Wodonga, with the only glitch being Joe manoeuvring his trailer at the Molong Motel and hitting the verandah with the top of the Austin….
Joe and Judie Sciacca
All Queenslanders attending apparently had a clear run through, which says a lot about the reliability of our cars. Andrew Todd had problems with the rear shockies on the A30; sheer determination by Glenn Todd in very damp conditions in Wodonga got it fixed, with other members giving a hand when they could. I couldn’t help but be amazed at how much you can fit into a 4 Door A30, but Ken and Desley managed somehow, and they were still talking to each other the week after at All British Day…
Andrew’s A30 Countryman receiving tender loving care (can you spot the leg?)
The organisation of the event was beautifully done – there was much less time to do any of the planning. AOAs generally take over two years to make it work, whereas this time because of COVID, the Vintage Austin Register led by John Blythe only had about 6 months. The headquarters were at the Goods Shed, part of the old Wodonga Railway Station.
Alex McCullough and Joe Sciacca discussing the intracacies of 1927 Austins
Yackandandah and Beechworth were the first day’s run; wet, windy and extremely cold made it extreme for us used to warmer climes, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. A number of us found out that our cars aren’t quite weather-proof. The other runs to the Military and Migrant Museums on the way to ‘Yack’ and at Jindera’s Pioneer Museum the day after were held on reasonably sunny days. All of these venues were fascinating and well worth the visit. One casualty was Steve and Jenny Hayes’ 1934 Six Cabriolet which had a problem with the gear-box, so it spent the last day on the trailer.
Ken Parker with Paula and Kev Airton enjoying the balmy weather
Paula Airton finds an open Willys Jeep is no match for an A90 Atlantic
Some of the cars outside the Military Museum.
Steve Hayes with the 1934 Cabriolet
The display day on Sunday had about 80 Austins gathered under trees in a park in Albury on the Murray River. The Mayor of Wodonga chose as the overall winner the 1965 Austin FG 2-45F Truck of Allan and Coreena Long of Mildura, a very popular decision, as commercial vehicles often get overlooked in events like these. This was followed by dinner back at the Goods Shed, where many acquaintances made over the last 30 years of AOAs were cemented, and we will all look forward to Orange in 2024.
Andrew Todd off to compete in the Rocker Cover Races
It’s all yellow with the Austin-Healey contingent; Mike Wade’s Sprite alongside the Warwick Rankin’s BJ7 3000 Convertible
Six A90 Atlantics made a superb display at the Show and Shine
The trip back was mainly uneventful; Andrew Todd suffered a broken windscreen, and the Atlantic had a few misfires caused apparently by ‘slow-down’ strips on the road… My Freeway ran beautifully all the way back. I was staying with friends at Thirroul just north of Wollongong and at the end of the Bulli Pass. It made it down without disappearing into the shrubbery, but I was reluctant to try and get it back up again, with the added weight of three 1800 Hydrolastic displacers in the boot. I came up a slightly less steep climb in top gear to then battle my way right through Sydney’s peak-hour traffic, which is much harder on a 58 year old car than a run along the motorways at about 95 kph. All in all, a fabulous few days away catching up with like-minded Austineers - hopefully we’ll see them all in Orange in 2024.
