The Long and the Moist – Words and Photos By Paul Hollingworth.
The drive was long and the passenger was moist. Our Boxing Day drive to Maffra Car Museum started at our first meeting point with $1 Pie Face coffee and me asking to carpool in Thomas’ 1995 Holden Barina (re-re-badged back to Opel Corsa). It was a delightful car that reminded me of the first car that I bought with my own money – but the little bugger had no working air-conditioning! And on a 30ºC day, it made for a moist Paul.
I’m not sure why the Club lets me organise the Boxing Day drive. This year, just as last, I underestimated the drive time by about ninety minutes. Lucky for me, most other members can understand Google Maps and were aware how far the drive actually was.
In the end we had a fairly respectable crowd of fifteen people and, from what I can tell, most had an acceptably good time.
The total travel time was around three hours each way, and we spent about another three hours at the museum where we also had lunch. Instead of all the boring details, why don’t I just tell you about my highlights of the day?
Well, first, I made a great choice asking to ride with Thomas. I had not met him many times before, so it was a great opportunity to make a new friend.
What I found instead was another Eurovision-tragic and a great conversationalist. The three hours just flew by – except for the slight inconvenience of the heat. I was also sure to catch a ride back to Melbourne in Alan’s air-conditioned Volvo which saved my face from melting off.
The museum itself was another highlight. With a display that changes every three months, it can easily be a regular Motafrenz outing with something new to see every time.
The current display was an eclectic collection of the strange and wonderful from all over the world. Too often we are promised a car museum only to find the same old FJs, Kingswoods, or Falcons – this museum was truly something special.
I personally liked the unrestored Goggomobile and the 1902 motorcycle with a wicker basket sidecar – such a deathtrap! The volunteers there were lovely and allowed us to use their onsite barbecue facilities as well as the indoor air-conditioned tea room for us to eat it in – all for the price of admission.
But my final and greatest highlight was watching Daniel almost wet himself at the sight of a Tucker 48.
Daniel is a true car fan and, for anyone interested, is a font of knowledge for all things car-related. The Tucker 48 was a truly visionary project that unfortunately never succeeded as it should have. Only fifty Tucker 48s were ever made, so Daniel’s excitement at seeing one at a rural Victorian museum was well justified.
If you are interested in learning more about the fascinating story behind the Tucker 48, Daniel has provided this link https://youtube.com/watch?v=j-J4zFuwsig&feature=share
To all of you who came along on the day, Gordon and I thank you.
It makes us feel good when we see people enjoying themselves – it makes all the hard work in organising an event worthwhile.
If you have an event idea, or would like to provide any feedback, you can find our contact details on our website at https://motafrenz.org.au/about/committee/
