Contrasts

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This past weekend was Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb at Maldon.
It is run by the VSCC (Vintage Sports Car Club of Victoria) and Bendigo Car Club and I have been involved in it for maybe 15 years.
For a few years I helped with the timing - lovely to find that the new timing bloke has a team of EIGHT people doing what two of us did. I was pretty savage about timing complaints ("All complaints to be written on a $50 note and posted under the timing caravan door". Didn't get too many complaints after I posted that notice!!!!).
This year The Sweetheart and I were (again) Flag Marshalls. Last year a car ran out of fuel right in front of us.
Even more excitement this year when one of the first vehicles up The Hill threw a clutch in front of us (but the owner was able to twitch it back together and do another three runs), and we then had to halt a run to chase a wallaby from the track.


There are all sorts of cars at the Hill Climb...
This 1920s Dodge with it's wooden wheels and wonderful trailer is from Bendigo:
It has lots of authentic decorations - some rubber chooks dangling, rabbit traps and rabbit skins on wires, horse-shoes, stirrups and lengths of chain clanging as it putters along. The owners have a wonderfully warm bed in the trailer and the car has had a few trips to Adelaide and Sydney as well as all over Vic. It is fabulous! It didn't do the run up The Hill, was purely spectator!

This is Yandoit Andy's Crossley. He is a blacksmith and he got this (as a 'kit car') in payment for a smithed balustrade he made for a staircase (I have seen it - a wonderful work of art):
He beat out the body over his anvil...



Liam Sales roars this up The Hill as well:


Lots of the older Lancias, Alfas, Bugattis, Alvises that used to come 10 years ago are not there now - instead, there is a veritable buzz of MGs and Minis in their places. I rather miss the old cars.

* And the photo at the top is John Lawson in his Amilcar, heading in to the Pits. He has been racign for many eyars, also has a lovely old Alpha Romeo race car...


By contrast, just on the side of the track was some ancient local plantage. A gorgeous delicate native orchid, and a great swathe of Chocolate Lilies (and yes they DO smell like chocolate!). I don't know what sort of orchid it is - maybe some sort of Spider Orchid. Mum will know. It was about 1 foot tall with three flower stems, very pretty with it's Granny Smith apple green and deep purple-red on cream.

And this coming weekend Maldon Folk Festival will be held at the same place and there will be the sounds of all sorts of wonderful music rather than the roar of engines, and the smell of Guinness and dust where last week it was ethanol and hot exhaust.

Love them all!!!

PS You can see a Youtube video of the Hill Climb here and lots of photos here if you are a bit of a petrol head or just want to look at lovely old cars!