They’re not old time-travellers, they’re old-timers, travelling! The largest vintage car tour in Victoria, and possibly Australia, travelled through Muckleford and Maldon last week as part of the 2024 Golden Oldies Tour. It was a marvellous sight to see all these Roaring Twenties transporters, representing the interwar period of freedom and convenience, in one place.

Open to vehicles built between 1 January 1919 and 31 December 1930, the ninth Golden Oldies Tour featured over 50 rare vehicles cruising around central Victoria, off the beaten track. They visited many small towns all around the region, between Bendigo and Ballarat, from Colac to Castlemaine and from Marong to Maryborough. It was a great chance for the entrants to check out regional attractions and enjoy the company of their fellow enthusiasts.

The Golden Oldies Tour is sponsored by the Federation of Veteran, Vintage and Classic Car Clubs, a volunteer organisation that advocates to keep historic vehicles on the road and supports motoring clubs throughout Victoria and Australia. While the name of the tour refers to the collectible cars, most of the entrants were vintage models too and hailed from across Victoria and News South Wales. 

Old is gold

Ian Riley

I caught up with the Golden Oldies car rally on Tuesday at the Mount Alexander Vintage Engine Club clubrooms. There were approximately 50 cars, all dated between 1919 and 1929.

This was a great experience. You could imagine yourself in a car park at an event in the twenties and this is pretty much what it would have been like. I met Don Bell, who had brought his 1928 Buick Standard Roadster, see photo. It features a ‘Dickie seat’ which folds out at the back, a particularly uncomfortable way to travel. He has owned it for about 10 years already restored, but he has done all the usual maintenance over the years, including rebuilding the engine. It is a lovely old thing to drive, although the steering is very heavy by today’s standards; no power steering in 1928! His wife sanded all the wooden spokes on the wheels and has vowed that she will never ever do that job ever again…

See all the pictures in the issue.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 6 September 2024.