Being fifty-something, I’m all for giving community events a go.
Yesterday, Mr P and I headed off early on a Sunday drive to the Myrniong Car Sprints, about an hour’s drive from home.
Yes, we packed the thermos.
Yes, we packed some snacks, sunscreen and our hats.
The Myrniong Car Sprints is a typical timed “hill climb” event for vintage and historic racing cars from the 1920 – 1975 era.
Organised by the Austin Car Club and the Myrniong community, the $10 entry donation for spectators goes to the Myrniong Public Hall Restoration Committee, as do the proceeds of the BBQ lunch on offer. Money well-spent and what a fun day!
We tramped for miles through grassy paddocks, up and down the hilly circuit and back to the pits.
We saw some fabulous cars, including this one, a Ford Anglia much like my sister K’s first car, which she lovingly called Esme.
We felt right at home amongst this crowd of mostly fifty-somethings, sixty-somethings and seventy-somethings!
The race caller even announced that if one particular driver managed to make it back to next year’s event, they’d have a ninety-something race driver competing for the first time ever!
As well as the cars pitting themselves against the hill in the timed trials, there were plenty strutting their precious vehicles in the display paddock.
Mr P was beside himself.
We always find the classic and vintage car community a friendly, welcoming bunch who generously share their knowledge and anecdotes.
We were surprised to bump into one of our neighbours and an old work colleague of Mr P’s – I didn’t know that either had an interest in vintage cars.
I guess they were surprised, too.
After one last circuit of the display paddock (and a stop by the donut van) it was time to head for home.
We took the scenic route through Bacchus Marsh where this caught our attention:
A huge trailer of heritage pumpkins, all grown on site. What a photo opportunity. Inside we found more fresh local produce.
We snaffled up a pumpkin and some beetroots (50c each!)
Oh, and some of these:
I’ve set the slow cooker to work on some pumpkin soup for this week’s lunches and have a dastardly plan for the beetroots (I foreshadowed it here).