Day 8 - Wednesday, October 15 , 2008

L to R: Margaret Lang, Martin Boothman, John Lang, Frances McDougall, and John Hetheringon.

John & Margaret Lang, Andrew & Frances McDougall, John & Margaret Hetherington, along with Chester & Sally McKaige (not yet pictured) have been responsible for organizing this amazingly brilliant tour. Kudos to them and the Alvis Car Club of Victoria organization for their extraordinary efforts!

Wednesday was a rest day in Ballarat.

In the morning we visited the Sovereign Hill Gold Mining Town of the 1850s. Highlights were watching the wheelwright create wooden wheel hubs, spokes, rims and tires on mid-19th century belt driven machinery, and observing the massive log fired boilers generating steam to power an engine driving a beam pump. The entire town is a faithful recreation of what the mining town would have looked like over 150 years ago.

In the motel car park, the intermittent rough running of the Higgins 1923 SB 12/50 tourer was cured when the graphite spring-loaded contact in the distributor cap of the magneto was found to be inadequately touching the rotor arm. Alan McKinnon to the rescue!

Dinner celebrated 80 years of the front wheel drive (FWD) Alvis, first launched in 1928. Five fully roadworthy FWD cars were on display to augment a virtuoso PowerPoint presentation by FWD guru Tony Cox, ably abetted by John Lang and John Hetherington, on the history to date of the Alvis FWD cars. Most outside Alvis circles are unaware that Alvis were the first FWD cars to be manufactured on a production basis. Only 143 cars were produced as the market in 1928 was not ready for the innovation of FWD.

Day 7 – Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Halls Gap to Ballarat

This morning’s immediate post breakfast activity was to arrange all the cars in chronological order for a photo shoot with the Grampian Mountains of Halls Gap as a spectacular backdrop.

Another invigorating (read: cold) drive ensued, again on winding, deserted B and C country roads, with touring speeds ranging from 40 to 60, depending on the age of the Alvis or the courageousness of the driver.

Lunch was in the town of Maryborough, founded in the 1850’s during Australia’s Gold Rush.

The afternoon’s drive was spectacular as the morning’s.

Total miles for the day: 131. Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 803

Day 6 – Monday, October 13, 2008

Tour participants just after visiting the sheep shearing sheds in Melville Forest, Victoria

Coonawarra/Penola to Halls Gap

After spectacular weather on our rest day in Penola/Coonawarra, Monday started overcast and cool, requiring once again overcoats and gloves in the open cars.

Scenery is reminiscent of different areas of the British Isles (except for the gum trees), with green pastures, grazing sheep and cattle, wooded areas, rolling hills, mountains in the distance, and well maintained roads, yet extremely light traffic.

Or midday stop was at a sheep station, with lunch provided immediately afterward by the Melville Forest community fire association volunteers.

This tour continues to be brilliant! The afternoon was an exhilarating, lovely drive through the foothills of the Grampian Mountains, overtaking and being overtaken by other Alvis cars, and ending up in the picturesque resort of Halls Gap, with its splendid view of kangaroos in the pasture behind the motel.

As we pass other Alvis motor cars on the side of the road, a simple thumbs up or down indicates if assistance is required or whether we motor on by.

A change in engine noise led us to discover a cracked exhaust manifold on the Boothman 1927 12/50, which has been patched to prevent further expansion. The Todd 1931 Beetleback blew a manifold to exhaust pipe gasket, and had a S.U. carb float chamber leak, both of which were quickly remedied in the motel car park. The Harvey 1951 TA21 DHC had a puncture/flat (I’m trying to use both UK/Oz and US lingo), which was also resolved.

As usual, we enjoyed a sumptuous organized dinner with speeches from Martin Boothman and Mike Hirst on the current statuses of the Alvis Owner Club and Alvis Register, respectively.

Total miles for the day: 157. Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 668

Day 5 – Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Chardonnay Lodge in Coonawarra, South Australia, where many of the tour participants, including your writer, stayed. Coonawarra is a major wine producing region.

Rest day in Coonawarra/Penola

At dinner last night we heard how the Hannams from Brisbane had driven 1000 miles in their 1936 Alvis Firebird tourer to join the tour in Melbourne. Once on the tour, noisy rumblings and vibration alerted them that the universal joint in the driveshaft needed replacing. Once done, they are now back in the hunt.

Frank Mornane offered me a drive of his 1937 Speed 25 “Edinburgh Police force” Charlesworth tourer to compare characteristics with my similar Vanden Plas saloon. I was amazed at how quiet and smooth his was at 60 mph until he told me his gearing was off, and we were actually going under 50! Other than that, the cars are remarkably similar. After the drive, Frank, Martin and I repaired to the hotel (Aussie for ‘pub’) in Penola for ‘Sunday lunch’.

One of the cars suffered a speedometer gear drive collapse in the gearbox, rendering the speedo inoperable for the balance of the trip, but otherwise OK. Not so lucky was the Higgins owned, Woodburn driven, 1932 TJ 12/50 Doctor’s coupe which previously endured the blown head gasket, and is now hors combat for the rest of the tour owing to a stripped timing gear.

There are 52 Alvis motor cars on the tour, with a further seven New South Welshmen who will join us in Beechworth, in N.E. Victoria.

Day 4 – Saturday, October 11, 2008

Photo shows the supercharged engine of the Donnan FWD from Queensland.

Warrnambool to Coonawarra/Penola

The virtually empty and well maintained country roads together with stunning Chamber of Commerce weather provided a marvellous day of excellent vintage car motoring.

Our first morning stop afforded us a view of our first Koala and Emus of the trip in a volcanic crater natural habitat. Yet more Koalas were observed on our second morning stop.

Our lunch stop produced some anxiety when we became aware of the not unreasonable Aussie country custom of closing gas/petrol stations at noon on Saturday. Fortunately, we found a general store which dispensed petroleum spirits.

By 4:00 PM we were in the charming Chardonnay Lodge in the wine district of Coonawarra, with vine just 20 yards from or door.

Mechanical adventures for the day included one rear brake seizing on the Nicholl 1928 14.75 tourer driven by the Easts, leaving a long black skid mark along the road; a front wheel flat/puncture on the Donnan 1928 FWD; and loose driveshaft bolts on the Todd 1931 12/60 Beetleback.

Total miles for the day: 184. Cumulative miles on the tour so far: 496

Day 3 – Friday, October 10, 2008

An Alvis hare outlined on the Bay of Martyrs, on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria.

Rest day in Warrnambool.

A beautiful warm, cloudless rest day in Warrnambool (from the Aboriginal warr, ‘water’, and nimbul, ‘between two rivers’) for local sightseeing.

Minor fettling, tightening of connections and topping up of fluids continued throughout the day in the hotel parking lot. The oil leak in the Blacket 1925 12/50 Beetleback was traced to a crack in the line to the oil gauge. A quick visit to the local plumber provided the copper line and connection to effect the required repair.

The evening’s entertainment was a barbeque dinner followed by a Sound and Laser Light Show, depicting the voyage and destruction of a large immigrant carrying clipper on the shipwreck coast.

On the subject of dinner, our Australian hosts and tour organisers, the Alvis Car Club of Victoria, have done themselves and us proud starting with the wonderful official welcoming banquet on Tuesday, October 7 at the R.A.C.V. in Melbourne, and continuing through each evening allowing all the participants the opportunity of sitting with new dinner companions and getting to know each other.

Day 2 - Thursday, October 9, 2008

Geelong to Warrnambool

A little warmer and less overcast today, but still cool necessitating overcoats and gloves in the open cars. But no rain!

On the road at 9:10 AM, following The Great Open Road, built between 1919 and 1932 as a memorial to the returned service men and women of World War 1.

Great views of the ocean, surfing beaches, forests, small communities and wide open, mostly empty roads.

Breakdown of the day was a blown cylinder head gasket on the Higgins owned, Woodburn driven, 1932 TJ 12/50 Doctor’s coupe. Using parts and tools borrowed from several other drivers, the ancillary parts and the head were removed and replaced, with the new gasket, within 3 hours in a roadside parking lot (photo above).

Your writer’s arthritic hip and shoulder causing great discomfort today, so off to an acupuncturist/massage therapist after dinner.

Total miles for the day: 182