National Jowett Rally - 2008 - Victoria - Australia

[Mike Allfrey]

"A GOLDEN EXPERIENCE"

This is to advise that work is progressing on the 2008 National Jowett Rally to be held in beautiful Victoria (Australia). Our rally will be held over the weekend of 3rd to 7th October, 2008, and the location will be Bendigo in central Victoria.

Overseas visitors will be welcome and we will, where possible, place you in a Jowett to travel to the rally venue and further on.

Bendigo, our choice for an enjoyable National Jowett Rally location, is crammed full of wonderful attractions. The 'Golden Heart of Victoria', Bendigo is a beautiful old (by our standards!) city located in the geographic centre of the State. Its character and streetscape were created during the gold boom years of the 1850s to 1870s, when the local goldfield became one of the world's richest. Less than two hours drive from Melbourne, Bendigo is a popular tourist destination and a market centre for surrounding farmlands and wine growing areas.

The city of Bendigo features some of Victoria's best architecture from the Victorian period, in both public and private buildings. The surrounds of Bendigo are strongly involved with the historic vehicle movement. Bendigo is the home of the National Swap Meet in November of each year.

We are looking forward to a great Rally - come and join us.

Mike Allfrey - National Jowett Rally Committee

[Alan Stanley]

Hi Mike, from New Zealand.
I visited you last time I was in Melbourne. My partner's daughter lives in Melbourne so it is no trouble persuading her that we should go to Victoria, so maybe I should suggest around this date.

I am thinking of using the same tactic this November and going to the Bendigo swapmeet. Will put a post up if it comes off and perhaps I can catch up with a few of you Aussie Jowetteers at the meet?

Keep me informed on the 2008 rally

[Drummond Black]

Mike We are considering coming. How do we book ?? Seriously, we are giving it real thought. We have family in Melbourne who reside not far from yourself and one of Ruby's neices has just moved from Scotland to Adelaide. We would make a holiday out of our trip with the Rally being the highlight. Remember Pitlochry ( only in reverse ) Please keep us in the loop

Drummond & Ruby ( Scottish Section )

[dougie]

Hi Drummond,
We would love to see you in OZ,please come and bring all ya mates.
This will be a terrific rally at Bendigo.Mike and crew are doing a great job getting it together.

[Drummond Black]

Dougie / Mike
We are just off on two weeks holiday. When we return we will get in touch regarding a bit of detail so we can start planning.

Regards Drummond & Ruby

[Keith Clements]

For those in UK; I eventually used Austravel to book my previous Aus holiday after spending hours on the internet researching. Pauline Chalmers in the Edinburgh office was very helpful and spent hours on the phone organising, as my requirements were so complex.
edinburgh@austravel or 08701 662 190 or 08701 662 004

[Drummond Black]

Thanks Keith- Good Web Site. We will visit the Edinburgh office and start to get things moving.

[Drummond Black]

WATCH OUT BENDIGO - THE SCOTS ARE COMING

[Alan Stanley]

And so are the KIWIS

[Drummond Black]

Alan, Between us we will create the international flavour. !!!

[Drummond Black]

Thats Ruby and Myself in Melbourne awaiting the start of the Australian Jowett Rally on Friday October 3rd.

Really looking forward to this event. We will keep you all informed. ( as long as we can get to a computer )

Drummond

[Forumadmin]

Wish I was there.

[Mike Allfrey]

G'dday From The Sunny South!

Bill Lock is here, and Drummond and Ruby are three suburbs away. Eric and Jenny are packing their bags.

My mechanic, Bill, has installed a new Layrub in my Jupiter and we gave it a good burst the other night to test the new electrical system. In forty-five years of ownership, this was the first time that the ammeter stayed on the 'charge' side with all lamps, heater and brake lamps on!

We have also fixed the Javelin's leaking fuel tank. It was a split tank sender unit gasket. The tank is now located on new rubber pads. My mechanic Bill, in true Jowett Tradition, wanted to re-use the 57 years-old rubbers, but I managed to persuade him that at this age, the least we could do was to give the car three new pads. Oh! The expense!

Now my mechanic, Bill, has fixed the Javelin's exhaust system. This involved very delicate and technical adjustment of the bench drill, to drill out the two broken studs. Took time, but was absolutely spot on! Sadly, as per true Jowett Tradition, the exhaust flange gasket could not be re-used. Bill did consider gluing a piece from another old gasket, but I managed to persuade him to fit a pair of new(!) flange gaskets.

The cars are ready and so are we!

Then we lay side by side under my 1937 10 hp Four and found that from under, things look pretty good -- thankfully.

Tomorrow, Drummond and Ruby are joining us for a long day out on Victoria's famous Great Ocean Road. It will be a long day, but the Rover 75 will cope well. We will be heading down the Mornington Peninsula, taking the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff and on to Torquay, Lorne. Apollo Bay, Lavers Hill, Port Campbell and Warrnambool.

Bendigo, here we come!

All the best,

Mike Allfrey and Bill Lock.[/b]

[Forumadmin]

Wish I was there even more now.

What have you done to the electrics?

In a similar vein I took apart the fuel guage after putting up with it reading a min of a quarter for 40 years. Just needed adjustment on the two screws. If only I had known. Thought it was the sender.

Keep getting your moneysworth out of your new mechanic. Make him work for his dinner!

[Drummond Black]

Tuesday 30th September 10am ( Local Time - for our UK viewers )
WHAT A FANTASTIC DAY WE HAD
Ruby & myself were up and left by 5am and drove the 12 kms to Mike Allfreys house. Mike , Bill Ruby & Drummond transferred to Mike's Rover 75 and left at 6am with Mike driving the first stage to the ferry at Serento. We caught the 8am sailing to Queenscliffe, met up Andrew Henshall at the Preservation Railway station and Andrew acted as our guide to Torquay. Local knowledge is an advantage and we saw areas we would probably have bypassed. We stopped for coffee in Torquay and Jowett chat and the forthcoming rally in Bendigo was the main subject. We then headed for the Ocean Road with Drummond now at the wheel and after numerous stops ( Yes one was for Bill to dip his feet into the Bass Strait ) We arrived in Appollo Bay at 1.30pm and found a bistro where the steak sandwiches were out of this world. Drinks arrived and all had wine bar myself when orange juice was deposited in front of me. Our first section of the Ocean Road was a fantastic drive and brought back many memories of alpine rally experiences in the Jupiter with narrow roads , steep drops, hairpins etc. ( Yep both Keith & Malcolm were talked about & were missed ). After lunch with Drummond still at the wheel the road took up through Otway National Park. ( This reminded me of driving in Scotland. Dicing with coaches full of Japanese tourists only added to the excitement. The road rejoins the coast again near Princetown where a fuel stop was required. ( the garage operator certainly a bundle of fun - we must have woken her up !! )

Between Port Campbell and Allansford we stopped numerous times to take in the views and the various rock formations which form this exhillerating coastline. ( Yes - and one was for Bill to dip his feet in the " SOUTHERN OCEAN " ). Getting chased by Japanese tourists was all part of the fun ... Numerous photographs were taken. I will attempt to download some later. This part of the Victorian coastline is awesome.
It was after 5pm when we started to head east along the A1 ( and Drummond was still driving. ) One more activity for the day was achieved as the sun was setting. We took the narrow winding road up to the top of Mount Leura where the view was breathtaking as darkness fell. ( This would make a great hillclimb )
Ruby and others were getting edgy and were not looking forward to the trip back down to the main road, but made it we did. Hunger took over and we stopped in Colac for food. Bill made a good job of negotiating the final bill when Ruby did not agree with her dish.

Eyes were getting tired now and with still 200kms to go all agreed that Drummond should drive back ( See - they trust a Scotsman - Ha Ha ) We arrived back at Mike's house around 11.30 pm after what can only be described as a fantastic experience and one that we definately would not have missed. I must have been at the wheel for nearly 600 kms but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was after midnight when Ruby and I got back to Tecoma. 19 hours on the go !! ( nearly as long as the flight out to Aus. )

Mike, thanks for the use of your car,and your knowledge and experience of the area. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.
LOOKING FORWARD TO BENDIGO

Drummond , Bill & Ruby