Rover Owner's Club Breakfast Run
Bright and early Sunday morning, I embarked with my friend Mike on the Rover Owner's Club breakfast run we were invited to. Warwick, the club's vice-president and member nearest my house picked us up from my house at 6:49am in his gorgeous P5B Coupé. We started to head north, towards the motorway (which eventually goes to Brisbane), on which we would meet up with the other club members at a rest area near an ambulance station. On the way, I noticed another P5 Coupé coming down a connecting road, which Warwick mentioned was club president Derek's "new" car on its first outing. We pulled over and waited for him to catch up, then proceeded to the meeting point together.
We were only a few minutes at the meeting point before all 10 cars attending the event showed up. Every car was given a two-way radio (which provided in-cruise entertainment rather than report break-downs!) and we were on our way to the little town of Spencer, NSW, the self-proclaimed "Hub of the Universe". We had a gorgeous drive through some twisty roads, through fog, and up and down numerous hills. When we arrived in Spencer, all the cars reversed into spots opposite the breakfast joint, near the river. This, naturally provided some excellent photo opportunities, which I took advantage of (see below).
We filled up with an excellent country breakfast of eggs and bacon and hashbrows and toast and coffee. After that, everyone had a great time of chatting and joking, and some people took the opportunity to drive other member's Rovers. Even I got the opportunity to join in, when Tony allowed me to drive his 1958 P4 105R. The car had Rover's first attempt at an automatic gearbox, which was a strange semi-auto item which selected gears for you, but lacked a park position, and required you to press a button to engage and dis-engage the clutch. Once I got that all worked out, I proceeded down the road on the right side, like the good Canadian boy I am! After going round a turn, I realized "something's not right here" and soon after nonchalantly drifted over to the left. The club members all got a laugh, at the least. :)
People soon started to disperse, many heading back the way we came. However, a few others of us continued on the long, scenic route home. Warwick, Mike, and I took the opportunity to check out the Great Northern Road, a road literally carved, or more applicably, sectioned, out of the side of a small mountain. This was all done in the 1800s by convicts, and took a few years to complete. It really is quite a sight, however, and includes rudimentary culverts - literally just tunnels in the rock from the mountain side to the edge side - so water would not wash away all the surface of the road.
After we'd seen the sights, we headed on home. It was a very scenic drive, and nice to see lots of other classic British cars out cruising as well.
We were only a few minutes at the meeting point before all 10 cars attending the event showed up. Every car was given a two-way radio (which provided in-cruise entertainment rather than report break-downs!) and we were on our way to the little town of Spencer, NSW, the self-proclaimed "Hub of the Universe". We had a gorgeous drive through some twisty roads, through fog, and up and down numerous hills. When we arrived in Spencer, all the cars reversed into spots opposite the breakfast joint, near the river. This, naturally provided some excellent photo opportunities, which I took advantage of (see below).
We filled up with an excellent country breakfast of eggs and bacon and hashbrows and toast and coffee. After that, everyone had a great time of chatting and joking, and some people took the opportunity to drive other member's Rovers. Even I got the opportunity to join in, when Tony allowed me to drive his 1958 P4 105R. The car had Rover's first attempt at an automatic gearbox, which was a strange semi-auto item which selected gears for you, but lacked a park position, and required you to press a button to engage and dis-engage the clutch. Once I got that all worked out, I proceeded down the road on the right side, like the good Canadian boy I am! After going round a turn, I realized "something's not right here" and soon after nonchalantly drifted over to the left. The club members all got a laugh, at the least. :)
People soon started to disperse, many heading back the way we came. However, a few others of us continued on the long, scenic route home. Warwick, Mike, and I took the opportunity to check out the Great Northern Road, a road literally carved, or more applicably, sectioned, out of the side of a small mountain. This was all done in the 1800s by convicts, and took a few years to complete. It really is quite a sight, however, and includes rudimentary culverts - literally just tunnels in the rock from the mountain side to the edge side - so water would not wash away all the surface of the road.
After we'd seen the sights, we headed on home. It was a very scenic drive, and nice to see lots of other classic British cars out cruising as well.
posted by Mark Brown at 10:50 pm
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