Summer is officially gone but boy I love Autumn. Cooler nights but still amazing days, great for running events and getting behind the wheel of our BMWs.
8th March- March started off with one of our Favorite events Phillip Island Historic Racing,
where we had a great display of cars on both days with some of our members getting the chance to do some parade laps of the track thanks to Belinda from Shannons Insurance. Thank you to Lawrence for all your hard work setting up this event but sadly LG’s car had some issues, and he was unable to attend. But with the great members we have, the event still went ahead, and all the members and cars enjoyed the weekend.
7th-9th March was the first Round of the E30 Racing Championship
at Winton. It was a fantastic weekend of racing with one of the biggest grids of E30s for some time. Lots of our members out having fun with the rest of the E30 Racing group. Well done to Royce Lyne, starting off the year qualifying on pole then winning all four races over the weekend. I had a little mishap unloading a car out of the trailer and ended up at Wangaratta Hospital on Friday afternoon and some lovely new crutches to bring home. Thankfully it was only soft tissue damage, and my foot was well enough to spend the following week walking around looking after F2 and F3 cars at the Melbourne FI Grand Prix.
12th March – AGP display.
What an amazing turn out of cars for the start of our story of the 3 series 50th Birthday. They looked fabulous with our new windscreen banners, specially printed for this year to celebrate the 50thanniversary. We had 1 of each series from E21 to G20 and a couple of early cars which also were an important part of this history. Lawrence and Jo attended the display area most of the weekend and they estimated over 3000 people stopping to read the information cards and take the time to chat with them both and also our members who attended the display days too. Many more took great interest in our display as they passed by. Great start to the celebration of this great car, watch out for more to follow.
We had a number of members officiating at the Grand Prix
from Flaggies to Scrutineers and even a few up in Race Control. Thank you all for your efforts over the Grand Prix week. It is a huge commitment and very long days in everything from 38-degree heat to pouring rain… it was fun though! Personally, I love it, being a part of the top level of motorsport in the world is quite amazing and getting up close to the cars and the stars is something only Officials can do. If you want to learn more about becoming a Motorsport Australia Accredited Official drop me a line or have a chat at an event. We are always looking for new Officials, as long as you are over 16 you can be involved.
19th March – Geelong Area mid-Week Twilight Drive
was well attended and everyone who stayed for dinner enjoyed the drive and dinner which is always a bonus at the end.
21 March – Mornington Peninsula Twilight Drive
This left from Mornington BMW which was also well attended and a fantastic evening for a drive to watch to sunset. Thank you, Mornington BMW, for putting on refreshments for our members to enjoy before the drive. These were very well appreciated and kept us all going till the end.
28-30 March – E30 Racing Round 2 at Calder Park
This will be a great weekend of racing with a lot of DCM members attending as drivers, pit crew, Senior officials and general officials. It will be great to see so many of our members at this great historic track and also great to see both Jo and Scott holding senior roles over the weekend. Well done all.
April will see the Easter Bunny visit some of our members and we ask you to make sure you don’t eat too much chocolate and share with those who are less fortunate. If you are sneaking off for a break over Easter, take care on the roads and enjoy your time away.
April 18 Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal – Coffee & Wheels morning
This has always been held in the car Park near Flavours Patisserie in Beaumaris, we have reserved parking thank you to Christopher George, the owner of this amazing coffee shop. Please if you have not registered yet, do so here and give so they can live.
We will be doing an Easter raffle on the day, so bring coins so you can buy raffle tickets, but we will also have a portable EFTPOS machine there for your convenience. This is event is not just for BMWs or cars. If you have something special hiding in your garage, please bring it out so we can all enjoy it.
We will be doing an Easter raffle on the day, so bring coins so you can buy raffle tickets, but we will also have a portable EFTPOS machine there for your convenience.
This is event is not just for BMWs or cars. If you have something special hiding in your garage, please bring it out so we can all enjoy it.
24-27th April. BMW Clubs Australia Nationals.
This is a 4-day event, BUT you do not have to attend all the events. Pick which suits you or come to them all. We have some great sponsors on board, and we thank them all. This is going to be the highlight event of the year for our club so please come join us. Entries officially close on the 31st of March so if you have not registered you may need to pull some strings with people in high places to get in now.
Save the dates:
31 May – Kaos Custom Bikes Come and Try Day – Broadford – (entries open soon)
7 – 9 June Monarchs Long Weekend – Port Campbell and Shipwreck Coast
9th July – Christmas in July
12 July – Kaos Custom Bikes Come and Try Day – Sandown (entries open in June)
23 October – BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Annual General Meeting – German Tivoli Club
31 October – 9 November – Canberra Trip over the Cup Day long weekend
22 November -23 November – Challenge Bathurst
7 December – Christmas show and Shine annual picnic – Cruden Farm.
CPS – we will soon have an additional CPS officer, possibly starting in May, who lives in Hawthorn East, to make it easier for city dwellers to have their club documents signed. He will only be doing renewal signatures at this stage, but we will inform you if he starts to do new registrations. This is great news. Watch this space for updates. We are still doing online CPS renewals for those who can’t make it to events or to our office.
Membership is going through the roof we will be over 900 very soon. Welcome to all the new members joining us, this is your club, so join in and make the most of everything we offer.
Merchandise is selling well go to our on line store to purchase something you want for the cooler months. We have quite a bit of stock on hand, so have a look at the web site and order away.
Once again, I hope to see you come along and enjoy the BMW Club Nationals we are hosting in April, there will be something for everyone, so go to our dedicated Nationals web site and have a look and join us. https://bmwclubnationals.com.au/
Take care out there and I look forward to seeing you at an event somewhere soon.
Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.
PO Box 81, Tyabb VIC 3913 Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council Motorsport Australia Affiliated Motorsport Club
Photo Lawrence Glynn
Well, we called it a "Twilight Drive" but the Geelong Area Mid Week drive certainly was a "sunset" drive. A spectacular sunset very accurately aligned with an 11 km run straight into it! Could not have lined it better if we had tried!
Photos Stephen Wesson
Apart from a pleasant drive (not too many twisty roads around here) and a very nice dinner at the Beeac Farmers Arms, we had some lovely cars and great friendship. Which is really what these events are all about.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Photo Simon Wilkins
Our weekend at the Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport did not get off to the best start as my car “failed to proceed” en route to the meeting point where I was to hand over the entry passes.
To make things worse I was not on the route our members would be taking to get there, having taken the sensible precaution of staying on the Island overnight.
But time was of the essence for those wanting to do the parade laps as they had to be at the track by 7:30 am.
Thankfully Simon Wilkins was staying overnight at San Remo and was able to collect me from the roadside and take me (and the passes!) to the meeting point. From there the parade lappers set off in haste to meet their deadline and Chris Allen offered to sort out the display area pending the return of the parade lappers.
Between them they got our display organised, flags up and everything sorted.
Great work.
I had not planned to attend day two due to another commitment but Daniel Roberts had agreed to be my pass distributor on Sunday. Simon would look after the flags etc.
Meanwhile Danny O’Callaghen offered to drive me back to my stricken car to await RACV, stayed until a tilt tray became the solution and generously offered to store my car at his house (within the 100 km towing limit) pending resumption of business on Tuesday after the long weekend. An offer he then extended to driving me home to Geelong for which I was very grateful.
What a brilliant group of members we have who can, and will step in and help out. Absolutely blown away.
I am very grateful to all who pitched in to make the weekend work despite everything.
Read on for some summary comments by those who did make it to the track!
Lawrence Glynn #3
Thank you and everyone who organized such a brilliant event.
To say that I had a great time is an understatement. I haven’t had so much
fun since my trip to Nurburgring. Looking very much forward to a similar
event. Thank you very much again.
Albert Kuperman #580
We enjoyed the classic it was great. I’m sure you would’ve liked to of had enjoyed it yourself. Always next year.
Daniel Roberts #844
Very good to hear that you were able to sort things so your week end wasn’t a disaster.
Hope the JPS car will be ok.
Very heartening that club members were so supportive.
Thank you for your organisation for Saturday, the laps were great fun and the rest of the day went well.
Best Regards
Clive Meaby #877
It’s been some time now since being awarded the New Member of the Year for 2024 {awarded at the Presention Cocktail Evenig Feb14 2025 - ed) and yet it still doesn’t quite seem real, nor have I been able to find the words to aptly describe how wonderful it was to receive. I accept this award totally, it’s genuinely been a real pleasure to be a part of such a fantastic, welcoming club and join in on the amazing events that have been on offer during this time. To those who have joined the club more recently than myself, needless to say you are all in for an absolute treat and I thoroughly look forward to passing on the baton for next year’s deserving winner.
A heartfelt thanks must go to Jo, Graeme, Lawrence and everyone involved for their time and effort in putting together these events and making them an absolute riot in which to take part, I absolutely cannot wait to be there for many more to come.
Brayden Burnett #1044
Note - the New Member of the Year award is given to the member who accrues the most membership points (for attending events, providing articles etc) in their first full year of membership. Members joining during 2023 accrue points in 2023 and 2024, with the "2024" award presented in 2025.
Dear members,
With 2 months down into 2025 we have covered so many events already.
The month started off with a huge bang with a 1-2 win from BMW WRT Team at the Bathurst 12 hour. We had a great group of our members attending this event and some from interstate as well. It is always great to share our events with our fellow club members from across the borders. Read Jo’s article in our next edition of idrive which will be out late April.
4th February we did something a little different with a nice group doing a mid-week trip away to Halls Gap for a Fire Recovery Trip to help inject some much needed funds into the fire ravaged areas of our stage. This was a huge success, and the locals welcomed our members with open arms.
8th February Pre Torquay Motor Show Drive – always a great event and the drive prior is a nice way to catch up with members before the display day with a plesasant drive and dinner after. Greatly appreciate all who attended.
9th February Torquay Motor Show – what do I say? some amazing cars on display and we always thank our members for attending and making a huge effort to present their cars so beautifully. The weather was a little windy, but this didn’t spoil everyone having fun. One of our members, Andrew Brown, won $1000 gift voucher from Hello World which was well received, and Jeff Palmer won 2nd in Class in the MG group. Well done again to all who attended, all who visited our display said it looked amazing.
9th February had a few of our members attend Round 1 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Rob Roy, put on by the MG club and part of the Motorsport Australia Interclub Challenge. This was a lot of fun, and I even got out there and had a drive too. Been too long for me and I really enjoyed the day. It was also great to see some of our non-competing members come along for part of the day to support those who were out there having lots of fun.
14th February was our Presentation dinner at Waverley BMW, which, as you all know, was a little earlier this year due to us hosting the BMW Clubs Australia Nationals in April. Fantastic night. Thank you to all the staff from Waverley BMW, Guest speaker from BMW GA Daniel Silverwood, for doing an amazing presentation, Bailey Gifford Chair of BMW Clubs Australia who also did a short presentation on what BMW Clubs Australia’s role is.
Thank you to Grip Auto Timepieces for donating the watches as prizes this year for our Show and Shine. These were well received and looked great on the night.
We had some well deserving winners from 2024, Shannon Cooper taking out the Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship, and class B Championship as well, and to top it off he was awarded Member of the Year! It was lovely to have all his family there to enjoy his awards with him.
We will have the list of all our winners in the next edition of idrive as well so make sure you read this when it arrives at your door in April.
I would like to thank Nella and Emma who worked tirelessly serving drinks all night, keeping everyone well-watered.
Jo had been unwell the week before and we were worried she would not attend but in true Jo fighting spirit she was there, well maybe running on 40% but was there to guide us through the night.
Massive thank you to Ross from Celebrations Cellar in Clarinda for helping us out with the drinks on the night. Please call past and buy your drinks from them as support for all they do for us. Let them know you are a member of our club too, so they know we are supporting them too.
16-17th February was the BMW Clubs Australia AGM held in Melbourne. You can read my report here.
Most of you would know, being an Official BMW Club we are a part of the worldwide network of Official BMW Clubs. Our immediate overseeing body is BMW Clubs Australia, and as Delegate, I attend the Clubs Australia AGM each year to catch up with all the Delegates from the other 15 Official BMW Clubs in Australia to share ideas, learn from each other and then spend a day at BMW Headquarters in Mulgrave to talk with BMW Australia about the year gone and the year coming. We are very lucky, as we do get a lot of support from the BMW Group. Not many manufacturers support their supporting clubs like BMW do. In fact the BMW Club network is the biggest manufacturer supported Club Network in the world, with over 800 Official Clubs spread over every continent, except maybe Antarctica.
21st February was our Twilight Drive and Dinner Northwest. Great attendance again and great driving instructions using TourBoss. This app has been a great addition to our drives, making the navigation much easier and safer, as well as more environmentally sound, as we no longer need to print out and distribute maps and written instructions. Lots of trees saved!
23rd February was Round 2 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Sandown. Again, greatly attended with fantastic weather. Not too hot and all our cars had a great time with everyone leaving the track with huge smiles on their faces.
23rd February also had some of our members attending the Shelford Duck Race, a fun day out which included a car display. Great attendance with lots of interest in our club and cars. None of our members won but at least the charity did.
What a busy month for the shortest month!
March and April will also be huge months with already jammed pack events coming up.
8 March – Phillip Island Classic Car Display
8th 10th March E30 Racing Round 1 – Winton
12th March – AGP Car Display – (Event Full)
18th March – Geelong area Mid-Week Twilight Drive and Dinner
21 March – Twilight Drive Mornington Peninsula – Leaving from Mornington BMW.
30th March Round 3 Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship – Bryant Park Haunted Hills.
Dates to remember –
24-28th April – BMW Clubs Australia Nationals.
7TH June – 9th June – Great Ocean Road – 12 Apostles Long Weekend (EVENT NOT RELEASED YET - SAVE THE DATE)
6th July Christmas in July – Russo Winery.
31st October – 9th November 10-day trip away to Canberra. (EVENT NOT RELEASED YET SAVE THE DATE)
22nd November Challenge Bathurst
7th December – Christmas Show and Shine Annual Family Picnic.
We are looking at a family fun day somewhere but have not locked in a date yet.
Our BMW Clubs Australia Nationals is coming up fast and for all of those who have yet booked, please make sure you go here to register. Registrations close at the end of March. Don’t miss out!
Membership has gone through the roof which is fantastic. We are heading toward 900 members, just amazing! Welcome to all the new members, we hope you enjoy your experience in the club and remember it is your club, so get involved. It is as great as it is because of the people in it, you all included.
Our welfare team are still working in the background to help some of our members through some hard times. Personally, I can say it is wonderful to have the support of friends from the club when you are going through tough times. It was wonderful to have so many people call and visit whilst I was recuperating. Very much appreciated indeed. Thank you all.
With so many events coming up and new things being added all the time, keep an eye on your emails and the club socials for upcoming events you might like to come along to. As always, if you have an idea for an event you think others would enjoy, drop us a line, we are always looking for new ideas for events and places to visit.
I look forward to seeing you out at an event somewhere soon.
Take care,
A Day at the Shelford Duck Race
An Unforgettable Sunday Adventure
On a very blustery (but sunny) Sunday, we embarked on an interesting journey to the Shelford Duck Race, located 46 kilometres from Geelong. This annual fundraising event promised a day full of fun, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Our adventure began with participating in a show and shine, where we proudly displayed our vehicles alongside around 90 other makes and models. The variety of cars was astounding, each with its own unique charm and history. It was fascinating to see the enthusiasm and care that each owner had put into their pride and joy.
As the day progressed, we indulged in a great display of food. The food stalls offered an impressive array of options, (but not forgetting the traditional sausage sangar!) To complement our meals, we could sample local wines and craft beers.
Entertainment was abundant throughout the day, with live performances from the “kilted” Police Pipe band and to ladies demonstrating their proficiency at delivering excellent covers of ABBA classics and many other songs. The market stalls were a treasure trove of unique finds, offering everything from handmade crafts to vintage memorabilia.
For those seeking more interactive experiences, there were demonstrations showcasing various skills and crafts such as the SES attempting to demonstrate the “jaws of life” cutting open a crashed car. Children and families enjoyed the amusement rides, their laughter and excitement adding to the festive atmosphere. The colourful rides providing thrills and joy to the little visitors.
The highlight of the day was the famous Duck Race at 3pm. Spectators gathered along the riverbank, eagerly anticipating the start of the race. As the 1250 ducks were released into the water, cheers erupted from the crowd. The sight of the brightly coloured ducks bobbing and floating down the river brought smiles to everyone's faces.
The Shelford Duck Race is a fundraiser for the village school, the cricket club abd the local Progress Society. It is more than just an event; it was a celebration of community, creativity, and joy. It was a day well spent, and we look forward to returning next year for more fun and excitement.
Anne Lane #1112
The BMW Clubs Australia (BMWCA) AGM this year was productive and some good information and ideas.
Some things to come out of the Sunday group discussions:
· BMW Drivers Club New South Wales (DCNSW) will run the next Nationals in 2027, proposed to be at Bathurst date to be confirmed, we suggested over or close to the Challenge Bathurst weekend, so there could be some form of Motorsport. See what happens.
· BMW Classic, BMW Group Australia (BMWGA), BMW Ag and BMW CA all want digital copies of all club's magazine each year but not paper copies.
· We will be having quarterly Zoom meetings, probably cars only, with the Executive and cars delegates, starting in April
· BMWCA will be sending out a quarterly magazine and want content.
For issue 1 they want a short history of the club, plus Steve’s story about winning the International Club of the Year Award.
· Most of the clubs have issues getting and retaining volunteers for events and for committee roles. Some clubs actually pay people to support most of their key roles and are looking at how to reduce their overheads. Some have paid helpers for treasurer, secretary, social media, graphic designer for the magazine to name a few.
· Common theme is lack of communication from BMWCA about anything, and interaction and sharing of ideas between clubs is lacking. I put as number 1 on our list, as not having the view of other clubs as rivals and we need to work together more.
· Side discussion with Craig Florence (SA) about the corporate program and how they make new members joining for the BMW Corporate Program ( - to get the 3 year BMW Service Inclusive at no cost offered by BMWGA to BMW club members) to sign up for the three years of the program. Their dealer pays the membership and tacks it onto the price of the car. Something we could look at, or a three-year corporate program option on the membership page, that would have to be taken up if they want a letter confirming membership for the corporate.
· All agree it is very hard to run motorsport days without combing with other clubs, cost of track hire etc..
· Also lack of facilities to use for motorsport and driver training in some states
· All clubs are supporting Charities in similar ways
· Most clubs up on membership, 3 or 4 losing a little, membership up as a whole.
Monday:
· CEO of BMWGA Wolfgang Buechel is very much in favour of having a close relationship with BMW Clubs and now that BMW Classic is under the control of Marketing instead of corporate, we should see a lot more interaction between BMW and clubs.
· We can request a letter directing BMW Dealerships to engage with and support clubs and it will be signed by the head of BMW Classic.
· Seems we have come full circle, and BMW recognises we are their best salespeople instead of just consumers. His words were ‘Clubs are more important than ever’
· BMW no 4 in ev sales last year 7,700 ev’s in Australia
· BMW sold 29.6% of ev’s sold in Australia: more than Volvo, merc, Audi, Hyundai, GWM, Porsche, Lexus, combined
· Next generation of batteries will see 900km range coming end of 2025
· I asked about long term ownership and second/third owners, did BMW have a strategy for long term ownership of ev’s or were they designed to be recycled in say 15 years? Answer was good, BMW batteries can be replaced as modules, so if you have one module fail in 15+ years you can replace the one module at hundreds of dollars instead of the whole battery pack at many thousands of dollars. Current generation batteries are expected to last 15-20 years, even old i3 batteries are still only showing roughly 3% loss of capacity/use, far exceeding what they expected when they built them. Due to the quality of the materials in the batteries they use apparently.
· All ev m3 next year with 1500+ hp, 4 electric motors and so much torque it can’t be measured, so they reckon. The numbers are ridiculous they reckon, and computers will control everything to keep it on the road. But there will still be an ICE version of every M car as well.
· 1 in 5 BMWs sold in Australia are M cars
· Very interesting chats at BMWGA with the BMWGA people we saw at Bathurst. All of them want us to be involved with the GT4 series at Phillip Island in the Speed Series at Phillip 4-6 April, to do a display and support the BMW GT4 cars, apparently going to be 7 racing. No details yet.
· BMW looking to be even bigger at Bathurst in 2026 and they want a club display up there. Asked about the possibility of laps on the Monday ride day, they only had 2 cars up there this year, the journalists took all the track time driving the new M3cs touring and M5, next year they said they would have a truck load. Hoping to have some rides to give away. We talked to NSW and Canberra about a club display up there next year. See what they do.
· Bikes do some training at a place up near Myrtleford that can accommodate cars too. Probably x5’s or X cars, as it is dirt roads to get there. I’d love to do an X drive; this could be an interesting option. Vic Bike club do about 6 training weekends there each year.
· Most of the bike clubs report that club meetings have transitioned from at someone’s house or business looking at how to fix things on bikes or tune them up to how to diagnose them with a computer and fix electronic issues.
· Bike sales pretty static in 2024
· All clubs report membership fees static
· BMW is allowing Dealerships to hire out floor stocks of bikes for weekend rides, apparently this is huge in Europe.
Clubs International Report
· BMW Classic now run as part of Marketing Dept
· Most challenging time for BMW with emission targets coming, so far they are years ahead of the curve, ev sales helping this.
· You will see more use of heritage cars in BMW ads, and more of a heritage focus and closer ties with clubs.
· Social media very important to have a presence and link to BMW
· BMW love Instagram in EU, more facebook in Australia
· BMW have 9 lawyers chasing trademark infringements and illegal copies of parts but none chasing people or clubs using the roundel wrong.
· Whilst they frown upon wrong use of the roundel etc, they won’t chase you unless you are making money from it.
· They have allowed some huge online ‘clubs’ to keep using the BMW name even though they aren’t official clubs, as long as they don’t bring disrepute.
· 50th anniversary of 3 Series very important to BMW and want us to focus on it.
· Will run awards for best promotion of 50th Anniversary
· BMW Clubs International Council (CIC) put out 2 electronic newsletters a year.
· New BMW CIC website up and running, but still being built, so some areas not working yet: https://bmwcic.org/
· BMWCA are starting a quarterly newsletter to go to clubs/members… they want content about major events etc.
· 5th May is declared the actual 50th birthday of 3 Series and BMW will be doing 50 Days of the 3 series around that time. We should too.
Summation
· Overall, a pretty good weekend.
· We got to drive some cars to teach the clubs about TourBoss, CCV not using it yet, but Tony W wants to. Jo and I took a full ev x2 ixe, I was pretty impressed with it, on the return we had a 118i, comfortable M seats and nice as an introduction to BMW,
· There were some questions about what happens if BMW stops paying for the licence for TourBoss and some were scared they would get to love it and then be left holding the bill.
· It was accepted by most though I think.
· BMW are paying $13500 odd for the corporate licence. An individual club would be way less than that,
Even though it was not actually blowing a gale at the Torquay Motor it felt like it.
Nonetheless our members turned out and enjoyed the day. This event always has a great variety of vehicles ranging from 1913 to modern supercars.
Continuing what seems to be a tradition the only prize winner in our group was a non-BMW, Jeff Palmer with his MGB V8 GT.
Andrew Brown, spectators but not displaying, won a "luck door' style prize for submitting a people's choice vote, - $1,000 voucher from Helo World Travel. Nice pick up.
Lots of interest in our member's lovely cars - thank you for bringing them along and braving the wind.
We even made it into the local newspaper!
Also at the show was one of our menmbers, Chris Houghton-Allen (#770) with a fellow LandRover owner.
He reports
We met at Flagstaff gardens and travelled together to Torquay where we joined a queue at 8:15 am to enter the show area at Elephant Walk.
The 2 vehicles parked next together and immediately spectators were asking questions with Mark having a steady line of people to talk to about his magnificent Series 2A.
It was amazing that the Series 2A made it to the show as, on Friday night, Mark and his trusty helper started, and completed by midnight Saturday, a swap of the transfer case. No leaks and a short test and he was ready for Sunday!
There were nearly 400 cars of all makes and varieties on display. The wind was quite full on and the expected 26o was not met during the day bit it did get a little warmer by 2:30pm.
We waited for the results and while none of us won a major prize, Mark’s series 2A was declared the LROCV winner.
After a very enjoyable day, with much chatter from many spectators and other exhibitors, we were glad to head home in the warmth of the cars. We look forward to the next show!
Treasurer
After much of the Grampians National Park was devasted by fire in December, the trip was organised to inject some cash into local businesses that were hit hard in what should be their peak season.
Yet, with even more fires starting in the Park in January, the trip was in doubt right up to the day before departure. But with Halls Gap in the clear, we went ahead with a slightly modified itinerary.
On a scorching summer’s day, the group started their convoy from Ballan and I joined just west of Ballarat. First stop was Ararat for lunch followed by a tour of J Ward, Ararat's Old Gaol and for over 100 years a lockup for the criminally insane. The facility housed Bill Wallace from his age of 44 until his death at 107 and 11 months, a world record as the oldest prisoner. It was an eye opener to see the conditions and treatment of those incarcerated.
Next Trevor led us on a short drive to One Tree Hill Lookout, up a hill climb track that is recognised as the hardest and steepest on the Victorian Hill Climb Championships circuit. After a spirited ascent, the summit revealed some amazing views of the region and the Grampians, well, those parts that weren’t blanketed in smoke haze.
Then a leisurely drive to Halls Gap, with the only hazard being an echidna that was making its way slowly across the middle of the road in front of our convoy, thankfully dodged by all. After settling into accommodation, some sampled the local brewery, and later we all caught up for evening meal. Our outdoor dining experience included views to smoky skies that masked a red blazing sun, and small flecks of ash falling onto our pizza which just added to the earthy flavour.
Next morning the wind change had replaced all the smoke and we were greeted by clear blue skies. Most made their way to the Halls Gap Zoo, while I got some work emails attended to. I rejoined for lunch at Pomonal Estate, a winery and brewery. Excellent food was served up and some wine and cider tastings went down a treat.
With so many road closures given the ongoing fire, our plans for some twisty road driving had to be dropped, so a free afternoon was then spent lazily taking in the scenery or enjoying the motel facilities. For evening meal another great dining experience at the Kookaburra Hotel.
The hospitality staff at all venues were so fantastic and very appreciative of our custom.
On our last day I took the long way home with a drive south from Halls Gap to Dunkeld through the length of the Park. The vastness of the fire devastation was evident as kilometre after kilometre repeated a blackened forest. Here’s hoping for a quick recovery of the environment and that not too many little creatures were lost.
A great trip and a huge thanks to the organisers, and to all attendees for their great company.
Drew Matthews #903
BMWDCM recently organised a short 4-day trip with 2 (over-night) stays at Halls Gap, after becoming aware of the severe damage to tourism caused by the recent fires. The purpose being to inject some much-needed tourist dollars on which the town relies after the mass cancellations the town suffered.
The residents of Halls Gap had faced a close call as a bushfire raged perilously close to the town's outskirts. The fire, fuelled by the dry summer conditions and strong winds, threatened to engulf the serene landscape, turning the peaceful haven into a scene of chaos and destruction. Thanks to the swift response of firefighters and volunteers, the flames were contained just 200 metres from the town’s edge, sparing it from devastation.
On arrival, we discovered that the motel we were had booked into suffered some severe plumbing issues, therefore we were all upgraded to a very up-market motel minutes away at no extra charge. This motel was almost full of fire fighters with their trucks from every imaginable part of Victoria. (a rig from Tasmania was also spotted).
Dinner the first night was enjoyed outside on a restaurant’s forecourt, with flakes of ash temporarily descending on us and our food. The sky was black with an orange tinge but with a change of wind direction, it all cleared away by the time we had finished our dinner. (phew!).
The clearings around our motel were a sanctuary for kangaroos and emus, which graze peacefully, seemingly unfazed by the presence of humans. The air was filled with the sounds of the Australian bush, from the raucous calls of cockatoos to the melodic songs of magpies. The rich biodiversity of the area is a testament to the thriving ecosystems that flourish in the Grampians and this wonderful scene was very much appreciated by us all.
Day two was spent at Halls Gap Zoo. It is a 53-acre zoo located about 7 kilometres from Halls Gap. From the zoo you can see Grampians National Park. It is Victoria's largest regional zoo, holding over 120 native and exotic species. It was a very pleasant day, walking for 2 ½ hours (and catching some sunburn by those of us prone to this problem). We all commented how much we learned about wildlife when reading the stories of the animals and birds we encountered along the way.
Lunch was an extraordinary experience at Pomonal Estate, which is a newly established Winery, Microbrewery and Cider House located in the picturesque town of Pomonal, 10 minutes from Halls Gap and nestled alongside the Grampians National Park. We all enjoyed some amazing wine tastings, great food and then an opportunity to purchase from a great display of local produce. A very congenial dinner was arranged for day two, the food was great and enjoyed in very pleasant surroundings, in walking distance from our motel.
Day three was time to book out of our motel and think about heading for home. All our amazing firefighters descended on the same café where we had planned to have breakfast, so a trip back to our motel restaurant paid dividends as we were the only patrons there.
With some reluctance we finished this very enjoyable get-away, the trip was exceptional and all thanks to our Treasurer Lawrence Glynn, who made sure that every moment was organised to perfection.
Photos : Lawrence Glynn, #3 Treasurer
It was the first victory for BMW M Motorsport in the GT3 era at the Mount Panorama Circuit. The last triumph dates back to 2010 with a BMW 335i.
Team WRT remains undefeated in the 2025 season after successes at the 24h Dubai and the 6h Abu Dhabi (both UAE). On the sidelines of the race at Bathurst, the new BMW M3 CS Touring celebrated its world premiere.
The iconic racetrack provided the perfect stage for the debut of the latest BMW M special-edition model in the high-performance sports car sector. A 405 kW/550 hp six-cylinder in-line engine, bespoke chassis tuning, exclusive design features and weight savings resulting from the use of numerous carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) components provide the ingredients for an unadulterated racing-car feel.
Team WRT owed its 1-2 finish primarily to a perfect race strategy. Throughout the race, the two BMW M4 GT3s consistently gained an advantage in fuel consumption, which ultimately decided victory or defeat. While most competitors had to pit for refuelling just before the end, both BMW M4 GT3s were able to continue without stopping.
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