Scenic Detours & Classic Cars: Our Trip to the Marong Picnic Day

Peter and I met up at the BP Diggers Rest around 8:30am, where we were welcomed by Gino and Ray. We departed around 9:00am on a wonderfully clear Sunday morning with "the boss" Gino up front-leading the convoy. We picked up Trevor at Gisborne and cruised smoothly up the Calder Highway.

Then, all of a sudden, our so-called Leader decided to take the first Woodend exit, steering us straight into pea-soup heavy fog! I turned to Peter and said, "He must know a shortcut? This is definitely not the main route to Marong." Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, we popped right back onto the Calder Highway just after Woodend. I looked at Peter and laughed, "Well, that was a scenic route!" Back on cruise control, we made an express run the rest of the way. We arrived in Marong around 10:45am to lovely sunshine and a pleasant 18 degrees.

We all headed off for a stroll and admired an incredible variety of classic cars, trucks, and tractors in all sorts of unique configurations. There was so much variety on display that you rarely saw two of the same vehicle! It was an exceptionally well-organized event.

By 1:00pm, we decided to head over to the Marong Pub for lunch, which offered a great atmosphere and excellent meals. At around 2:15pm, it was time to head home. Needless to say, Gino was not our leader for the return trip-he was officially made redundant from his navigation duties!

A great day out was had by all. For anyone who has never been to the Marong Picnic Day before, it is a fantastic show to attend. It is held every year on the last Sunday in August, so make sure to put it in your calendar for next year!

Webmaster Note: A big thank you to Neil Bryant for providing this great report, and to Gino for gathering the guys and organising the run!