Riverside Camping Weekend
Gradys Retreat, Shoalhaven River
Friday 9 to Sunday 11 December 2022
Photos and report by Phil Guilfoyle
Enjoy the gallery of photos taken by Phil Guilfoyle.
The inaugural, and possibly only, VSCCA Riverside Camping Weekend started off as a bit of a fizzer, became a rolling disaster, then just plain hilarious. When we eventually got going for the third time, it immediately turned into a fantastic weekend of vintage fun and good fortune. Let me tell you about it.
We had booked two adjoining camp sites at Grady’s Retreat on the Shoalhaven River near Nowra, a beautiful campground providing access to great country roads and other attractions. It was a VSCCA calendar event but member interest was low because it was camping, and most of our camping enthusiasts had prior commitments. So a small group of hardy fools gathered at Chatswood for the off.
A sequence of minor problems and unsuccessful roadside remedies lead to Jeremy Morris’s Frazer Nash and Alistair Palmer’s Lancia Aurelia returning to base. Having recently sold his Sunbeam 14/40, that left Phil Guilfoyle’s Mazda MX5 as the only means of transport. Phil and Jeremy somehow managed to squeeze themselves and their camping gear into the MX5 and headed off to meet the imperturbable Peter Weir and his ever-reliable 30/98 Vauxhall at the campground. We both brought appropriate reading material in case of another “failure to proceed”; Phil (the organiser) had “The Book of Heroic Failures” by Steven Pile, and Jeremy (the barrister) had “Murphy’s Law – and other reasons why things go wrong.” by Arthur Bloch. Needless to say, neither book was opened as the MX5 does not have a magneto.
The three amigos pitched tents, lit the BBQ, and resolved to not plan tomorrow. The next morning was sunny and warm so we set off via the Braidwood Road through Sassafras and Nerriga to the beautiful old wool town of Braidwood. Wandering around after an excellent lunch at one of the pubs, we could not help but admire a Sunbeam 14/40 piled high with stock feed outside the rural supplies store. The owner was Antony Davies, who invited us out to his beautiful historic property, Mt. Elrington, about 20 minutes out of Braidwood, for a very civilised afternoon tea. The ford across the Shoalhaven River was too deep for the MX5 so Phil rode the running board the last few miles.
Antony, and his partner Andrew, have done much to restore and sensitively improve this beautiful early 19th-century property; which includes the main house, various other buildings, and a large garage for Antony’s superb vintage cars. These included; Sunbeam 12/16 1912, Sunbeam 14/40 1926, Sunbeam 19.6 (Diskon & Molyneux coachwork) 1928, Renault BK 1910, Ford T-model 1913, Morris Cowley Special 1925, Austins 7 & 12, and a Republic truck (literally a bandwagon). It was a fantastic afternoon, totally unplanned, one of those lucky things that can just happen when you go out seeking adventure.
After that, we headed back to camp via the wonderful Braidwood Road, a little wiser as to where the potholes were. The next morning dawned sunny and dry again, and we headed off to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS Albatross, near Nowra. This was brilliant; an excellent collection, very well displayed, and well worth a visit if you are in the area. If you thought your vintage car was complicated, just check out the wiring or the pitch mechanisms on a helicopter.
The roads were potholed in places but the vast majority of the driving was on fine rolling or winding country roads with very little traffic. In all, the MX5 did about 700kms on the round trip, the 30/98 somewhat less.
Many thanks to Peter for sharing the magnificent 30/98 with us, for suggesting we check out Grady’s in the first place, and to Antony and Andrew for their spontaneous hospitality.
We are planning to have at least one summer and one winter camping weekend each year (in addition to the Bathurst 12-hour Weekend). The event highlighted again that, with a flexible itinerary and driving to suit the roads and weather, a campsite hub in the middle of a district with quiet roads works well.
Phil Guilfoyle