The 2025 Sunbeam Nationals offered up a list of events and activities quite familiar to participants — dinners, show and shine, tour, awards — all expertly organized and executed by the South Australia Sunbeam Car Club. And Victor Harbor as a location did not disappoint. That is, until Monday when it was time to depart, at which time the wind kicked up and blew us all out of town. But more on that later
Saturday’s car show on the village green was a stunning display. Locals mingled
with owners, and snapped photos in perfect weather. On Sunday it was time to
drive to the Gilbert Motor Museum in Strathalbyn, and the event organizers left
it to the participants to choose their own route. The options were many. I
suggested that the three Victorians without co-drivers (Michael Eurey, Graham
Gilbert, and myself) travel as a caravan of ‘lone wolves’. Would this reduce the
chances of navigational error? Well, no. But it sounded like fun, and it was.
We picked up a fourth Sunbeam as we left Victor Harbor, and with me leading us
along, we jumped off the main road onto Deep Creek, which winds its way towards
Bull Creek Road and Ashbourne. It was instantly lovely. Remote, beautiful, empty
of other cars. And unpaved. This would be the second time in my short tenure with
the SCCV that I have led a tour onto a dirt road, the first being our short-lived
bouncing experience on the Adair Track at Mount Tarrengower. And now I’d done
it again. But this time, thankfully, the road was very smooth, and after a quick pull
over and consultation, all four of us continued on. It turned out to be very much
worth a bit of dust, as the isolated meandering amongst verdant pastures in a
tucked away valley was spectacular.
A few kilometres later we re-joined pavement and winged our way up and over a
ridgeline into Strathalbyn. The Gilbert Motor Museum is a fantastic collection, and
very well organized. Well worth the visit if you find yourself in town.
The weekend concluded with the awards dinner Sunday night. But for interested
parties, specifically Tiger owners, Andy Ford had organized the viewing of a recently
produced film “Two Smoking Tigers” at the local art deco theatre in town. Tigers lined
Ocean Street in front of the theatre, and the audience viewed the amazing footage
and interviews of an array of Tiger history experts.
Following the film, it was time to launch for home, or for some, further touring
destinations on the way home. The wind had begun blasting Victor Harbor with a
vengeance. As I transited northbound through the nearby farms, gusts rolled in with
authority, sending top soil flying horizontally and dictating a lane dance. My wipers
started moving, and I hadn’t turned them on. I opened both rear quarter windows on
the hardtop to help with air flow. Thankfully the wind abated once I’d put a hundred
or so kilometres in my rear view mirror, and the Tiger and I settled down to the task
at hand. As it was with the rest of the SCCV contingent, I arrived home intact and on
`schedule.
Events such as these always create memories that last, and the 2025 Nationals in
Victor Harbor was no exception.
Article courtesy of Hobey Landret
