OUR TRIP to WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Brian and Margaret Heaton
Margaret and I travelled to Perth with two other entrants from NSW, Geoff and Lyn Street from Wollongong and the Austin
family from Chester Hill. We had decided to leave "Mousey" at home and take our campervan behind our Honda CRV as we had difficulty
locating a trailer small enough to suit the A30 and fit in with the rated load limit of 1200kg. Then a few weeks before the event
Ian Baistow offered the use of his trailer which had been built to take his 1934 10HP to Warwick AOA. As this fitted all the parameters
we accepted his offer. The only problem we now had was that instead of the relative comfort of the air bed in our camper we would
have to ''rough it'' in a tent!
We travelled via Narrandera and the Hay Plains to Port Augusta and then across The Nullarbor to Kalgoorlie,
had a look at the sites around there and then on to York via Hyden and Wave Rock, arriving at our Wattle Grove campsite on the Tuesday
afternoon before Easter. This gave us time to set up and find our bearings before the event and having lived only a few klms from
Cronulla Beach for the past 42 years it takes a bit to get used to the ocean being West not East!
On the Friday we went down to Cannington
to register and then returned in the evening for the Official Welcome and a chance to catch up with people from past AOA's. Then on
Saturday we assembled at Cannington at 8.30 and departed in groups as per the comfortable cruising speed of your vehicle. This was
very well done with slightly different travel routes for each group but all ending up at the same destination Whiteman Park. This
is a large property which was left to the people of W.A. for community use and it also has a comprehensive Motor Museum which we all
had access to. Our cars were displayed by year of manufacture in the grounds around the museum. After an excellent lunch we returned
to camp and then back to Cannington for a get together and BBQ. Sunday saw us depart Cannington for a display by model at McCallum
Park which is where the photo on the front of June A30 Minutes was taken. Sunday night we attended the Official Dinner which was a
beautifully presented Buffet style meal and were entertained by the presentation of several trophies and some hard luck stories and
a brief overview of the planning already in process for the next event in 2011 at Forbes in NSW.
Monday saw us leaving Cannington to
travel North to Bindoon for a display on the town oval. Here the ladies from the local CWA provided Devonshire Teas and sausage sandwiches
at a reasonable cost and there was a Motorkhana organised on the oval where many of the drivers and their passengers put their driving,.
navigating and dexterity skills to the test for the amusement of all. A large storm came up about 2.30 pm and looked very threatening
so most of us said final farewells to friends we wont see till the next gathering and headed off. Everyone we spoke to thoroughly
enjoyed the Perth event and thanks must go to the AMVCWA for putting the effort in to making it a success and to all who made the
trip to support them.
We took the opportunity to travel South to Pemberton, Walpole, Albany and Esperance, before heading back across
the Nullarbor again and we hope to return again but maybe we will take our comfy bed next time! (Must be getting old or something.)
Regards
Brian
and Margaret Heaton (memb # 243)