Classic Cars Shine at the 2026 Old Bar Beach Festival
The weather could hardly have been better for the 2026 Old Bar Beach Festival, with clear and comfortable conditions providing the perfect backdrop for one of the festival’s most popular attractions — the classic car display.
Once again, the display brought together an impressive variety of vehicles from different eras of motoring. There was plenty for enthusiasts to admire, from beautifully presented vintage and classic cars through to the ever-popular line-up of Volkswagen Kombis, which have become a familiar sight at the event over the years.
One of the more unusual and eye-catching vehicles on display was a remarkably well-preserved Leyland Atlantean double-decker bus from Taree. Towering over the surrounding cars, the bus attracted plenty of attention and provided a fascinating reminder of a very different era of public transport on the Mid North Coast.
With such a broad mix of vehicles on show, there was something to interest just about everyone. Whether you came for the vintage machinery, the nostalgia, the unusual vehicles, or simply to enjoy a walk through rows of lovingly preserved cars, the display offered plenty to see.
Of course, the Old Bar Beach Festival is about much more than just classic vehicles. The usual assortment of market stalls, displays and food vans kept visitors busy throughout the day, with no shortage of things to browse, eat and enjoy. The smell of food drifting through the festival grounds certainly made it difficult to walk past without stopping for something!
The combination of great weather, interesting vehicles, busy markets and a relaxed coastal atmosphere made the 2026 festival another very enjoyable day at Old Bar.
It has been a number of months since my last Secretarys Report. A lot of events have taken place within the Club, since I was delayed due to some ongoing medical problems with myself.
Membership has been on the increase since the June “Kings Birthday” Long Weekend MOTORFEST 26 in Tuncurry. An amazing number of vehicles turned up as well many visitors and attendees. Overall the weekend was one of the best the Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club Motorfests have provided. Also our new Club brochure has been distributed throughout Forster and Tuncurry.
Monthly meetings have been very well attended and included many visitors, with at least 5 joining as members. Since the Club moved to The Sporties Club in Tuncurry in March this year, the recent August Meeting being our 7th gathering, attendance numbers have been well into the high 30’s and the 40’s.
We have welcomed Glenn & Kerry Thomson, Jim & Kay Morgan, Matt Palme & Rachel Bissell and we have 3 new memberships still to process. A big welcome to you all and hope you enjoy all of our social activities.
The Events Committee should be congratulated for the Coffee & Chat mornings and Lunch runs to places like Nabiac, Gloucester, Taree, Barrington, and Tea Gardens cafes. And also the recent Christmas in July function. All very well supported.
We aslo thank Des & Belinda Moy for their exceptional contribution of being the Club Treasurers. Especially monthly balancing our Clubs finances. With Income and Expenses Report given at each Monthly Meeting. And it’s not an easy occupation having to deal constantly with the Australian Government Taxation Laws where the Club is now obliged to pay Income Tax.
The Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club has expressed its sincere appreciation to MidCoast Council for its continued support of the annual Mid Coast Motorfest and for providing a valuable grant towards this year’s event.
MidCoast Council offers grants twice each year to assist community organisations in presenting cultural activities, festivals and events throughout the region. The program supports events of all sizes, from smaller local gatherings through to major community occasions that attract participants and visitors from across the Mid Coast and beyond.
Competition for these grants is always strong, with Council receiving a large number of high-quality applications from many deserving community groups. The Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club is therefore extremely grateful to have successfully received Council support for Motorfest over several consecutive years.
For this year’s event, MidCoast Council awarded the club a grant of $1,800. The funding made an important contribution towards the costs involved in organising and presenting Motorfest, helping the club provide an enjoyable, well-organised and accessible event for vehicle enthusiasts, families and members of the wider community.
Events such as Motorfest require considerable planning, volunteer effort and financial support. Assistance from MidCoast Council helps ensure the event can continue to grow while promoting historic motoring, community participation and tourism within the local region.
The Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club sincerely thanks MidCoast Council for recognising the value of Motorfest and for its ongoing commitment to supporting local cultural and community events.
Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club’s Mid Coast Motorfest 2026 was once again a full blown success, with stunning weather and a turnout of some 295 vehicles.
Kids both young and old enjoyed Rocker Cover Racing on tap – rocker covers of all shapes and sizes hit the track in heats of two, all aiming for that top spot! Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club would like to thank all the sponsors for their support; and of course all entrants who helped to make the 2026 Motorfest one of our best yet. We’d love to see you all back next year!
It’s Rocker Cover Racing on tap at Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club’s Mid Coast Motorfest 2026. Rocker covers of all shapes and sizes hit the track in heats of two, all aiming for that top spot!
“I only just arrived at the last minute to enter the Anzac Parade in Taree, the Model T refused to start this morning, I was wrestling with it for about an hour, even using Zoe’s ute to try an tow-start the Model T proved unsuccessful. The problem turned out to be the carburettor had frosted up and was too cold to start. Zoe came to the rescue with her hair-dryer, and we were able to warm up the carburettor and intake manifold just enough, and finally got the Model T started 🙂
I arrived in Taree just in time to catch the back of the parade, and found a lone serviceman outside Service NSW, and asked him if he’d like to be a part of the parade. Darcy Elbourne, President of the Taree RSL sub-branch was very understanding of my mechanical mishap, and said he’s pencilled me in for next year too! All turned out well in the end, even if it did rain a little bit! — Lest we forget.”
