Take a journey back to our mechanical past at the Mount Alexander Vintage Engine Club’s 24th Annual Vintage Engine Rally this weekend.
The rally will take place at MAVEC’s home base at the Dave Bennett Reserve alongside the Muckleford Railway Station and is always a great day out for the whole family.
The popular annual event was cancelled last year due to COVID but MAVEC members have been very busy in the interim erecting a massive new shed and can’t wait to welcome everyone back for the 2021 rally to be staged at their new improved facilities.
This year’s featured engine is ‘Cooper’ and the featured tractor is ‘Field Marshall/Fowler’.
To add to the excitement, MAVEC members were also delighted to take delivery of a new toy last week – a Jas Smith Chaff Cutter.
MAVEC president Stephen O’Connor said the machine was built in Ballarat pre-1940 and members would be conducting chaff cutting demonstrations throughout the weekend.
“We will have everything on display from vintage chainsaws to drag saws, and static engines to tractors. There will also be visits by the Castlemaine Car Club, a Vintage Caravan Club and hopefully by a local truck club that was unable to have its rally due to COVID,” he said.
MAVEC secretary Graham Mason said club members couldn’t wait to welcome everyone back.
“We have worked hard to set up our headquarters and it’s a great space for displays and events and to host our club meetings or tinker on projects. “All the action will centre around the new facility. There will be plenty to see and do,” he said.
“We will have a jumping castle for the kids, coffee and ice cream vendors, onsite catering and on the Saturday a contingent of 20 Ferguson Tractor owners will be using the rally as a base for their ‘Tractor Trek’ setting off from the reserve at 8am before returning for lunch. There will also be tractor pull demonstrations on Saturday afternoon.”
The rally officially kicks off at 10am Saturday and runs through until 5pm and will run from 10am to 2.30pm Sunday. Entry is just $5 for adults and kids are free. The Dave Bennett Reserve is located at the corner of Muckleford-Walmer Road and Muckleford-Castlemaine Road.
