All British Rally
- 27-28 April, 2019 – Newstead, Victoria
A British bottler
Report Gordon Star PhotosThomas Weitacher
RALLY REPORTS ALL BRITISH
96 :OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA
The 43rd(yes it’s hard to believe
there has been that many) All British
Rally (ABR) was held at its now well-
established home of Newstead, near
Castlemaine in central Victoria.
Newstead, unlike a few other places
the rally has been held at, is in a “rain
shadow” so this year like most, the
weather was kind to us. If you haven’t
been, this is a big event: 900+ fully
paid entries as well as day visitors and
trade displays and the locals who
supply a wonderful range of quality
food and beverages. This year’s rally
was marketed as a three-day event,
but as ANZAC day fell the day before,
many decided to make it a four-day
affair. The rally is divided into two
distinct areas, the main area being
only for tents and bikes (this rule is
normally well observed) and the
larger secondary area, the old
racecourse, is for everything else. As
time marches on the average age of
attendees seems to go up by nine
months every year. So, whereas forty-
two years ago, at the Cheshunt Rally,
everyone was in a tent, these days a
lot more are opting for the comfort of
a caravan or motor-home. That said,
the majority by far still camp.
Friday saw a short ride for those
who wanted or wished to use it as a
warm up for the main ride (via the
scenic route) to Maldon. Maldon, in
the last few years, has become anevent in its own right. The local police
close off the main street to all but
motorcycles and from about 11am
they start pouring in. By the time the
rally ride arrives it’s a tight squeeze.
800-odd bikes from the rally and
many hundreds more visiting bikes as
well, all adds to quite a carnival
atmosphere. The rally supplies a free
lunch for all pre-paid entries, so you
can imagine the queue outside the
local bakery is quite something. Still,
they’ve had a lot of practice and they
get through the queue very quickly. A
few hours were spent in Maldon and
then it was time to find our own way
back to the rally site for the judging
and prizes on Sunday morning.
In years gone by, Saturday evenings
would be spent sitting around camp-
fires, consuming refreshments and
recounting tales of motorcycling and
sometimes even sexual conquests.
Then at some point a Bull Ring wouldstart up and the attending crowd
would witness motorcycles being
tortured at the hands of once loving
owners. These days, there are still
many campfires, however the conver-
sations have changed tone a little
(prostate problems seem to out way
sexual conquests), the Bull Ring has
been replaced by a live band (the last
few years it’s been The Cutest Little
Monsters) and for us they play rock
and roll covers – just perfect. Halfway
through the evening the raffle prize
was drawn and this year the prize was
a very nice looking G80 Matchless.
Every entry receives a ticket. The odds
are better then Tattslotto. All in all, a
great weekend was had by all. And if,
when you wake up on Sunday morn-
ing, you are feeling a little worse for
wear, the local police officer (a great
guy) will give you a breath test before
you leave the site! Looking forward to
seeing you there next year.Jon Munn’s recently completed Rickman Triumph. Spotless T100 outfit in a sea of tents.A good mixture of older bikes
and not so old bikes in Maldon.1939 BSA Gold Star sparkles
at the campground.