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LAT LONG 35°14ˇ S, 149°09ˇ E
Burning up. Joe Rezo (above), who brought his family
to the Nats, made sure little Ari was well protected.
Burnouts create a spectacle but afterwards the car’s
tyres have no use other than as souvenirs (bottom).Understandably, with the attendance
numbers so high, Summernats brings
millions of dollars into the ACT, which
is a vital ingredient in its longevity.
Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez is
particularly happy that the number of
attendees buying season passes increased.
He knows how that would have fl owed
on to benefi t the local economy.
For those who’ve never ventured
through the gates at EPIC, it’s a more
varied event than you might imagine.
There’s an indoor car show where the
Elite Top 60 slog it out in a beauty
pageant that rewards paint, custom
interiors, ‘stance’ (how a car sits on the
road), steroidal engines, build quality108 Australian Geographic
E
VERY SUMMER, CANBERRA’S population shrinks.
The pollies decamp to their constituencies and a
battalion of public servants spend their Christmas
break in beach-side holiday homes around Batemans
Bay. All is quiet in our bush capital. Until, that is, a
few days after the new year, when high-octane petrol-
heads descend – a motorised version of that other
annual swarm, the bogong moth. This is Summernats.
Described as Australia’s biggest horsepower party, it’s
the spiritual home of the burnout and a world away
from the verbal sparring that fi lls the other 361 days
of Canberra’s life.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no
denying the event’s popularity in what is a surprisingly
tribal scene. Hot rods, rat rods, customs and muscle
cars; show cars, cruisers, burnout monsters and drag
cars – they all rub shoulders at EPIC: Exhibition Park
in Canberra.
The three-and-a-half-day show made its debut in
1988, so it’s been a fi xture in the calendar for more
than a quarter of Canberra’s life and there’s no sign of
it fading away just yet. In 2013, the 26th event, 101,486
paying fans strolled through the gates and 1767 cars were
“entered” for the four-day extravaganza; to be allowed
into the grounds, your car must be scrutineered and
accepted as an entrant.
Although there’s no denying that in past years the
event has made the headlines for the wrong reasons
(such as the riots that spilled out of the 2008 event),
it’s equally true that Summernats has grown up. It’s
boisterous, certainly, but you no longer have the sense
that this is an event where the women sit out. It is a
family af air, supporting a pastime that is likewise family
based. Underlining that point, the ACT police made no
ar rests in 2013 and weren’t called on to intervene in any
incidents. “Overall we were very happy with the patron
and entrant behaviour at Summernats this year, partic-
ularly with the large number of people in attendance,”
acting superintendent Rod Anderson said.SUMMER NATS
Canberra is the centre of the nation’s
political life – and it’s also the heart of
the huge Australian modified-car scene.STORY BY ADAM MORRISSEY
PHOTOGR APHY BY THOMAS WIELECKI