58 ASR 328 http://www.graffitipub.com.au
Hot Rods & Customs
make a long distance
rod run to Darwin
above: Bob Adams from NSW hauled a large caravan behind his blown Chevy
powered Dodge coupe. Some wheel bearing maintenance was required on
reaching Darwin, but otherwise the old Dodge made the trip with ease.
right page clockwise: Central coast trimmer John Viles drove his immaculate
single spinner Ford woddy all the way on his own. The woody is clad in Huon
pine and is Ford V8 powered. The green F100 belongs to Robbie Lauder, seen
here making a pass down the main street of Katherine as the Top End Rumble
set off on the final leg into Darwin. Bob Astal, from Geelong, was another rodder
hauling a caravan behind his ’33 Chevy coupe. Replacing broken coil-over mounts
was his main concern on reaching Darwin and we won’ t tell you how his fuel
gauge deceived him while in the top end. Another Geelong rodder, Ian Harris
drew disbelieving stares all the way with his patina dressed Chevy cab-over truck
that also towed a caravan all the way.T
here has been talk of a rod
run to Darwin for years and
in June 2017 it all came to
pass. Rodders from all corners of
Australia converged on Katherine in
the Northern Territory for the Top End
Rumble. Some travelled up through the centre of
the continent, some through central NSW and some up
the east coast and across through Queensland. They all joined the
party at Katherine in the Northern Territory and then headed
for Darwin.
On Wednesday June 14 the convoy of some 30 cars departed
Katherine after a final pass through the main street. Morning
tea was at Emerald Springs, and a final gathering at the
Livingstone World War II air strip on the outskirts of Darwin
allowed for a team photo from a cherry picker and for the convoy
to reassemble and move into Darwin in one long line. Destination
was Club Tropical, the headquarters for the 10-day long Rumble.
After lunch and settling into accommodation the group was
treated to a Civic Reception at Darwin’s Parliament House and
an official welcome by the Minister for Tourism, The Honourable
Lauren Moss. Rodders from all Australian States were in
attendance, with special mention of Wayne and Dianne Lockhart
who travelled all the way from Launceston in Tasmania in their
’32 Ford five window coupe.
The
10 day
long Rumble was
organised to allow visitors
plenty of time for sightseeing
during the days with official functions
based around early evening events. The rods and
customs also made up a special display at the V8 Supercar
races at Hidden Valley over the weekend of June 17-18Other
organised entertainment included visits to the Mindil and
Palmerston markets, an open air movie night, cruise night
to Darwin CBD, some grass driving events with a rod balance
competition and a visit to the Darwin Aviation Musum.
The Top End Rumble concluded with a dinner and
presentations at Club Tropical on Friday, June 23 after which
entrants made their own arrangements for the trip home. n