Volks Enthusiasts Club 9th Anniversary Cruise

Sept 2005

 
     
  The 10th of Sept 2005 was declared the 9th Anniversary of the formation of the Volks Enthusiasts Club of SA. To mark the occasion, the club decided on a cruise to Melba's Chocolate Factory in Woodside.
  They say we can control most things but not the weather. Well after today, we would like to add PETROL PRICES to the things we can't control. With unleaded topping out at $1.38 per litre and lead replacement even more our hopes for a large contingent started to fade. Add to that a cold wet day and we were starting to worry. Starting point for the run was the Car Park on Hackney Rd adjacent Plane Tree Drive. The first of the organisers arrived well before the appointed time of 10:00 and, surprisingly given the joint impact of the petrol prices and a windy, wet day, were soon joined by an excellent contingent of members and visitors. When the time came to head off, there were 16 cars altogether, including 2 Karmann Ghias, 2 new Beetles, a 1951 split window beetle, two bay window kombis, a split window kombi ute, two T3 notches, an oval, a couple of superbugs and a golf. Then there were those who couldn't get out in their VW's for the day, adding a ford probe, commodore and skyline to the mix.
  Richard Newbury led us out of the car park an out on to Hackney Rd. As usual traffic did its worst to separate us. A 5 minute rest stop on Main North East Rd allowed us to regroup and get back in to formation. The surprise of the day was the pace of the little split window beetle. This little car held its own on the windy roads and certainly did not hold anyone up. It was only on reaching our destination that the driver let on that due to the skinny and very hard tyres on the beetle, it was in 2 wheel drift around many of the tighter corners. Certainly some white knuckle moments!
  The cold weather certainly had some benefits, in that traffic on the roads was pretty light, meaning that there was little need to use the passing lanes to let the faster traffic through. A wet winter had the country side looking excellent, with plenty of water in both the Torrens River and the reservoirs. The rain held off for most of the drive, with only light sprinkles on the wind screen. The run through Inglewood and Gumeracha and on to Birdwood was a treat, with no one stopping due to mechanical failure or being left behind. From Birdwood we headed through to Mt Torrens and then through Charleston and on to Woodside. We did feel for the group of riders of early model BSA motor bikes who we passed outside of Mt Torrens. If you think its cold inside a heaterless beetle, imagine how cold it was fully exposed to the elements!

  Melba's chocolate factory is a favourite spot with car clubs and weekend tourists. The front reception area carries a plaque from the club's first visit. This was presented by then President, Richard Newbury and bears a picture of an early production beetle in Germany. After sampling the free tasters, we queued up to purchase our favourite chocolates and sweets. Then it was out the door and ready to roll again.
 

Our lunch time plans were thrown into disarray after our host came down with a nasty dose of the lergy. After a quick re-think and reconnaissance trip, we decided to make camp in the Woodside civic park alongside the oval. Electric BBQ's and a shelter from the rain were just what we needed. From there it was back out the snacks, crack a tinny or whip the cork out of a bottle of red and on with the socialising. For those that stayed for lunch, a very enjoyable afternoon was had. The group started to break up again around 3:00 with people starting to head for home. It was great to see some new faces at the run and we certainly hope that they left with a good impression of our hospitality. Even hope for some new members!. Thanks to Richard Newbury for organising the run.

Next year at this time we hope to make our 10th Anniversary run even better - with the aim of getting 100 VW's on the road together.