Victoria’s Goldfields region played host to a procession of female-powered classic cars on the weekend in celebration of Australian motoring pioneer Florence Thomson.
Two hundred Florence fans took part in the second RACV Florence Thomson Tour, which set out from RACV Goldfields Resort in Creswick and meandered 130 kilometres through the back roads and byways of the Goldfields region via Clunes, Talbot and Beaufort before arriving at Mooramong homestead near Skipton.
Among the 80 historic cars that took part, a 1912 Model 59 Overland Tourer hit the road with a 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe, a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite and a 1976 Datsun 260Z.
The tour celebrates the indomitable Florence Thomson, who was the only female entrant in the 1905 Dunlop Reliability Motor contest from Sydney to Melbourne, a 920-kilometre journey over what was then essentially a horse track between the two cities. She was one of only 17 contestants to finish the five-day trial.
RACV motoring interests manager Daryl Meek describes the tour as an event with a difference.
“It focuses on an under-represented section of the motoring community and serves not only to celebrate the courageous women throughout history, but also to recognise the contribution that women bring to modern Australian motoring.”
The 110-kilometre tour starts at the RACV Cobram Resort on 27 April 2019. Guests will also be invited to make a weekend of it in the magnificent Murray Sun Country region. Places are limited to 200 participants. RACV members will be given priority.
