Wollombi Wander

30 July 2013 / Report and Photos by Peter Hilkmann

The Question was ... will it or won’t it RAIN. Well it did & it didn't.

Our meeting place was Maccas at Morisset, and when I left home the sun was shining, so I thought ... brilliant, I’ll drive with the top down. But the further south I looked the bleaker the weather appeared. By the time I had almost reached Morisset the rain had started, but MX-5 drivers being what they are …"The faster you drive the less water you get in the cabin". That worked until I stopped at Morisset and the roof had to come up.

As we waited for the others to arrive and by the time we had a dozen cars ready to go the rain had stopped, and we dropped the canvas (and hard tops) and we were off to meet the Sydney Cruisers at Peats Ridge. Driving through the beautiful Mandalong Valley with all the lush green pastures the heavens opened up again, but undeterred we soldiered on with the tops down and the pedal to the metal (well not quite), and stayed dry till we arrived at the Corrugated Cafe, Peats Ridge for a well earned coffee, while we waited for the Sydney Cruisers to arrive. As we waited the rain washed away all the mud we had collected on the way by taking one of the run leader’s famous "Short Cuts". It was all good though, the dirt road wasn't dusty, 'cause it was "wet" so no dust in the cars!!!

The Sydney Cruisers arrived with their tops up, because the weather out of Sydney was dismal, hence the small showing of only four cars. It is not the quantity of the people to show up but the quality that counts. And as usual we all mixed and blended very well on the day. By the time we had said our hellos, the rain had stopped again so we once again dropped out tops and we were off to Wollombi for lunch. And what a lovely drive it is along the Great North Road through Laguna and district. Once again we managed to stay dry, and again after we arrived the rain happened again, so most of us opted for a meal at the Wollombi Tavern instead of spreading out our blankets for a picnic lunch.

All in all we all had a great day, and enjoyed catching up with our friends from Sydney. We all drove home with our top on, and luckily for us that we did, as no amount of speed would have kept out the bucketing we received whilst driving through the vineyards at Cessnock.

Thanks to all the participants who braved a cool & wet winter's day to enjoy their beloved MX-5s, and each other's company.