On a cold and blustery Sunday morning with the forecast for heavy rain later in the day, some 15 members of the SA branch of the AMOC met at the Burnside Village Shopping centre carpark for the May run and lunch.
As it happened, the weather was very sunny in the morning and the mood was suitably upbeat. Area Rep, Terry Jones, welcomed everyone and handed out the run sheets for the run that he described as the ‘3 dogleg run’ – Terry advised there was a fourth dogleg for members to find and he thought a dog should have 4 legs rather than three!
We set off at 11am and headed up the twisty, undulating Greenhill Rd travelling through Summertown, Carey Gully and onto Balhannah where we found the first dogleg. A quick right and left turn left us on Junction Road that had the ‘hidden’ dogleg shortly after as we crossed the railway line. Next was Littlehampton where we turned left to join the Old Prices Highway, driving through Nairne, Dawesley and Kanmantoo. By now, the road had opened up a lot and the flatter country allowed for more rapid progress. This was accelerated further as we turned right onto Ferries McDonald Rd that was mostly straight (there were two more doglegs) and our cars enjoyed the higher speeds afforded. A final right turn onto Langhorne Creek Road took us to our lunch destination, Bremerton Winery.
We were greeted by a warm log fire and smiles from the very efficient staff and shown to our long table. After selecting our choices from the food and wine menus, Terry addressed the group that included Conrad, Rhonda and Stuart who had joined us at Bremerton. Terry thanked all and enquired about the adequacy of the run sheet – all advised the run was good and the sheet accurate though the problem with small lettering on the Ferries McDonald Road turnoff sign explained why one car missed the turnoff.
Terry advised the restaurant choice for our June dinner meeting had not been finalised and he was still welcoming suggestions. He advised the July meeting was to be one of the major events of 2022 for our Area and that we would celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first time Aston Martin officially competed in a Grand Prix race. Terry advised we would use the date to also celebrate Adelaide’s connection with Grand Prix racing and that our celebrations were therefore to centre on Lobethal where the only pre-war Grand Prix race held in SA was held (in 1939). Terry also advised of the Stately Affair in October and suggested members who wanted to join their Victorian counterparts for the long weekend festivities book their accommodation asap as it was likely to be a busy time in the Barossa.
After a good deal of conversation, good food and fine wine, we finally left for home at approximately 3.30pm and Terry noted the promised rain had still not arrived. The run home was good due to the weather and the picturesque scenery.