Category: News

Sunday 13^th April 2025 we gathered at the Bridgewater Inn carpark ready for the day’s events.

We were supposed to gather at 10.00am for a 10.30am departure but as the weather was picture perfect everyone was ready to go by 10.15am.

It was probably a prudent move to leave early as the run that John and Cintra Amos had organized was a short but enjoyable run through the Adelaide Hills to our secret destination and surprise exhibition.

John and Cintra had organized a private viewing of what you could only describe as an envious collection of historic racing vehicles and memorabilia.

Our host Chris welcomed us and allowed us to park beneath the beautiful autumn foliage on his property which made for some lovely photos.

Chris is an absolute wealth of information about every aspect of his collection which kept everyone focused on what he was saying and certainly educated a number of us.

While we were going through the collection we were told to hastily exit outside as there was a surprise in play that Chris had organized.

As we exited one of the sheds a red G-Zele Westland Gazelle helicopter in beautifully restored condition showcased some evasive maneuvering flown by Jim Whalley, South Australia’s first chief entrepreneur, a high flyer from RAAF and test pilot background and also an air force squadron leader who flew F/A-18 Hornets.

This was a real treat and quite a surprise as Chris had organized the fly over and meeting as a special treat for the AMOC SA.

The private viewing of the collection cannot be described accurately in words as it was a culmination of so many fantastic experiences crammed into 1.5hrs.

We then continued the run through to our final destination being the Golding Winery.

Even having lived in Adelaide for 65 years there are still places that are hidden gems and without other people’s suggestions we would probably never have known of this venue.

We had a private table under the pergola with perfect weather and a truly beautiful outlook.

Everyone seemed to be relaxed and enjoying themselves as we were served with our lunch made up of specialty entrées and shared gourmet pizzas.

Thank you so much to Chris, John and Cintra for making Sunday a truly memorable day.

Please note the calendar of events has changed slightly and May’s run is now going to be at “Our Place” in Willunga with the run organized by Grant and Julia White.

Mark your calendar for Sunday May 25^th where we will be celebrating the 90^th year since the foundation of the AMOC.

March 15^th saw our first Saturday run with 24 members and guests attending the run and lunch at the Mount Compass Golf course.

A very special thank you to Harley Cooke for organising the run. Harley was unable to attend the event as he had a previous engagement with the F1 in Melbourne but still went out of his way to create an interesting day for those that attended.

It was an extremely hot day peaking at 40˚C, however the scenery driving through the heart of the Fleurieu Peninsula made it all worthwhile.

This is a special part of the Adelaide Hills connecting many of the seaside towns along the coast and peninsula.

Lunch was a casual affair with magnificent views overlooking the course which has been listed a number of times in the top 100 golf courses in Australia.

Member Tom Hutchinson presented us with a detailed rendition of local history as his family has been entrenched in the area for numerous generations. It was an informative and sometimes humorous narrative which had everyone on the edge of their seats.

Sunday 16^th February’s run to Softwood Farm

Written by Cintra Amos

On Sunday 16 February 40 AMOC members gathered in the Victoria Hotel carpark before setting off on a leisurely cruise through the Fleurieu Peninsula. 

Among the group was the stunning purple Aston Martin Valour of Glenn Drayton and Deirdre Butler.  This new and extremely rare car (world-wide production of only 110 vehicles) features a V12 engine coupled with an old-school manual gearbox.

 After a recent very hot spell, it was lovely to enjoy some milder weather as we enjoyed our cruise organised by Julia and Grant White to the award-winning “Swagman Restaurant” at the Softfoot Country Alpaca Farm.   The day was fully-subscribed and we filled the restaurant!

Housed in a converted shearing shed overlooking Highland Valley, we all enjoyed a convivial afternoon of delicious slow food including a variety of bush foods sourced from their own garden, where some members took a stroll after lunch.

The AMOC SA held their AGM and Xmas party at the Mount Osmond Golf Course on Sunday December 15^th.

We had 28 members attend on a very warm 35 degree day which started with an observation run through the Adelaide hills leading to the lunch venue. This run was organized by Chris and Jan Barron who have prepared numerous runs for us throughout the years and have always proven to be a hit.

Being an observation run it made for some serious competition between members as the couple that answered the most questions correctly won some Aston merchandise and wine.

Richard Avard and Andrew Brown won first prize with Fred and Marina Pascale coming in a close second and third place was taken by Tom Hutchinson and John Hendrickson who all received some lovely Aston goodies.

After the run members were greeted with a welcome drink and an opportunity to relax looking over the greens of the golf course.

Xmas decorations and Bon Bons created the atmosphere for a festive and generous meal of Beef Fillet, Mashed Potato, Broccolini, Red Wine Jus and Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon, Green Beans, Spanish Onion, Walnuts, Balsamic Reduction.

Duck fat potatoes and pear and parmesan salad completed the selection.

We held a brief AGM where the new committee were elected unopposed for the coming year.

Martin Farkas Area Rep, Harley Cooke Assistant Area Rep, Cintra Amos secretary and Bitten Pedersen as treasurer.

The committee will be holding a meeting during January to set the dates for the runs through the year with the first run being Sunday, February 16^th. We will be visiting “Softfoot Country” which is an Alpaca farm and has an attached restaurant called “Swagman Country Dining”.

This run is being organized by Grant and Julia White and looks like it will set the benchmark for the remaining runs for 2025.

Martin Farkas AMOC SA

The run to the Birkenhead Tavern on Sunday 17^th November was enjoyed by 30 members and guests departing the Feathers Hotel and travelling through Adelaide.

It was a run organized by Harley Cooke and was a little different than our usual runs through the hills. We mainly travelled in convoy which created a spectacle for the other road users. We headed west towards the Adelaide coastline and along the esplanade at Semaphore towards Outer Harbor ending at our venue for lunch, The Birkenhead Tavern.

 

The menu was not only comprehensive and generous in its servings but ticked all the boxes for a high quality “pub style meal”.

A good solid turn out and a fun day with lots of laughs and smiles.

Many thanks to Harley once again for organizing something a little different.

This annual event began in 2011 for South Australian and Victorian Aston Martin owners to come together and share a long weekend of cars and camaraderie but members of AMOC from anywhere in Australia are most welcome to join us.

This year the event was held from Friday 11 to 13 October 2024 in the coastal town of Victor Harbor, 80km south of Adelaide, surrounded by fabulous scenic driving roads.

“Victor” as it is known is situated on the wide sandy arc of Encounter Bay, named in 1802 by Matthew Flinders, and is a vibrant beachside town that offers a huge range of activities and scenery, and the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula is the perfect area to explore for those who may wish to extend their stay.

After travelling 750kms the Victorian AMOC nestled into their accommodation ready to join the South Australians on two days of scenic runs and a selection of our local foods and wine.

The event started with a welcome dinner preceded by drinks and canapes which were generously funded by the local Aston Martin Principle “Solitaire Automotive”.

68 members and guests from both states started the weekend with a 100km run through the Fleurieu Peninsula ending at “The Winehouse” Langhorne Creek. “The Winehouse” was one of the first collaborative cellar doors in SA, allowing a number of producers to sell their wine from the one premise.

 

 

After returning to our accommodation and resting up we gathered for dinner at a local hotel which was a nice finish to a big day.

Day 2 brought on another 115km run travelling through the Inman Valley ending at the Murray Mouth.

Inman Valley was surveyed in late 1839 by a party under Senior Surveyor N. Lipscomb Kentish, formerly of Sydney, assisted by Surveyor Henry Ide, formerly a corporal in the Royal Sappers & Miners. They pegged out the sections and also a line of road suitable for drays leading from Rapid Bay to Encounter Bay, which is now Inman Valley Road.

The mouth of the Murray River is about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) south east of Goolwa and about 75 kilometres (47 miles) south-south-east of the Adelaide city. The mouth is an opening in the coastal dune system which separates the river system from the ocean and which extends from near Goolwa in a south-easterly direction along the continental coastline for about 145 kilometres (90 miles).

Water flows throughout the mouth from two directions. Firstly, the flow from the west passes along a passage known as the Goolwa Channel which is bounded by Hindmarsh Island to its north side. Secondly, the flow from the east passes along a passage known as the Coorong Channel.

We relaxed and enjoyed a much earned lunch at the Islanders Tavern overlooking the water ways of Goolwa before heading back to our accommodation and preparing for the evenings dinner.

The SA branch of the AMOC had organized a goodbye BBQ where we all unwound from the weekends adventures. A wonderful opportunity to catch up and recall all the fun times with our Victorian counterparts.

This event shows no signs of slowing down and builds in numbers every year. We look forward to the next catch up where the SA members will be travelling to Victoria for no doubt another fabulous gathering.

Co-written by Cintra Amos AMOC SA Secretary and Martin Farkas AMOC SA Area Rep.

The run to FermentAsian last Sunday was nothing short of a perfect event.

27 members and guests gathered in the car park having a chat and welcoming new members before the run began.

It was an entertaining run along with some challenging sections and finishing with some hidden straights allowing us to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather.

Thank you once again to Tom Hutchinson and John Hendrickson for their dedication in re-running their route numerous times to make sure it was accurate.

For those members that couldn’t join us Tom travelled to one of the last corners along the route and added some balloons to the sign post just to make sure we wouldn’t miss it. He then came home, printed the photos of the corner and then joined us at The Feathers car park ready for the departure.

Hats off to you Tom, that’s true dedication to make it a success.

Lunch was a shared menu from the chef which covered all tastes and I believe there were no complaints.

Service was organized, efficient and friendly and we basically had the restaurant to ourselves.

Thank you to James Hardstaff from Solitaire Aston Martin for bringing the “NEXT GENERATION VANTAGE” as it allowed our club members to view this magnificent marque well before most other people.

 

The October runs and evening events scheduled for the Stately Affair are also available to those that are not staying at the Bluff Resort.

We will need your expressions of interest as to which drive or meal you intend to participate in sooner rather than later as we already have 59 VIC and SA members attending.

Some venues have a booking limit to please let me know ASAP.

Just an excuse to get together for a fun night out.

magnificent Italian fair with good company.