Are you guys all enjoying the show?” the commentator roared. “Yeah!” was the enthusiastic response from the string of happy kids leaning on the Dubbo Showground’s wire fence. Sure, the microphone man was referring to the daring feats of motorcycle stunt performer Randy Ryder at the time, but for most of these teens, this was the first big cars ’n’ stuff event they’d ever seen. So yeah, they were happy – there hadn’t been a proper car show around Dubbo in their lifetime!

First published in the November 2024 issue of Street Machine

That sorry situation was rectified last year with the inaugural Dubbo Motorfest, and its success made it a no-brainer that the show would be back in 2024. Sure enough, the second Dubbo Motorfest on 31 August was bigger and better in every way.

Aside from an impressive line-up of elite show cars and bikes, along with a wide variety of new and old metal on display in the outdoor show ’n’ shine, this year’s Motorfest offered freestyle motocross stunt shows, a motorcycle muster, live music, helicopter rides, a trade expo, and activities for the kids. Something for every stripe of automotive enthusiast!

That the Motorfest exists at all is thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Dubbo Motorcyclist & Drivers Club, headed up by locals Nat and Matt Rendell. “It’s been a fair while coming,” Matt said of the show. “We were involved in the local Cars and Coffee, and a show at nearby Ballimore, but there were three or four of us who could see an opportunity to step it up a bit with some top-end stuff.”

Having a great venue was a big part of this NSW Central West car show renaissance. Smack-bang in the middle of town, the Dubbo Showground’s enormous open shed typically plays host to livestock, but once you shoo the sheep out, you’re left with a great space for displaying elite street machines. Around 60 local and interstate show cars were on display there this year, including plenty of former Street Machine feature cars.

Just outside the shed, the new Street Elite display hosted more cool rides, while on the oval, around 500 weekend cruisers from all over the region lined up for the show ’n’ shine. It seemed every cool car from Lithgow to Bourke and beyond was here, from Corvettes and Rolls-Royces to Minis and dak-daks. The NSW police showcased some museum highway patrol cars, too, including an XC Falcon hardtop and an 80s Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo.

The Motorfest is not just about cars, though, with more than 400 motorbikes also on display this year. One hall was brimming with restored and survivor bikes, while another was crammed with elite-level stuff. A highlight for me was the astonishing display of immaculate and restored 1960s, 70s and 80s Japanese café racers and street bikes, with glistening metallic paint and chrome everywhere you looked.

With 8000 people attending – around one-fifth of Dubbo’s population – the second Motorfest was also a financial boon for 10 hand-picked local charities, with $50,000 raised for organisations like the Men’s Shed and Country Hope.

While there aren’t any driving events at the show itself, there are plans to co-promote the Motorfest alongside the eighth-mile drags at nearby Bodangora next year, which would create a ripper automotive weekend for the region. The Dubbo City Car Club typically runs eight drag events each year at the Bodangora Airstrip, and the site should easily cope with a gaggle of extra participants from a Motorfest team-up.

Another idea for next year is a Friday-evening ‘cars and cocktails’ event as a precursor to Saturday’s show, taking advantage of the brilliant, exhibition-grade lighting in the showground hall.

With plenty of accommodation, pubs, and attractions like the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in the region, Dubbo Motorfest is a perfect weekend road-trip and cruise destination for car clubs from Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle, and a must-do event for Central West automotive enthusiasts. Make sure you’re there next year to get amongst it!

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. “Would you believe I pulled this from a creek outside Canberra?” asked an otherwise sane-sounding John of his HJ Sandman. “I took a six-cylinder engine and bits with me and drove it home!” Since then, John has restored the Sandman to concours condition.

2. After his Suzuki Swift burnout machine caught fire at Brashernats, Jack Mill treated it to a major birthday, including a fresh paintjob. He was rewarded at this year’s Dubbo Motorfest with the Young Gun award.

3. Henry Parry won the 2014 Street Machine of the Year award with his FB Holden, and his latest toy is another early Holden, this time an EK. Powered by a 3.8L V6, the car was built by Dubbo’s IronKnuckles Fabrication & Customs, and features stunning Port Wine leather interior trim.

4. Henry Parry’s Chop Shop-built, SMOTY-winning ‘Old Love’ FB Holden looked as stunning as ever at this year’s Motorfest.

5. Central West NSW punches above its weight for hyper-talented car builders. Scott Lane from Hot Rod Lane in Orange is one of them, pictured here in his ’37 Maple Leaf pick-up.

6. Chris Seton found this ’35 Chev in the NSW outback town of Brewarrina, with the panels hanging in a shed and the chassis in the dirt. He’s now well into the process of bringing the old girl back to life, and the twin-Whipple-blown 540ci big-block that now resides in the engine bay should help with that!

7. ‘Bruiser the Cruiser’ is the Barra-powered creation of the late Jim Fife and his students at Dubbo TAFE.

8. Since being awarded Top Judged Elite at Street Machine Summernats 33, Charlie and Kerrina Harley’s ’57 Chevrolet has been to shows all over the country and added more than 7000km to the odometer. “This car has a better social life than we do!” Kerrina joked. The Chev took out the Best American gong at trophy time.

9. The Zelukovic family’s street-driven, restomod Studebaker Hawk is a lot closer to stock than their famous HOWBZR, which won the Top Custom gong at Motorfest 2024.

10. When I first laid eyes on this widebody V-dub, I thought I might be having a medical episode. Along with a front-mounted V8 conversion, the unique creation has had 20cm of extra metal beautifully blended into the centre of its body.

11. Kristy Bulkeley brought along her late husband Todd’s Datsun 1600 SSS (SM, Oct ’17) and took out the Top Import gong.

12. Garry Rosser won Grand Champion, Best Modified and Best Interior at Motorfest ’24 for his stunning One Tonner (SM, Jun ’24).

13. Jason Taylor took out Top Bike in Show with his stunning gold and black 2021 Harley.

14. Fresh from Top 10 success at this year’s Victorian Hot Rod Show, John Bennett’s 1928 Ford tudor was built by Maskell’s Customs & Classics in Shepparton. The chopped and channelled rod is powered by a V12 flathead.

15. Owned by Jason Kennedy, this 1950 Ford single-spinner won Best Paint at Motorfest. Mods include a roof chop by BMV, interior by North Coast Custom Trim, LS drivetrain and airbag suspension by Aaron Gregory, and a wild flame job by KDS Designs. The spinner is currently on its way to the Mooneyes show in Yokohama!

16. Hud Johnston debuted his ’34 Ford coupe at Summernats 34, but Dubbo Motorfest was the first show he’d driven it to under its own steam. A tribute to his late father, Rod, the Ford is powered by a crossflow 250 six, backed by a T5 and BorgWarner diff. Body mods include a laid-back ’32 grille.

ELITE AWARDS

Grand Champion
Garry Rosser – HQ One Tonner

Judges’ Choice
Steven Adnum – HQ Holden panel van

Best Interior
Garry Rosser – HQ One Tonner

Best Paint
Jason Kennedy – 1950 Ford

Top Custom
Rhonda Zelukovic – 1960 Studebaker Hawk

Best Display
Ben Ambrose – XY Falcon

Best Modified
Garry Rosser – HQ One Tonner

Best Australian
Dave & Lyn Keen – FJ Holden

Best American
Charlie Harley – 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Best Import
Kristy Bulkeley – Datsun 1600 SSS

Best Bike in Show
Jason Taylor – 2021 custom Harley