2026 – Bay to Birdwood

Bay to Birdwood was our 5th Classic car road trip.  This one took us back to South Australia over eight days and 4,350km.  I took my 1978 Mercedes 450SE and we had six other classic Mercedes and a Corvette.

The Bay to Birdwood was an amazing event and we managed to drive some great roads and see some interesting parts of the country.

Planning a 4,200km road trip to the Bay to Birdwood

Planning a 4,200km road trip to the Bay to Birdwood

Over the past four years, a group of friends and I have done annual road trips in our classic cars.  Most of them have been constructed around an event, taking back roads there and back.  ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 0 – Sydney to Bathurst

Bay to Birdwood – Day 0 – Sydney to Bathurst

Our trip to Adelaide for the Bay to Birdwood starts tomorrow morning in Bathurst.  We learned very quickly the first year that starting out from Sydney is a bad idea.   The goal of day zero ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 1 – Bathurst to Griffith

Bay to Birdwood – Day 1 – Bathurst to Griffith

Today was the first full day of our big road trip to the Bay to Birdwood in Adelaide.   We met at 0615 for an 0630 departure to maximize daylight hours.  Events later in the day ...
Chrysler Museum, Grenfell

Chrysler Museum, Grenfell

This Chrysler Museum is a small car museum in the centre of the town of Grenfell.  It is run by the owner, and most of the cars on display are cars he has bought over ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 2 – Griffith to Mildura

Bay to Birdwood – Day 2 – Griffith to Mildura

Today was the second day of our big road trip to Adelaide for the Bay to Birdwood.   As is usual, started just after sunrise at 0630.   However, today was going to be different.   While most ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 3 – Mildura to Strathalbyn

Bay to Birdwood – Day 3 – Mildura to Strathalbyn

Today we got to sleep in.  Going west, the sunrise was later, and so we didn't leave until 0645.   We departed Mildura bound for Renmark, our breakfast stop.   Instead of taking the main highway, we ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 4 – Adelaide Hills

Bay to Birdwood – Day 4 – Adelaide Hills

Today was the fourth day of our big road trip to the Bay to Birdwood.   However this day is unlike any other in that we didn't do much driving.   Today was meant as a slower ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 5 – The Event

Bay to Birdwood – Day 5 – The Event

Today was the actual Bay to Birdwood event, the core thing we based our trip around.   And what an event!  It really surpassed my expectations.  I don't think I have ever been to a more ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 5 – Finish Festival

Bay to Birdwood – Day 5 – Finish Festival

Once participants have finished the Bay to Birdwood route, the event is not over.   Next there is the finish festival.   All the cars participating line up in the expansive grounds of the National Motoring Museum ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 5 – Birdwood to Loxton

Bay to Birdwood – Day 5 – Birdwood to Loxton

After leaving the Finish Festival, we still had a few hours of driving to reach our destination for the evening.   We managed to leave around 1400, which gave us a bit of extra time for ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 6 – Loxton to Broken Hill

Bay to Birdwood – Day 6 – Loxton to Broken Hill

On Day 6, we started out in South Australia, crossed over into Victoria for Breakfast and then into NSW for Lunch, before ending back on South Australia Time. As usual we left Loxton early and ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 7 – Cobb Highway

Bay to Birdwood – Day 7 – Cobb Highway

Today was the penultimate day of our big road trip to Adelaide and back, and the biggest distance covered.   We started early in Broken Hill, leaving at 0630 local time.   Broken Hill observes South Australia ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 8 – Lachlan Valley Way

Bay to Birdwood – Day 8 – Lachlan Valley Way

Our final day of our road trip to Adelaide and back started in Hillston at 0630.   Our first destination was Condoblin for breakfast, via lake Cargelligo.   We would be taking Lachlan Valley way as our ...
Bay to Birdwood – The Cars

Bay to Birdwood – The Cars

Our Bay to Birdwood trip was the 5th annual roadtrip of this nature.  We had 8 cars and drivers participate this time, with 25 across all 5.   All eight cars returned on their own four ...
Preparing my 450SE for the Bay to Birdwood trip

Preparing my 450SE for the Bay to Birdwood trip

There was a bit of preparation for my 450SE to embark on the 4,200km trip for the Bay to Birdwood.  The car was running well, but the main thing to sort out was the air-conditioning.  ...
National Motor Museum, Birdwood

National Motor Museum, Birdwood

As part of my recent road trip to South Australia for the Bay to Birdwood event, I attended the National Motor Museum.  Entry to the museum is part of the Bay to Birdwood experience, but ...
Gilberts Motor Museum, Strathalbyn

Gilberts Motor Museum, Strathalbyn

On my recent road trip to South Australia, we managed to visit a number of interesting motoring museums.  One of them was Gilberts Motor Museum in Strathalbyn.  It was quite an interesting museum, and surprisingly ...
450SE after road trip repairs

450SE after road trip repairs

I had a great roadtrip in my 450SE, covering 4,350km.   However there were a few things I wanted to address now the car was home.   I was able to address some of them but there ...
Bay to Birdwood – Day 1 – Bathurst to Griffith

Bay to Birdwood Trip – Summary

The Bay to Birdwood trip was our 5th annual major road trip in classic cars.  This year, we went back to aligning around a major motoring event, the Bay to Birdwood.  As usual, the formula ...