This year, the event was held in the southwest of Sydney, in the area between Mulgoa and Lakesland.  As with last year,  each team was given a sheet with a series of clues and directions to follow.   It was an observation rally, so the idea was to spot various things and then answer the questions on the sheet.   We also got a goodie bag at the start.

This year I took my 1981 240D.  With a team of four, a four door car is a must.   The 240D did well on the day and I didn’t have to worry about fuel at all.   We started the day with about half a tank.  After doing almost 350 kilometers, we still had between half and a quarter of a tank left.

As well as each of the clues, there were four to five lolly stops along the way which my kids really enjoyed.  As far as I could tell, we came around middle of the pack which I was pretty happy with – we even won a prize for being the team that had travelled the longest to get to the event.

Compared to the last time we did this event in 2023, my kids were able to do more of the navigation, being that little bit older.

The Mercedes Club has always been quite family friendly.  I think events like these are a great way to get children and different type of members involved.  I know my kids are keen to do it again next year if we are able.  To me an event like this represents some of the best aspects of classic car ownership.  Its not about just owning the car but the experiences you have with it.

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We took my 560SEL.  Its a good size for four and easy for the kids to get in/out of the back quickly.    It also has plenty of power for the hilly roads in the northwest where the rally was planned.   We had to use that power a few times to pass errant cyclists.

The event started early in St Ives, in one of the locations we regularly use to start night drives.   All entrants got their rally packs and and instructions and we set off, first stop being the St Ives Sphinx.  From there we stopped at various clues going via the Berowa Ferry and over to Cattai Ridge Road.  These would have all been familiar roads to regulars of the night drives. In addition to the clues there were also three ‘sweet spots’ along the way.   This was where each participant picked up lollipops and had to take a photo in front of the location.   My kids were particularly excited about the ‘sweet spots’.

Eventually we ended up at Ebenezer Church, Australia’s oldest surviving church, from 1809.   There we allowed everyone to regroup and sample a delicious Devonshire tea.   I had not been before and it is a very nice location.    The clues were often not easy, often not exactly in order and there were a few trick questions here and there.   It makes sense, as its the only way to separate out the scores with 25+ entrants on the day.

After the morning tea stop we proceeded across the Sackville Ferry, across to river road and then finally back to the Old Northern Road.   As per before there were many clues we had to find along these routes.  Among them were some unique letterboxes such as a repurposed outboard motor.   I was reasonably familiar with a lot of these roads, as this is one of my favourite areas to drive around Sydney and I commonly use these roads for the night drives.

We then concluded the day at a country club in the area where the scores were added up and prizes awarded.   I’m not sure what our final score was, but I think we probably ended up middle of the pack.    I was pretty happy with that result, given not all of our navigation party can read.    We actually won a prize (Presidents Choice) for the youngest navigation team, and the club let the kids give out the rest of the prizes which they enjoyed.   The club always goes out of its way to make the kids feel welcome at these events and they were quite excited to win a prize.

We had a really good day out at the Amazing Rally, and all three kids agreed that if the club did it again next year, they would want to come along.   We also learned a thing or two about doing these events.  Watch out for trick questions and it is worth backtracking to get points.   The time you finish is irrelevant.

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