The best classic car shows in Australia

Every two years, over 4000 visitors descend on the rural NSW town of Cooma to catch the region’s largest festival of motoring. Hosted by the Cooma Car Club, attendees of the Cooma Motorfest can admire over 400 cars, trucks and motorbikes, before enjoying the entertainment and food stalls on offer. At the biannual event, you’ll be able to enjoy all the vehicles the Cooma Car Club have collected, restored and maintained over the last two decades.

To keep up with all their events, head to the Cooma Car Club website.

With the beautiful Hawkesbury as a backdrop, you can enjoy a whole weekend of festivities at the All Holden Day. Traditionally held on the first Sunday of August, All Holden Day is held at the Hawkesbury showground in Clarendon NSW. Families can enjoy an array of activities, including swap meets, trade stands, food and drink stalls, as well as entertainment for the kids, like free rock climbing, slot car racing and jumping castles. Original and custom Holdens ranging from first to current models are proudly paraded on Sunday for the attendees to admire.

For more on the event’s history and event day details, visit the NSW All Holden Day Weekend website.

Held in March every year, Albury Wodonga is home to the largest annual Chrysler show in the southern Hemisphere. The event has grown over the last three decades to attract several hundred Chrysler enthusiasts from all over the country since being first held in 1992.

Despite its growth, the show is still run and organised by Albury Wodonga Chrysler members. Enthusiasts can enjoy a track day, newly restored vehicle displays, swap meets and entertainment over the three-day event. 

For event details and updates, check the Chryslers On the Murray website and visit their Facebook page.

Get set to take a stroll down memory lane. Held in Geelong’s Eastern Gardens, All Ford Day is a celebration of the classic works of the Ford Motor Company. Attendees will be greeted by more than 1,500 Ford vehicles of all types, ages and models, from pre-war automobiles to modern performance vehicles. Grab a snack from one of the food trucks and explore rows of classic race and muscle cars,  hotrods and street machines. You may even spot a few surprise celebrity appearances. Gates open early, and guests are encouraged to enjoy a whole day at the event with the entire family, with entertainment as well as food and drink available all day.

For event details and tickets, check out the All Ford Day website.

This show allows you to enjoy some of the best vintage vehicles alongside one of Australia’s most impressive coastlines. Held annually, the motor show sees more than 200 cars and over 1500 attendees from both the local community and from afar. Along with its exhibits, attendees can also enjoy live music.

Get all the details of the event at the Point Nepean Heritage Motor Show website.

Classic car enthusiasts heading up north are in for a real treat. Queensland is home to the largest gathering of classic Land Cruisers in Australia with the Classic Landcruiser Expo and Car Show (CLECS) in Caboolture. Held annually in October, the event is a celebration of the culture and continued preservation of classic Toyota Land Cruisers.

If you think you and your Land Cruiser are up for it, you can compete in the day’s competition car show. If you prefer to just sit back and enjoy what these incredible cars have to offer, you’ll be able to see industry celebrities at meet and greets and panel events. You can also head to the outer perimeter of the show to catch product demonstrations and chat to Mr Landscruiser.

For event details, tickets and camp site bookings, check out the CLECS website. 

The annual Cairns Show attracts almost 80,000 visitors every year, and we’re sure quite a few of them go just to check out the Auto Spectacular. The car show runs over the weekend and includes burnout demonstrations, classic show and shines, time trials, free kids entertainment and much more.

Visit the Cairns Showgrounds website for more. 

This annual car show is one not to miss. Since its debut in 1980, the Bay to Birdwood has become one of not only Australia’s, but the world’s, great historic motoring events. Classic cars made before 1993 are invited to take part in the parade, and are greeted by the thousands of spectators who line the 67-kilometre route from West Beach to the National Motor Museum in Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills. The show encourages involvement from spectators and participants, and entrants are encouraged to dress in period clothing that matches the vehicle’s era. The crowd is also encouraged to join in on the fun.

For more on the history and logistics of the event, visit the Bay to Birdwood website.

Playfully dubbed Western Australia’s biggest horsepower party, Motorvation in Perth is not a car show you want to miss. This three-day event boasts a high-octane schedule of show-and-shines, swap meets, burnout competitions, live music and more. Entrants can also camp at Motorvation, allowing for the fun to continue long after the last specators have left.

Head over to Motorvation's website for more information.

The only thing better than one classic car show, is several classic car shows across the country on the same day. And that’s what National Motoring Heritage Day is all about. On the third Sunday of May every year, owners of all types of vintage, veteran and classic vehicles can head down to one of the many locations all over Australia and meet up with like-minded enthusiasts. 

Visit the The Association of Motoring Clubs Inc. website for National Motoring Heritage Day locations.