Mini - The Homecoming

Sunday 27 February 2011

Background:

In 1947, Sir William Morris, Lord Nuffield, purchased the former Victoria Park pony racing track, on 100 acres of land at Zetland in inner Sydney, for the purpose of building a car factory.

The first stage of the factory was completed in 1950. A major expansion was completed in 1958, under the new directorship of the British Motor Corporation – a merger of the former Austin and Nuffield motor companies.

The Mini was released in the UK in August 1959, and on 23 March 1961 an Australian-assembled version was released. The Mini went on to become one of the largest-selling cars in history, with over 5.3 million built.

Close to 200,000 Minis of all models were built at the Zetland factory, between June 1961 and November 1974.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of Britain’s best-loved car in Australia, we are planning to have a display on land within the confines of the former Zetland factory, in fact on the site of the former body stamping plant.

To be known as, Mini: The Homecoming – 50 years of the Mini in Australia, the event is to be a static display of Minis of all types, from the earliest to the modern reinterpretation. This will not be a competitive show with trophies, etc, but merely a gathering of Mini enthusiasts and their vehicles, of any age, in any condition.

Based on the long-running, and very successful, Mini Experience Grand Day Out in Melbourne the event offers enthusiasts and the public the chance to see a wide variety of Minis and Mokes, without any undue pressure.

We plan to have a number of Mini-related businesses with stalls, selling Mini parts, magazines, books, DVDs, models, etc. The NSW Mini Car Club will have a stand and will be selling merchandise for the event. All other Mini clubs from across Australia are also invited to have a stall to provide potential members with information about their club.

The event will officially begin at 10.00am and finish at 3.00pm.

Location

The event will be taking place on the block of land bounded by Gadigal Ave, Victoria Park Pde, Kirby Walk, George Julius Ave and Hutchison Walk, Zetland.

Zetland is 5km south of Sydney city centre, about the same distance north of Sydney Aiport.

Entry will be off Gadigal Ave, near the corner of Victoria Park Pde.

To access the area and to limit any congestion of the local roads, please enter via the following routes:

From the south: Sth Dowling Street (Southern Distributor) and take the O’Dea Ave turn-off. Turn left onto O’Dea Ave, then the first left into Defries Ave – keep to the left (Gadigal Ave swings to the right). Take the third left turn (Hutchison Walk). Turn left into Gadigal Ave (third left), then immediately turn left into the venue.

From the north: Sth Dowling St (Southern Distributor) and take the Dacey Ave (Moore Park) exit. Continue straight over Dacey Ave, then turn right at O’Dea Ave. Take the first left into Defries Ave – keep to the left (Gadigal Ave swings to the right). Take the third left turn (Hutchison Walk). Turn left into Gadigal Ave (third left), then immediately turn left into the venue.

During the clean-up day at the venue it was found the Northern boundary is a bit more uneven than originally thought. We have therefore had to move the trade stalls into the infield slightly, and put Minis along the boundary. This actually works to our advantage, as it provides more space. Also, the embankments on the Eastern and Southern boundaries was found to be a lot less prohibitive than previously thought, so we are now able to park Minis along the boundary. This will allow a few more Minis in the venue, and will look a lot better as well.

Click here for plan of the site.

Entrance Fees

Entry for display vehicles is only open for Minis, MINIs, Mokes and recognised variants and derivatives. Entry will be only $5 per car – including up to 4 occupants.

Pedestrian entry (that is, people not arriving in a Mini or related vehicle) will be via gold coin donation.

All entry fees will be donated to the sponsored charity (see below).

Walking Tours

We plan to have at least four volunteers from the NSW Mini Car Club and the BMC-Leyland Australia Heritage Group, to take small groups on walking tours of the Zetland site. These guides will be provided with aerial photographs of the factory in its heyday, and maps of the current site, to point out where various parts of the factory once were, and where some activities took place.

These walks will take about half an hour and will be at no charge. Groups will be kept to around 20 people to keep manageable.

If you are interested in helping out as one of the tour guides, please contact us at Oz50@miniexperience.com.au or by phone at 03 5250 4842

Food

Food will be provided by Lions Club of Sydney. There will be the usual BBQ fare of sausages and hamburgers, as well as cold drinks. All proceeds from the Lions Club stall will go to local charities. Lions clubs do a great job supporting local charities and we are pleased to have them involved in this event. We encourage everyone to make use of this facility.

If you require something a bit more lavish, there is a café opposite the site on Hutchison Walk, and a 7-Eleven store about 200m from the site on Gadigal Ave.

BYO picnic lunch is also acceptable and there are plenty of seats and grassed areas in the two parks opposite.

Rubbish

There will be one large rubbish skip opposite the traders and food area, Please ensure all rubbish is placed in this bin, or in any of the rubbish bins in the parks opposite.

We are responsible for the tidy presentation of the land when the event is concluded, and we request that everybody assist by not leaving rubbish lying around.

Toilets

There will be four temporary toilets on the site.
There are four additional toilets in the adjacent parks (1 each male and female in each park).

Non-Mini Parking

We have secured the use of the adjoining block of land, fenced off from the main venue, for parking on non-Mini vehicles. This will be very limited – only around 40 cars maximum – and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional parking is available on the local streets, including three of the streets bounding the venue, but visitors are advised that all parking restrictions will be in force and that they are required to adhere to all road laws and parking rules.

Trailers

There will not be enough space to accommodate trailers. Vehicles will need to be driven to the event, as there will be no provision for unloading or loading trailers.

Traders with special exemption to bring display vehicles on trucks or trailers, will need to ensure that their cars are unloaded between 7.00am and 8.00am, and that trucks and trailers are removed from the venue by 8.00am.

Public Transport

If you are not bringing a Mini or Mini-related vehicle, and wish to avoid parking problems, the best way to the venue is by train to Green Square (on the Airport line).

The venue is only about a ten-minute brisk walk, or 15 min slow walk, along flat footpaths. I checked this out when I was there in September.

Photography

We will have a photographer present on the day to photograph each Mini or variant as it enters the venue.

The photos will form part of a certificate, which will be a valued memento of this unique event, and which will be available for purchase at a very reasonable price on the day or at a later time.

Trophies

As this is not to be a competitive event, the only trophy to be awarded will be for People’s Choice.

Moving vehicles

For safety reasons, we request that all vehicles be in place by 10am, and that none be removed before 3pm. If you require access to remove your car before 3pm, please discuss this with the organisers before-hand.

FAQs

What if it rains? The event will take place regardless of weather, except in the case of extreme weather conditions. The venue has a gravel base and should not be adversely affected by rain – floods not withstanding.

Is there shade, if it’s sunny? There are no trees on the land itself, but there are two parks, on the northern and eastern sides of the venue, with ample trees for shade.

Is there much left of the original BMC factory? No. The only remaining building from the days of the factory is the former Tote building, which dates from the days of the racing track even before the factory. There are a couple of large trees that remain, and there are a number of plaques in various places around the estate providing information on the factory and other uses of the land. The Walking Tour guides will point all these areas out.

Will there be music at the event? No. The area is now a high-density housing estate and in the interest of the residents we will not have public broadcast of music. People with powerful stereo systems in the cars are requested to consider the local residents, as well as people attending the event, and keep music volume low.