Upper Middle Petrol Head:

Nearly 50 years after it was built, this HR Holden van still looked perfectly at home parked by the coast at Queensland's Maloolaba.  Aussie panel vans and VW Kombis used to be surfers' vehicles of choice, allowing them to cart their boards and wetsuits to beach, as well as providing a cosy bed for overnight expeditions.   U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) iPhone images.

Sadly, this classic sliding-window Mini estate has seen better days but, on the positive side, it's still on the road and its B -reg designation suggests that it's not been that long since it passed a roadworthy.  It is probably a Morris, rather than an Austin version, as far fewer of the latter made it to Australian shores.   Mini estates - or, as they're also known in the UK, Travellers or Countrymans - weren't common here in Oz, either.  We did, however, see large numbers of Mini sedans, vans and Mokes, as well as some rarer Speedwell editions, plus a few Wolseley and Riley variants. According to the UK-based Mini Traveller and Countryman Register ( http://www.minitravellerandcountrymanregister.org ), all Morris steel-sided and 'Woody' estates were given the Traveller designation, while their all-but identical Austin cousins - in either guise - were called Countrymans.  Being steel-sided or wood-embellished therefore has nothing to do with

This 1960s Valiant Regal station wagon, seen parked just off Noosa's Hastings Street cafe / shopping strip, was a joy to behold.  It was extremely straight and rust-free, and featured a lovely paint job and very tidy interior.  All its accessories - from the chrome hearse-style roof racks through to its rear dust deflectors and white-walled tyres - were bang-on for its era, too. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au .) All iPhone images.

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The sheer ingenuity of rat-rods makes them very appealing.  This particular vehicle, spotted in Victoria's Lakes Entrance, is a case in point, with home-made engineering evident in the engine fitting, brakes, suspension and mudguards.  It's an automotive work of art!    U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) All iPhone images.

Regular readers might remember way back to Random # 32:  Fiat 850 ( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=6986456422775080403;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=28;src=postname ),   featuring a tantalising glimpse of this striking early model Fiat 850.  This time UMPH got lucky, having come across the same car in Sandy Bay, allowing him to get up close and to record its very funky restoration.  What a wee little ripper!  (Apologies to fans of the Gogomobile ad.) U M P H ( uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com .) All iPhone images.

UMPH has been on Wayne Goninon's classic car-related email list for a bit over a year now, the only problem being that work commitments almost never permit him to attend the enthusiasts' monthly countryside drives.  However, he found himself with a rare mid-week day off and was very pleased to be able to attend September's event. A sunny, mild morning saw maybe fifteen or so cars and their owners meet at the Rivulet Cafe, Anglesea Street, South Hobart, for coffee and then head out to the Tasmania Golf Club for lunch.  The route took them over the Tasman Bridge, through to Cambridge, Richmond and Sorell, before travelling over the causeways to the club.   Lunch was a very enjoyable affair, with a choice of scallops, salt 'n' pepper squid or chicken breast, followed by either apple and rhubarb crumble or creme brulee.  Compliments to the chef. It had been UMPH's intention to photograph as many of the participants' excellen