993/964 Register Run to Brandy Creek Estate

Story: Tony Singh Photos: Alvaro Del Gallo Sunday 30 October 2022

Modern 911 & GT3/ RS Register Run to Pier 35 Port Melbourne

An early Sunday morning meet and on this run also joined by the GT3/RS group with quite a selection of Porsches. As cloud cover broke across this riverside suburban commune, both the literal and proverbial fog lifted to reveal a melange of modern with a few older Porsche 911s, jutting keenly nearby a motley crew of club enthusiasts and their invited guests. A full turnout for today’s enterprise, as the route map was read aloud by Kon, the crowd stood strong in the emergent morning sun, full of anticipation for shared roads ahead.

Our first stop Wallan. Quickly, amongst a small group of breakaways, we separated from the starting peloton, slipstreaming our way through Research, then to Kangaroo Ground and onwards. The tight mountainous roads, quickly drying out from the previous night’s rains, were still damp in parts, providing hints of wheel slip and exhilaration to boot. These roads are made for stirred driving, the unrelenting threat of even the slightest false step, providing the starkest contrast to the forced couch incursions of yesteryears lockdowns (this is Victoria after all).

Soon after, our small breakaway group fell off the approved course, an inevitable happenstance on leisurely club drives of the sort this was. But we weren’t lost—and besides, today’s purpose was much less about reaching a certain destination than it was about sharing an experience. So what then was this day really about? Well, for me, I was riding shotgun with my older brother (though blessed I am, it’s his car.). We used the opportunity to engage in deep discussion. We covered many things, we talked about life, a bit about business, we reflected on the mixed lives of our Mum and Dad before us, about the value of being positive and adventurous, and taking risks, about having an even better future despite the many blessings we and our combined families enjoy in the present. We talked about becoming better people, and we agreed that doing more for others in our lives was a shared hallmark of our life’s better purpose. We just talked.

A quick café stop at Wallan, a couple of espressos later, we then found ourselves streaking through the Macedon Ranges. Out there, it seemed most of the world was put out to pasture, one particular lone group of trees contrasted with vast and lush hinterland, as Hanging Rock towered imposingly in the distant Woodend surrounds.

With some 150 kilometres (that’s 93 miles) of Victoria’s finest and not-so-finest country behind us, I can happily report we did eventually find our way to Pier 35 where we were greeted with rows of long tables, a strong easterly skidding off the Yarra and set cutlery at the ready. There, the group broke bread together and we all exchanged many more stories. One particular member described a recent career change, lining up with so many recent accounts within the ‘Great Resignation’ trend. Another spoke of days gone by in clubs involving more modest vehicles. And another expressed immense pleasure in a particular set of forged monoblock, custom machined wheels finished in gold, yet another took interest in bespoke suspension sets. This was a car club event after all.

And so we had our fill, exchanged our goodbyes and back on the road we went, home the next stop. As we ruminated over the day’s events, we reflected some more about what this drive was all about. For us, it was about manifesting an entrepreneurial attitude, harbouring an optimistic will towards situations with uncertain outcomes, it was about cultivating a prosperous mindset matched by a generosity of spirit. Much more than road navigation, today’s journey was about driving our lives forward, venturing unknown roads whilst being confident of coming out the other side richer and wiser for the experience. We went somewhere together, but nowhere in particular enjoying our Porsches along the way on some interesting roads, a club outing.

Prize Winner Gay Carrigan

Prize Winner Debbie Weinbach