Colourful cars from another era could be spotted around Warrnambool on Tuesday when close to 190 vintage cars rolled into town as part of the annual RACV Fly the Flag Tour.
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Warrnambool is the third stop on the Fly the Flag Tour tour in a seven-day celebration of vintage and classic motoring.
The tour encourages all participants to “Fly the Flag” in promoting Victoria’s motoring heritage in the state’s central and south-west districts.
Any veteran, vintage and classic vehicles older than and including 1982 are eligible to enter including motorcycles and commercial vehicles.
A historic 80 pound cannon was fired at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village on Tuesday night as part of a welcome for 390 participants.
The Fly the Flag Tour road trippers then enjoyed a gourmet BBQ for dinner at the village followed by the Shipwrecked sound and light show.
Fly The Flag member and Tour organiser Tony Pettigrew has been running and participating in the tours for 15 years.
Mr Pettigrew said the tour was always very popular, so much so participants had to be capped at 400 people.
“It’s difficult to pick what would be the highlight of the trip,” Mr Pettigrew said.
“Warrnambool is a favourite stop on the tour.
“It was extremely popular back in 2012 and was voted the best part of the trip.”
Mr Pettigrew said he knew that the night out in Warrnambool was going to be another great success.
“Half the people on this year’s trip are new travellers and so they haven’t experienced Warrnambool yet while the other half enjoyed the trip so much they came back,” he said.
The Fly the Flag Tour Western Tour began in Keilor on Sunday travelling through Linton, Hamilton, Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Port Campbell, Colac, Geelong, Skipton, Ballarat, Creswick and Daylesford before ending back in Keilor on March 19.
Mr Pettigrew owns 12 cars but borrowed his wife's Jaguar Vanden Plas for the road trip.
“It’s top of the range but it’s not my car of choice,” Mr Pettigrew said.
Those on the trip are expected to cover a total distance of 945 km over the week.
The Fly the Flag Tour is organised by the All British Classics Car Club and is supported by the Association of Motoring Clubs and the Federation of Veteran, Vintage and Classic Vehicle Clubs.
On Wednesday the group will travel the Great Ocean Road via Port Campbell to Princetown where they turn inland to Colac and continue to Geelong.
