Community
16 May, 2026
History tours towns
Local car enthusiest Alan Esmore had a hand in getting the historic pieces to town, saying they held a special place in his heart and in his family.
VEHICLES with a special connection to St Arnaud took a tour of the region last week, with each drive-by stopping people in the street.
A convoy of 20 Austin Champs travelled from varying places across the globe to spend time in the Northern Grampians, including St Arnaud and Stuart Mill (to name a few).
Local car enthusiest Alan Esmore had a hand in getting the historic pieces to town, saying they held a special place in his heart and in his family.
“Herbert Austin, the English engineer who made the Champs came out to Australia in 1882 and spent time working on a farm at Ninneyooke for a time,” Mr Esmore said.
“He loved Australia and often says it gave him a lot of the inspiration he needed for the Champs.
“During his time here he worked on push bikes with my great-uncle Hubert Esmore.
“It was during his time here he met with Fred Wallsley, who he helped make shearing machines for.
“But I think he saw the conditions Australians had to live in and wanted to make a car that could withstand that... They’re a thing of beauty.”
So beautiful that Mr Esmore needed one of his own.
“I bought an Austin 7 in 1956 and I’ve still got it today,” he said.
“I have memories of all my kids sitting up on the seat as we took it out to rallies, there was always a big load with the lot of us in there, but it was worth it.”
The Austin Champ was a military and civilian jeep-like vehicle made by the Austin Motor Company in the 1950’s.
The army version was officially known as “Truck, ¼ ton, CT 4x4 cargo and FFW, Austin Mk 1”.
However, the civilian name Champ was universally applied.
Car owners travelled from as far as England and America for the yearly event, with the group of enthusiasts all getting together to “compare notes” on their joint interests.
With every year promising a different location for their next adventure.
On their tour, the group visited Stuart Mill on Monday morning.
“After a stopover at Tottington Station, they travelled to the Stuart Mill Recreational Reserve where they were gathered for a BBQ lunch before visiting the Stuart Mill Racecourse,” resident Sheryn Lloyd said.
“Some were a bit nervous when the heavens opened up, but they had to come prepared. Many opted to park under the verandah of the kiosk due to the fact that many of the vehicles were doorless.
“The enthusiasts made a donation to the Stuart Mill Community to contribute to future projects,”
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