2025 REVIVAL DATES RELEASED - MARCH 29TH AND 30TH
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2025 REVIVAL DATES RELEASED - MARCH 29TH AND 30TH -
Rob Roy Revival 2025
We are very excited to be in the planning stages for the 2025 Rob Roy Revival.
Whilst the Revival Event will be held over 2 days the Public Festival will be on Sunday the 30th March only with scrutineering, practice and 2 timed runs on Saturday.
Located at Australia’s oldest hillclimb track, Rob Roy Revival is a celebration of classic motorsport and life in 50s and 60s.
Step back in time to one of the most stylish eras and soak up the atmosphere of classic cars, fashion, music, local food and more. Attendees are encouraged to dress in vintage 50s and 60s fashion and immerse in the festival feel.
Every year the Revival features a classic marque.
In 2025 we will be honouring 100 years of FORD Australia.
Our 2025 featured marque hero artwork is once again produced by the amazing local artist Mike Harbar.
Click on the image for a closer look
The Revival Festival
Rob Roy Revival is more than just the sounds and smells from classic cars taking on one of Australia’s most significant motorsport venues.
Step back in time as you experience the emotion and culture of 1950s and 60s motorsport and society. The Festival will recreate the nostalgic and bustling atmosphere of the glamour days as it used to be both on and off the track.
Take time out under the oak trees and enjoy live music from the era, or indulge in a bite to eat and a glass of your choice from local producers.
The Revival Market will have something for everyone with fashion, vintage stalls and classic car needs. Come dressed in your best 50s and 60s fashion and you could be a winner. Judges will award prizes to the most stylish lady, the most dapper gent and prizes for children if dressed in period too.
Please note that you do not need to be dressed in 50s or 60s fashion, but why not get into the spirit of the event and join in the fun.
Come dressed in your best 50s and 60s fashion and you could be a winner. Judges will award prizes to the most stylish lady and the most dapper gent.
Offering a wide range of styles to suit everybody, the festival will offer high quality food featuring local producers – perhaps even paired with a glass of local wine.
Take some time out from the track and enjoy live music from the 1950s and 60s. Dancing is optional but highly encouraged!
Indulge in a glass of your favourite beer or wine from the neighbouring Yarra Valley or keep hydrated with a wide range of soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages.
The Historic Hill Climb
Rob Roy is one of the world’s oldest purpose built hillclimb tracks, dating back to 1935, and so holds a special place in Australian motorsport.
At the time of its construction, Rob Roy was one of only three bitumen surfaced purpose built Hillclimb's in the world, the other two being Shelsley Walsh and Prescott, both in the UK. Its origins go back to 1935, when representatives from the then Light Car Club of Australia inspected the property known as Clinton's Pleasure Grounds with a view to establishing a suitable venue for the Hillclimb meetings.
The first meeting was run on 1st February 1937, and the track fully bituminised in 1939. Many meetings were conducted over succeeding years by the Light Car Club, including nine Australian Hillclimb Championships, the very first of which in 1938 was won by Peter Whitehead in his ERA. In 1962 the area was ravaged by bushfires and the track unfortunately fell into disuse.
An inspection of the names of Outright and Class record holders over these years reveal that eight of these drivers have been Australian Grand Prix winners and one a triple F1 World Champion (Jack Brabham).
Rob Roy Revival will pay tribute to this great history with 80 invitation-only cars taking on the hillclimb. All cars competing will be pre-1980, focusing on attracting some of Australia’s most significant pre-war GP cars, open wheel, sports and touring race cars. Recent upgrades to the track will ensure some of the best cars will be willing and able to take on Rob Roy.
2025 Featured Marque
Celebrating 100 years of Ford Australia
On March 31, 1925, US manufacturer Ford announced that Geelong would be the Australian headquarters of its local production. The first Australian-built Ford was a Model T that came off an improvised production line in a disused Geelong woolstore in June 1925, while work started on a factory in the nearby suburb of Norlane. In 1928 the factory switched to the Model A and was followed by the Ford V8 in 1932.
In 1956 the company bought a large tract of land in the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows, and in July 1961 announced that the new Melbourne factory would become the company headquarters. Of the many models that followed, the best known was the Falcon produced from 1972 to 2016, originally a US model introduced in Australia in 1960 and eventually adapted to Australian requirements and road conditions.
On the 23 May 2013, Ford announced that its factories in Geelong and Broadmeadows would be closed down in October 2016.
Our Revival Patron
John Bowe AM
Johns Dad, Brian Bowe, raced a supercharged 1500cc MG TC Special in Tasmania back when John was just 2 or 3 years of age. John still has memories of sitting on the floor of that little MG with his arm around the transmission tunnel. Growing up surrounded by cars and attending lots of car meetings at Symmons Plains, Baskerville and Longford it’s little wonder John has had a life long addiction to cars and car people.
John began racing at the age of sixteen in a Formula Vee Elfin in 1971, winning the Tasmanian state title on debut. John has been a two times winner of the Bathurst 1000 in 1989 and 1994, several times he has been the Australian Drivers Champion, as well as Australian Touring Car Champion.
John still races including the Touring Car Masters series, which he won the championship for the 6th time outright in 2021.
We are honoured to have John as our event patron again for 2025. We will be fundraising for charities that John has chosen supporting Mens Health.
