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One fine Saturday morning the alarm goes off. Not so happy any more. With it turned off I managed to grasp a few last minutes of sleep. Well maybe an hour or two. Eyes finally open, looked at the clock and realized there was a reason the alarm was set… Ahhhhhh, ‘The Cruise’. I had wanted to visit the Rod Shop for years, and never managed to organize it. Here was my chance and I slept in! Quickly got the wife up. If we hurry we may catch them. We rushed a few things together and jumped in the car. The original plan was to leave Club Kilsyth at 9:30. It’s now 10:30 and we don’t know which way we’re meant to go. A few phone calls later we find out the whole cruise may be cancelled anyway. But we have missed the departure so there is no way of telling for sure. What the heck we say. We are all ready to go and we’ve been meaning to do it for a while so let’s just do it. The club route was into the city and along the Calder Fwy. It was 11:00 now and not much chance of us catching anyone so we decided to take the scenic route. Anyone who knows me would not be surprised. After driving along that Calder Fwy every 2-3 days for a year in a truck makes an alternate route sound pretty good. We headed off towards Lilydale and made our way through Yarra Glen. We went up the slide at a very casual 40km/h, following a semi that was happily putting along. We passed the site where a truck driver tragically lost his life only a few months ago, may he rest in peace. At the top of the hill we cut across to King Lake making sure we behaved as we passed many a police car. We pulled up in the little town for a break and some breakfast. Amongst the morning chaos we hadn’t eaten anything (not good). Strolling into the local bakery we were met with the pleasant smell of fresh bread, warm pies and mouth watering croissants. Such a delicious display of tasty treats and so little time to eat. A quick choice on some fancy pies and a cool drink, and we headed back to the car. Managing to burn my tongue on the hot pie trying to eat the scrumptious thing too quickly kept me quiet for a while! Not to delay our trip any more we took off in the direction of Whittlesea. The roads kept us entertained with tight corners and sweeping bends. From Whittlesea, we headed to Wallan. Much of the same for scenery but the trees were starting to thin out. Next was the section to Romsey. This was a terrible road. Some sections were only wide enough for one car quite literally. The bitumen had dirt shoulders where you had no choice but to straddle while passing oncoming cars. It was not a very comfortable feeling as many of the corners were fast and blind. Reaching Romsey was a relief. From there we went north a little till we turned off to Carlsruhe. Actually we went round in circles before finding the right turnoff (but I won’t tell if you don’t!). This section of road was a great improvement but the fantastic weather we had been experiencing all morning was disappearing behind some shady looking clouds. As the rain started we arrived at the missed Carlsruhe Roadhouse. With the new freeway now bypassing the Roadhouse it can be a real inconvenience pulling off the main Fwy to get to it. Despite its neglect of customers it still put on a good feed. Even had fuel at a reasonable price too. With our stomach’s and fuel tank full we headed up the freeway to Elphinstone. Visibility was very low. The weather had rolled in quickly and heavy sheets of rain poured across the road making it near impossible to see. Missing the first turnoff at Elphinstone was not a problem as there was another not far down. The biggest drama was we ended up behind a 4WD pulling a trailer that we had only just overtaken. A few revs and second gear soon put us back in front.The entry for the Rod Shop was only a few k’s down the road as it is not in the town centre of Castlemaine but the outskirts. A very large sign pointed out the entry only a few hundred metres ahead. We slowed down and pulled into the drive only to be met by one of the worst driveways I’ve seen in years. It was covered in big potholes. We crawled and crept around as many as possible but we inevitably went through a few. Finally making it to the shop we parked the car and strolled in. The initial impression was ‘Wow’. So many shiny and clean car parts mounted on the walls and stands. Performance parts for all sorts of creative ideas surrounded you. Bell housings, diff conversions, chassis kits, superchargers and even novelty souvenirs. After a few minutes you realized there isn’t actually that much there. A couple of engines, some steering setups and that’s about it. The only thing left to do was go out the back and take a look at his machines. All the cars he had built over the years. A small two dollar fee, a walk through a gate and you’re there. Another small room with ten or so cars. Mildly disappointed with how little there was we tried to make the most of it. All the cars were behind a rope barrier, which limited how much of them you could see. The cars were impressive though. The twin supercharged Ford, and of course his infamous “Final Objective” – the V12 Merlin ’55 Chevy. What a weapon! A 3000 Horsepower street registered car! Yes please! A tour from Rod Hadfield with some specific knowledge of the cars would have really made the day. But he was so busy out the back working on his new rat rod, there was barely enough time to serve us at the counter. If you ever get the chance it’s worth dropping in. Just to see some fine cars and funny photos. With many pre-fabricated modifications he can also be a great help. He supplied the cross member for my car and it bolted straight in. We headed off, made a quick stop in Bendigo and flew down the Fwy all the way home. As it turned out we were the only ones to go on the trip. But with a great partner, open roads and a gorgeous view it was another great cruise. Till the next one, driveacarsideways... - Tom |