Murray Bridge car club cruises to Swan Reach for Conrod challenge

This story was contributed by Elizabeth Minge.

The Auto Collectors Car Club of Murray Bridge were out and about again in early May for the annual car and camping Conrod Challenge.

Over the weekend of May 3, a large group of passionate motoring devotees headed to the the picturesque riverside town of Swan Reach -albeit while still vying for the honour of attaining the coveted Conrod Trophy!

Hosted by the Murray Mallee Auto club, it included car enthusiasts and club members from the Riverland area, Bordertown and Murray Bridge regions.

The weekend began with a meet and greet at Swan Reach's Classic Car Gallery on Victoria Street, where visitors were able to view an impressive private collection of classic and vintage cars.

This is a wonderful display, run by volunteers from the Swan Reach Progress Association and the Murray Mallee Auto Club and is certainly a credit to all those involved.

Some of the participants then headed off to the nearby Swan Reach Hotel, which is slightly unique in hotel standards, in that it was not purpose built, but formed around the original Homestead, built in 1865.

A light lunch in the manicured lawn garden showcased a 180 degree panoramic view of the mighty Murray River.

Some people took advantage of the warm weather conditions and close proximity of the main street, to explore some historical buildings.

The Country Women's Association hall for example, which was originally the district council building and gazetted in 1888, is now the Swan Reach Craft Rooms and Gallery and was a magnet for some of the ladies.

The police station, built in 1911 and the Lutheran Church, circa 1923, were other examples of Swan Reach’s long history.

Then it was back into our vehicles for a sightseeing tagalong convoy of nearby attractions.

First stop was to the site of Costa Brothers Hullers and Shellers, a few kilometres out of the town centre on the Stott Highway.

The Costa family have been growing and processing almonds in South Australia for over 50 years.

After years of research to find the perfect property, brothers Michael and Phillip Costa bought 55 hectares in Swan Reach in 2007.

Five years later, they added an additional 680 hectares.

In 2016, a gap in almond cracking capacity for the Lower Murray and Adelaide Plains area was identified and construction of a 5000 tonne facility at Swan Reach was completed.

The almond industry is the fastest growing horticultural crop in Australia, with global demand for the product and it’s by products, continuing to outstrip supply.

It was interesting to note that 40,000 tonnes of almonds are shelled per year at the Swan Reach site, which provides 10,000 tonnes of kernels.

The shells and husks are not wasted either and are used for stock feed and carbon filters, after being incinerated.

The ability to purchase some of the almond products, proved too tempting for many and sales were successfully transacted -much to the delight of the tour leader, who just happened to be the general manager at the site.

Our next point of interest took us back to the township of Swan Reach, where the twenty vehicles in our convoy lined up at the ferry to make the short river crossing to historical Silverlea Homestead.

Built in 1908, Silverlea was built for James Brown, a local pastoralist who had previously also owned Punyelroo Station for many years.

An impressive and significant home, it featured imported materials like the original French ceilings, Italian floor tiles and ornate arches and mouldings.

After Brown senior’s death, his son Andrew Brown inherited the property, eventually selling it in 1933.

The house was partially restored in 1989 when its current owner, John George, acquired the property.

A delicious array of afternoon tea was supplied and served under the massive cobble-stoned verandah and amid the serene surroundings of a bygone era.

Stately standard roses and a myriad of other colourful blooms flourished, providing great discussion among the gardeners of the group.

The group were fortunate to learn from Mr George about a very impressive future tourism plan for the Silverlea Homestead.

Because of its location within the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve in South Australia and after six years of negotiations with various governmental departments, approval has finally been given to build an astronomy observatory on site, with associated accommodation facilities.

There is no doubt that this will attract international and local interest, as the Dark Sky region at Swan Reach is accredited as part of one of only a few in the Southern Hemisphere -the others being in New Zealand and Namibia.

Bright and early Sunday morning, participants arose to the sound of galahs, magpies and waterfowl -no doubt these creatures were oblivious to the reason for such a noisy group of humans invading their territory for the infamous Conrod games challenge.

Miniature metal horse racing, pitching a dice into a bucket from a metre or more away, tossing a saturated wet t-shirt into containers, (more often than not with no accuracy whatsoever) and numerous raffles were some of the sporting electives that everyone participated in with great enthusiasm and laughter.

Morning tea followed, as scores were tallied by the adjudicators.

Amid the mirth and animated conversations that followed, the results were announced and the winners were the Bordertown Vehicle Restorers’ Club.

The traditional relinquishing of the trophy was made by last year’s winning club
representative, vice president Claude Minge of the Auto Collectors Club of Murray Bridge, who handed the coveted prize to Greg (Nugget) Hunt, president of the Bordertown club.

The weekend finished off with a promise from all those present to start training for next year’s games and with fond farewells.

Cars, caravans and other forms of mobile homes departed -heading off into the setting sun with their weary, but well-fed and entertained drivers and passengers.