AUSTRALIAN CORVETTE NATIONALS 2023

The Victorian Corvette Clubs, Corvettes of Melbourne, VicVettes and Surfcoast Corvettes have just announced the details of the 2023 Corvette National Convention. More commonly known as the “Nationals“, the 2023 event will be held in the Victorian regional city of Ballarat, from Friday 24th until Monday 27th March, 2023. For the first time, the Nationals will be held outside of Easter, which has been the traditional date for the event. Ballarat’s history as the world’s richest alluvial goldfield during its peak between 1852 and 1853, prompted the organisers to use the “Gold Rush” theme for the Ballarat Nationals.

The organising committee chose to move the Nationals away from the traditional Easter date for several reasons. Firstly, Easter is traditionally a time to meet with family and this creates a conflict with enthusiasts juggling family committments against their desire to show off their new wheels and sidepipes, or even their new C8. Secondly, Easter is a very busy time and everything is as crowded as a C3 full of luggage. In particular, the crowded roads makes this a very poor time to run a Corvette Cruise with the Corvettes getting mixed up with the general motoring public and not even the best driving skills and the most powerful big-blocks can keep the group together. But perhaps the most compelling reason for the change is that everything is ultra-expensive during Easter with accomodation, dining and bar prices all taking off like a C8 Z06!

Ballarat is home to the Australian tourist icon, Sovereign Hill, which is a winner of multiple major tourist awards and attracts some 450,000 visitors annually. Sovereign Hill brings to life the excitement of the 1880’s gold rush, so it should be no surprise that the organisers of the Nationals have created a special Sovereign Hill function “experience” for the Saturday night. And it’s no coincidence our Nationals HQ is just across the road from Sovereign Hill, at the Mercure Hotel & Convention Centre. The entire hotel has been booked out for the Nationals attendees with secure parking, trailer parking, car washing facilities, and everything else you may need for the weekend.

So how can you be a part of this great event? Well firstly, if you are a member of one of Australia’s Incorporated Corvette Clubs (listed elsewhere on this website) you simply follow the links to the entry form in the brochure, or to the online entry form where you can register and pay online. You need to make your own hotel bookings at the Mercure though. If you don’t already belong to a club, consider joining one. You can find out how to join a Corvette Club by following the information on this website. If you find it impossible to join a Corvette Club due to your location, or some other reason, call the number listed in the brochure to discuss the possible entry options available to you. But if you just want to come along and take a look, come to the Lake Wendouree area in Ballarat on Saturday to view more than 100 Corvettes entered in the Show ‘n’ Shine. And, if you have a Corvette, be sure to bring that along on the day. More information on that will be published closer to the event date.

And continue checking out this website for the release of further information on attractions at the 2023 Ballarat Nationals.

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2 Responses

  1. Hi.my Name is Casey. Can someone please contact me on 0432822969. RE: Tom Carson. Who has entered in the Nationals this year. He is very old and has become unwell and he can’t make the trip from NSW to Victoria this year. He would like to cancel his entry. Many thanks Casey.

  2. Hello, My name is Merv Macumber. l live in Ballarat and l own a 2023 70 Anniversary C8 and would like to show it on Saturday 25th March’s show and shine.
    Kind Regards Merv.

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