The 2023 Australian Corvette Nationals, held in the Victorian regional city of Ballarat, was judged by participants as a big success. The event was highlighted by the first public appearance of the Corvette C8 Z06, surrounded by a huge throng of over 200 Corvettes of all generations which had all descended on Ballarat for that very special day.
For the first time in the long history of the Australian Corvette Nationals, the event was sponsored by the owners of the Corvette brand, General Motors, who are represented in Australia by General Motors Specialty Vehicles. GMSV is a division of General Motors Australia and New Zealand (GMANZ). Because of the Covid 19 pandemic the Corvette Nationals was last held some four years ago, which was before GM began importing a factory built RHD Corvette into the country.
And the timing worked out perfectly for GMSV to hold the first public showing of the yet to be locally released ultra high performance Corvette model, the Z06.
“We… couldn’t think of a better place to make the official public debut of the all-new Corvette Z06, the first and only showcar in the country,” stated Gregory Rowe, GMSV Director.
The convention was attended by 257 paid-up entrants who brought along 137 Corvettes, 98 of which were submitted for judgings to find the best of each generation.
But the Show ‘n’ Shine day was also open to any Corvette owner to bring their car along and exhibit it in a specially designated area adjacent to the official cars, so they could all take part in the excitement. While no official count of these cars was done, unofficial counts put the number at 90 cars. This makes the event one of the largest Corvette gatherings ever in Australia. Legend has it that 256 Corvettes attended the 2012 Nationals held in Melbourne, but many dispute this number, claiming it is only a myth!
Regardless, for 90 Corvettes, which weren’t registered for the event, to turn up for the day, shows the wide interest in the marque. And almost all the those Corvettes coming to Lake Wendouree were in faultless condition, regardless of their vintage.
The event was named the “Gold Rush Nationals” in deference to Ballarat’s rich gold mining history. Along with the Show ‘n’ Shine day, the Nationals’ registered entrants were treated to special events each day including a Dinner and Aura Show at the Sovereign Hill theme park, a Cruise through Ballarat’s historical Gold Mining country, culminating at the RACV Goldfields Resort for lunch and trophy presentations and to finish the weekend off, an extravagant Gold-Themed Gala Dinner at the Mercure Hotel and Function Centre.
*Photographs Courtesy of Peter McBride