May coffee morning on Sunday 12th
Views of the sea from Cafe Cirino – 133 Nelson Place, Williamstown – from 9am onwards.
Cafe is opposite the Williamstown foreshore, near Seaworks where we held a couple of French Car Festivals
Author Archives: Geoff Rasmussen
February GM at Peak Oil
The Feb GM will be held at Peak Oil (Elf Distributors) at the normal GM time of 7.30 pm. The meeting is on February 19th
The address is 306 – 318 Abbotts Rd Dandenong South (near South Gippsland Highway and South Gippsland Freeway intersection). Easy to get to. Note that the map shows a different name – Peak Oil has only recently moved to Abbots Rd.
For this event, the club needs to know numbers so please advise your intent to attend to by 12/02/2019.
Jan Social Event – Demonstration rebuild of R4 Ventoux engine.
Sat 19th – 2pm start. Demonstration rebuild of R4 Ventoux engine.
The rebuild is of one of the engines in the exhibition strip down at the last French Car Festival in Williamstown. If you’re one of those members who have been around Renault engines for ages but not seen one apart, now is your chance to see how easily one can put one back together.
Venue is Geoff Rasmussen’s place at 12 Bates Avenue, Upper Ferntree Gully. Looking to start at 2pm.
We expect to have it assembled and running in time for the BBQ dinner which will follow.
Please advise by email to if you will be coming for catering purposes (food provided by club). It would be a good idea to bring a chair also, and partners most welcome even if only for the BBQ dinner.
Caffeine Run – Sun 13 Jan 2019
January coffee morning on Sunday 13th
This one’s at Studley Park Boathouse Cafe – 1 Boathouse Road, Kew (off Yarra Boulevard near Johnston St) – from 9am onwards.
Cafe is down below on the river side. Lovey place on a nice day.
Caffeine Run – Sun 18th Nov
A coffee morning on Sunday November 18th.
This month it’s at Warrandyte Bakery – 193 Yarra St, Warrandyte – from 9am onwards
The next Caffeine Run will be in January
General Meeting – November 2018
The general meeting in November will be a ‘show and tell’ at the club rooms at Dorothy Laver Pavilion.
A BBQ sausage sizzle will be provided before the meeting – come early.
Normal date – November 20th
Caffeine Run – Sun 7th Oct
There will be an coffee morning on Sunday 7th October.
To cater for those in the Northern and Western suburbs, we will be meeting at the Olive Tree Hotel in Sunbury (111 Evans St,) from 9.00 am.
General Meeting – October 2018
There has been a change of venue for the October General Meeting. It will be held at Waverley Renault in Springvale Rd Mulgrave (opposite Brandon Park Shopping Centre); arrive from 6:30pm for prompt start at 7.00pm. This is to coincide with the launch of the new Megane RS.
For catering purposes we need to know numbers attending.
Please RSVP attendance details to by Thursday 11/10.
Day 1: Malmsbury, Bendigo to Echuca
Rendezvous off and running
The 2018 Rendezvous kicked off at BP Calder Park, in the midst of a cold snap that mimicked last year’s Rendezvous’ extreme weather. Hail carpeted the highway as I set off for the setting-off point, Macedon was coated with snow as we passed by. But in true Renault Rendezvous spirit we were unfazed – what’s a Rendezvous without a little challenge.
Fortified with that first caffeine infusion, the Rendezvous group of fifteen, along with the club members along for the Drive Day ‘leg’, set off to chase down David Jenkins who had, in his Dauphine Gordini powered 750, set off a bit earlier to compensated for his somewhat lower TCS (top comfortable speed). We fully expected to catch up with him before Malmsbury where we were scheduled to stop for coffee.
Did I mention it was chilly? So chilly in fact that carby icing and engines not getting warm enough to fully open automatic chokes robbed a couple of the classics of enough power on the hills that the main group did not catch that doughty 750 before it made it to Malmsbury. I won’t say the R12 & R16 were embarrassed, but . . .
The Motobean Cafe was jumping with a fairly full house of guests but it didn’t stop them serving up their usual delicious coffee while a couple more of our members joined the group there. After a bit of an impromptu squiz at the cafe owner’s collection of classic Volvos including a couple of racing set-ups, we were on our way again towards Bendigo.
Lunch beside the shores of Lake Weeroona sounded so idyllic when it was scheduled. While the wet stuff (rain, hail, snow…) had let up by then, the wind that cut like a knife made us glad to head for the Central Deborah Mine for our underground tour. Surely if wouldn’t be raining and windy down there.
A great tour it was too. Darryl, the guide, was informative and funny and so clearly knew his stuff. The explanation of reefs and how that fitted with the shape of the land was so clear I now understand what a mineral ‘reef’ was – never realised that I actually had no idea despite having heard the term since I was taught Victoria gold rush history in kindergarten (or so it seemed).
But it wasn’t entirely dry and the ventilation was so good it was not warm either. Pretty much the only time I was warm all day was when I was inside my trusty R12.
A smooth run to Echuca into the Holiday Park and our awaiting cabins. Great cabins and park. Over the river for a bit of nosh at the Moama Bowls Club and that was the first day done and dusted.
Getting that first coffee in before heading off in freezing (2 degrees) weather
Before descending into the stygian darkness of the Central Deborah Mine
Down in the Central Deborah mine listening to the fast talking, fast moving Darryl. Funny guy, but he got us out alive…
Day 2: Echuca
A leisurely start to the day, a coffee and a cruise on the Murray on the Pride of the Murray from the Port of Echuca. Lunch on board and an afternoon look around Echuca. The cold snap continued to bite.
Some time in the Holden museum. An impressive collection even if they were only Holdens. Covered pretty much everything from start to finish of Australian production.
Many hands made light work of the evening’s BBQ preparation, and many mouths made short shrift of said prepared delicious BBQ.
The Pride of the Murray, and the pride of the RCCV, no?
Pevensey steaming by under Julie’s watchful eye
Aboard the Pride of the Murray