Cobar is home to one of approximately only 30 Highwheelers automobiles in Australia and there are plans afoot to have more of these unique vehicles visit for a rally next year.
Local car and motorbike enthusiast and collector Ken Dunne is part of The Highwheeler Register, an Australian car enthusiasts car club, and he owns one of the earliest models in the group, a 1907 Kiblinger.
Highwheelers, also known as auto buggies, were an early make of an automobile that was popular in the United States around the turn of the 20th century.
Characterized by their large diameter wheels, similar to those of horse-drawn carriages, they were designed to navigate the rough, unpaved roads of the time.
They were produced until about 1915.
Other members of the group’s models include 1908, 1909, 1910 and 1911 Internationals, McIntyres, IHCs, Blacks, Sears, Schacts and Holsmans.
The group meets every two years for a rally, with Ken and his recently restored Kiblinger making their first outing with the group in May this year.
Ken, and his automobile, made a big impression on the group and, at Ken’s encouragement and offer to host the group in Cobar next May, their get togethers will now be annual.
Ken’s invited his fellow Highwheeler enthusiasts to come and stay in Cobar for four days to have a look around and show off their automobiles to locals.
The members come from all over Australia, including NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia as well as a couple from Wales, who fly over to Australia to collect their Highwheeler stored in South Australia, and join the biennial rally.
Ideas for school visits, a street parade and tours to Cobar’s tourism sites and local experiences for the visitors have been discussed with Ken keen to show off Cobar in its best light.
“Locals would love it and it would be great if we could get the cars to be part of a display and parade at the Cobar Show,” Ken told The Cobar Weekly.
