until we gather in North East Victoria
There’s a simple joy in a car you love, and in sharing it with people who get it. Come and gather for a relaxed autumn weekend in North East Victoria.
You’re invited
A weekend for car people. Come for the cars, stay for the company, and enjoy three easy days of driving, sharing and good food among friends.
Whether you’ve owned your car for forty years or just picked up your first, whether it’s concours or cheerfully imperfect, you belong here. There’s nothing to prove and nobody to beat, just the simple pleasure of the cars we love, enjoyed together.
Bring the family, bring the car, and settle in to one of the most enjoyable regions in the country as it turns to autumn.
No competition experience needed — all makes, all eras and everyone who enjoys a good car are welcomeWhat the weekend holds
The heart of the Grand Gathering is time spent together, on great roads and around good tables. Here’s the kind of weekend to look forward to.
The weekend gets moving with a relaxed Social Drive on Friday, and Saturday’s Choice of Drives lets you pick the route that suits you, from gentle valley cruises to the twistier High Country roads.
Roll along in good company through the Ovens and King valleys, with cellar-door and country-café stops along the way. Any car, any era, everyone welcome.
The routes may take in the Silo Art Trail, the gourmet Milawa region and Brown Brothers, and Glenrowan (Ned Kelly country), plus a longer High Country run past the Stoewer Museum. The exact routes are still being finalised.
The perfect, easy way to kick things off. Arrive, grab a drink and a bite, and put faces to names as everyone rolls into town for the weekend.
No formality, no fuss, just like-minded people getting together and swapping stories before the fun really begins.
Each evening the group comes together over a shared meal, the warm, informal centre of the weekend where the real conversations happen.
Sunday’s Presentation Dinner is the grand finale: a chance to celebrate the weekend, raise a glass to new friends and send everyone home smiling.
Cars of every era and make, side by side, from tiny classics and sports cars to modern hot hatches. Bring yours along or simply come and admire the field.
It’s a highlight of the weekend: a relaxed morning of open bonnets, good stories and a shared love of a good car. It will be held in the heart of Wangaratta, with the exact venue to be confirmed.
Take in the rich history of North East Victoria, gold-rush towns, grand old streetscapes and the stories of the region, at an easy, enjoyable pace.
A gentle, interesting way to round out the weekend and see a little more of this beautiful part of the country.
For those who enjoy it, there’s a friendly Sprint on Friday and a Motorkhana on Saturday at Winton Motor Raceway, a chance to stretch your car’s legs in good company.
Completely optional and open to newcomers as well as seasoned competitors. Come and have a go, or simply cheer from the sidelines.
The setting
Based in Wangaratta on the Ovens River, the Grand Gathering sits in one of Australia’s most rewarding driving regions. In April the vineyards and avenues turn gold and russet, the days are crisp and clear, and the roads through the High Country are at their very best.
It’s wine country and food country, threaded with quiet back roads, historic towns and mountain views, exactly the kind of place you want to point the car and simply enjoy the drive.
About 2.5 hours from Melbourne and 1 hour from Albury, just off the Hume Freeway, with rail and a regional airport nearby.
The weekend at a glance
Three easy days, built around drives, displays and dinners. Timings are indicative and will be confirmed closer to the event.
Items marked Sporting are optional competition events, there for those who’d like them. Everything else is simply about enjoying the cars, the roads and the company.
Where to stay
A range of places within a few minutes of town. Book direct and mention the Fiat Grand Gathering, and book early, as a couple of venues are holding group rooms only until late October 2026.
Motel
3.5-star motel on Parfitt Road, a short drive from central Wangaratta. Around 26 ground-floor rooms from Executive Queen, King and Twin to family rooms, spa suites and self-contained units.
Group rooms held for the Gathering until 31 October 2026, so book early.
55–59 Parfitt Road, Wangaratta · Toll free 1800 355 207
Holiday Park
Riverside cabin & caravan park on the Ovens River, about a 300 m footbridge walk to the Wangaratta CBD. Cabins from budget to premium (sleeping up to 6), plus powered and unpowered sites.
Fiat group booking held until 31 October 2026, so book early.
2 Pinkerton Crescent, Wangaratta · prices are a guide, confirm on booking
Motel
Central motel about 200 m from the town centre, opposite Merriwa Park. Standard & Deluxe Queen, Twin, family suites and spa suites, all air-conditioned.
55 Ryley Street, Wangaratta · prices are a guide, confirm on booking
Motel & Apartments
4-star motel & serviced apartments in landscaped gardens, about 500 m from the town centre. Park-view rooms plus 1 & 2-bedroom apartments; secure bike storage.
56 Ryley Street, Wangaratta · prices are a guide, confirm on booking
Serviced Apartments
Modern serviced apartments in the centre of town. Self-contained studio through three-bedroom apartments with kitchens (and laundry in most), handy for a weekend or longer stay.
12 Docker Street, Wangaratta · prices are a guide, confirm on booking
Hotel
4.5-star family-owned hotel on Ryley Street, an easy walk to central Wangaratta. Spacious Queen, King and Family suites plus townhouse-style apartments, with a signature restaurant and bar on site.
29–37 Ryley Street, Wangaratta · prices are a guide, confirm on booking
For those who like to compete
There’s a real sporting heritage behind these cars, and it has a proper home at the Grand Gathering. A friendly Sprint and Motorkhana run across the weekend for those who enjoy testing themselves and their cars. It’s one of several ways to spend the weekend, entirely optional, and open to newcomers as well as seasoned competitors.
The competition runs at Winton, one of Australia’s best-known regional circuits, in Victoria’s High Country about half an hour from Wangaratta. Opened in 1961 by the Benalla Auto Club, it’s a tight, twisty layout famous for close, friendly racing, hosting everything from national rounds to club sprints and motorkhanas.
📍 ~31 km · about 26 min by road from Wangaratta, near Benalla
Saturday · the friendly way in
A Motorkhana is a low-speed test of precision and car control, threading your car through a course of markers and cones against the clock. There’s no wheel-to-wheel racing, just you, your car and a stopwatch, one at a time.
It’s the friendliest way into motorsport and enormous fun in anything small and nimble. Perfect for first-timers, and juniors are welcome too.
At the Grand Gathering the Motorkhana is run for the Fiat of Italy Cup, a friendly teams competition, with the Cup and team awards presented at Sunday’s Presentation Dinner.
It runs on Winton’s large bitumen pad, with room for two courses side by side behind safety barriers, plus parking, an on-site briefing room, toilets and a coffee and snack van.
Timed runs against the clock on the circuit. A relaxed, well-run format that suits first-timers and experienced drivers alike, no wheel-to-wheel racing.
Low-speed precision tests against markers, big fun in any car. Ideal if you’re curious about motorsport but new to it, in a friendly, supportive setting.
Competitors need the appropriate Motorsport Australia licence and a scrutineered car. New to it? Get in touch and we’ll help you sort out what you need.
Good to know
A few of the things people ask most about the weekend. Can't see your question? Get in touch and we'll help.
It's a relaxed autumn weekend from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 April 2027, based around Wangaratta in North East Victoria.
Fiat Group enthusiasts of every model and era, from classics to the latest cars, original or modified. It's a social weekend, so friends and family are welcome to come along too.
Scenic drives on some of the region's best roads, long lunches, a car display and dinners together, plus optional sporting events: a motorkhana and track time at Winton Raceway.
Not at all. The drives are relaxed and social, and the sporting events are completely optional, join in for a bit of fun or simply enjoy watching.
Entry fees are still being finalised. Subscribe for updates and we'll send you the full program and pricing the moment they're confirmed.
Full registrations aren't open just yet. The best thing to do now is subscribe for updates — leave your name, email and mobile and confirm the email we send you, and you'll be first to hear when registrations open and you'll get the program updates along the way. We'll also post news to our Facebook group and Instagram.
Accommodation isn't included, but there's a handy list of nearby Wangaratta hotels, motels, apartments and caravan parks on this site. April is popular in the High Country, so it's worth booking early.
Enjoy the cars, the people, the roads and the region, and if competition interests you, there are sporting events too. Subscribe for updates and we’ll keep you posted with the program and all the details.
