The Blast From The Past show put on annually by the Shoalhaven Volkswagen Club always makes for a good day out and this year was no exception.

There's a few things which make this a great cruise to go on. Firstly the location at Berry which is on the South Coast of NSW. The climate at this time of year is nice and crisp in the morning, pleasantly warm in the sun during the day and not too cold by the time you're ready to head home. From southern Sydney it's a nice two hour cruise.

Secondly the show is combined on the same weekend as the Berry Country Fair for that month. The Berry Country Fair, an experience not to be missed, is held the first Sunday of the month except April when due to Easter it is held on the second Sunday which attracts market-goers from far and wide. A hand made art and craft fair, the Berry Country Fair has won the hearts of visitors and locals alike. There is something for everyone from a children's area to entertainment space. Farm yard animals, fresh and preserved Australian Flora, local produce, recycled timber products, Ballistic Surfboards, timber and hand-knitted toys, various native and cottage plants, interesting bric-a-brac, handmade cane and twine baskets not to forget the many and varied arts and craft that all go to make up a wonderful day out. A visit to the Fair breaks up the day nicely as you take a break from the VWs, wander on down to the Fair and see how much bric-a-brac you can bring back with you to load into your Dub for the return trip home.

Thirdly gold coin donations from the show go to a worthwhile cause, the local Shoalhaven Cancer Bus. Through this year's excellent effort over $1000 was raised.

The was a nice variety of Dubs on display, Kombis - Splits and Bays, Beetles and Ghias.

The Shoalhaven crew put on a great show with a very relaxed atmosphere. Each VW entered received a commemorative medallion for the day, an added nice touch for the event. Bluey from "Custom T-Shirts and Trophies" made the trophies for the day and impressed many onlookers with his V8 powered Beetle and a retro rocket-shaped trailer which he was towing behind it (picture in the gallery link below).

We had a good turnout from the Club and thankfully and uneventful cruise there and back so we were all able to enjoy the drive. Four club members picked with trophies; Peter with the Billet Bug, Murray in the mean looking T3, Brett with his ever impressive Ghia and new member Derrick with his eye-catching blue Beetle (which had an unexpected engine rebuild that week to make it to the show, good effort!!).

A couple of buses also made their debut outings in the Club. Paul (aka "Pod") brought along his two-tone brown Caravelle (nicknamed the "Fudgemobile" I'm led to believe). He had a trouble-free cruise, unlike when he took his wife for her first drive in it and smoke started coming out from under the dash..muhahaha! Ah that Pod, he sure knows how to make that first impression count!

And me I brought along the yet un-nicknamed 1970 8-seater Kombi which I recently acquired. It was our family's first big cruise all together and it handled the bends, turns and straights like a charm.

Thanks again Shoalhaven VW Club for an excellent day out.

Click here for more photos from the day.