Picnic at Hanging Rock Car Show 2025 in Melbourne

Retro cars flock every year in February to Hanging Rock, not far from Melbourne. Picnic at Hanging Rock is the largest one-day classic car show in Victoria, with over 1,600 participating vehicles. Held in the beautiful Hanging Rock Reserve near Woodend in the Macedon Ranges, it's a perfect outdoor family-friendly entertainment.

Car Show Program & Events

Car Display Picnic Day at Hanging Rock is organized by the Macedon Ranges and District Motor Club. Exhibition highlights include the Miniature Train from the Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society and the Parklands Animal Farm, where kids can pet the animals. Plenty of food stalls offer their delicious treats. You are allowed to bring your own alcohol, but no alcohol beverages are sold at the venue. The show also features a marketplace and entertainment for all ages.

Collectors and restorers bring their unique rarities, including old, veteran, classic, modified, and restored cars, as well as trucks and motorcycles, to display. All equipment, although of venerable age of over 25 years, arrives at the site of the exhibition on its own. Locally-made cars are usually represented the best at the show, but there are also many American, Japanese, and European vehicles.

Schedule & Tickets

The show runs from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Classic cars can enter at 8 am. Tickets can be purchased online a month before the event. Organizers recommend buying tickets in advance since cash isn't accepted at the gate, and the Internet connection is quite unreliable at Hanging Rock. Tickets cost $15 per motorcycle, $30 per car, and $15 per person in buses and for pedestrians. The event is pet-friendly, but you should keep your dog on the leash and provide water.

Location & Parking

The event takes place at Hanging Rock Reserve, which is just 5 miles (8 km) from Woodend and 48 miles (77 km) from Melbourne. You can easily reach the reserve by Calder Highway. Plenty of parking is available, with regular visitors entering the grounds through the Straws Lane gate. If you're displaying your vehicle at the car show, you can enter earlier through the South Gate.