March 28th, 2025Florence Thomson Tour headed this way

The Florence Thomson Tour is heading to Ballarat, and the Daylesford  Amazing Mill Markets, this weekend.  

Created in 2017, the tour is a unique rally for women drivers celebrating the  pioneering spirit and contribution of women to Australian motoring.

The tour was  aptly named after Florence Thomson, who, in 1905, was the sole female entrant in the Dunlop Reliability Motor contest from Sydney to Melbourne.

She was one of the  16 entrants who successfully completed the five-day trial, driving a six horsepower  Wolseley, over what was then nothing more than 562 miles of dirt track between the  capital cities.  

This year more than 95 vehicles have entered, ranging from veteran to vintage  then to more modern classics and over 200 people are participating as either drivers  or passengers.

All participants are encouraged to dress to match the era of the vehicle that they are driving.  The community is invited to see the tour vehicles and talk to the participants at  Windmill Drive, Ballarat on Sunday, March 30 from 9am to 11.30pm.  

The day before, Saturday, March 29, many drivers will head to Kingston and Creswick before stopping at the Daylesford Mill Markets about noon.