Lifestyle & Entertainment
9 March, 2026
Barkly Street set to shine
CHROME will gleam, engines will rumble and Barkly Street will become Ararat’s main stage when Show Us Your Wheels rolls into town as part of the Ararat Jail House Rock Festival weekend, running from March 13 to 15.
Hosted by the Grampians Vintage Vehicle Club Inc., the popular closed-street vehicle show will once again transform Barkly Street between Vincent and Queen streets into a living motoring display, featuring everything from veteran and vintage machines through to muscle cars, street rods and motorcycles.
And the best part — it’s free, both for display vehicles and for the public.
“Bring what you love, whatever it is,” organiser Barry Byron said. “It’s open to interest vehicles of any age — restored, unrestored or modified — and there’s no entry fee. We just want Barkly Street packed with great vehicles and plenty of people enjoying them.”
The event runs from 9am to 2pm, with display vehicles asked to be in place between 7.30am and 8.45am, entering from the Queen Street end.
Once the street fills, the atmosphere quickly becomes part car show, part social gathering — bonnets raised, engines polished, owners sharing stories while visitors wander the line-up.
This year’s event will also feature a special display of what organisers call “naked radiator” vehicles — early vintage machines built before 1930, many approaching or exceeding 100 years of age.
“It’s a chance to showcase some of the really early vehicles,” Mr Byron said. “They’re the sort of cars people don’t often get the opportunity to see up close, and they really capture the history of motoring.”
As in previous years, display vehicles will also go into a thank-you raffle draw, with around 20 prizes donated by sponsors to be drawn during the afternoon.
Beyond the cars themselves, the event forms part of the wider Ararat Jail House Rock Festival, which will see the town buzzing with live rock and roll music, dancing and market stalls in Town Hall Square, along with bands performing at venues across the weekend.
There will also be coffee and food vans on site, while many local businesses will be open, helping create a lively festival atmosphere in the heart of Ararat.
The festival continues on Sunday, March 15, with a Show and Shine event at the Ararat racecourse, alongside more music and dancing.
For enquiries about the Show Us Your Wheels event, contact Geoff on 0409 384 150 or Barry on 0417 106 324. Further information about the Ararat Jail House Rock Festival can be found on the festival’s Facebook page.
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