More than 80 veteran vehicles are set to travel through the region as part of the 2026 TAVCCA National Veteran Rally this September.

The week long event will bring together more than 150 participants from across Australia, with enthusiasts travelling from every state except the Northern Territory to celebrate some of the nation’s oldest operating vehicles.

Veteran vehicles, classified as those manufactured before 1919, will take to local roads throughout Cowra and surrounding areas, giving residents a rare opportunity to see early motoring history in action.

Veteran Car Club of Australia (NSW) Inc representative Jenny Fawbert said residents could expect to see some of the finest and oldest vehicles still operating in Australia.

"You will expect to see some of the best of the best and oldest vehicles in Australia running on the roads and operating as they're meant to," Ms Fawbert said.

The rally will feature vehicles built between 1908 and 1918, showcasing more than a decade of early automotive development.

"There’s 80 vehicles scattered pretty well across those two decades," Ms Fawbert said.

The vehicles will not simply be displayed, but driven throughout the region, allowing spectators to see them operating as they were designed.

Cowra was selected as the host location due to its suitability for veteran vehicles, tourism opportunities and previous connection with the club, having hosted a national rally approximately 20 years ago.

"We tend to move around the state when we're hosting here, just to give more people the opportunity to see the vehicles," Ms Fawbert said.

The rally program will include visits to local attractions including the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, Cowra POW Camp site and Cowra Art Gallery, as well as trips throughout the wider region to Grenfell, Canowindra and Wyangala Dam.

"We find when a rally comes into town, it does bring in quite a bit of money to the local economy," Ms Fawbert said.

"It isn't just concentrated in Cowra. They will be spread around the area during the rally week."

For Ms Fawbert, the rally is about more than old vehicles, it is about celebrating the machines that changed the way Australians travelled.

"They're the vehicles that put Australia on the road," she said.

"They're the vehicles that enabled people to travel right across the country."

The 2026 TAVCCA National Veteran Rally will run from 6-12 September, with participants celebrating the vehicles that helped shape Australia’s motoring history.

"We're all looking forward to it, and I hope everyone enjoys the cars as much as we do," Ms Fawbert said.

The rally program will showcase both Cowra and surrounding communities, with planned visits including:

  • Monday 7 September: Carcoar via Lyndhurst and Mandurama

  • Tuesday 8 September: Historic Grenfell and optional visit to the Chrysler Museum

  • Wednesday 9 September: Cowra sightseeing, including attractions such as the Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, Cowra POW Camp site and Cowra Art Gallery, followed by the Lifeline fundraiser high tea

  • Thursday 10 September: Gooloogong and Canowindra, including the Age of Fishes Museum

  • Friday 11 September: Scenic drive to and across Wyangala Dam, followed by a farewell dinner at Cowra Services Club