Capel River Classic Show & Shine

CANCELLATION OF THE 2026 RUSTIC OFF-ROAD RALLY

The Rustic off-Road Rally is a small, volunteer run, not-for-profit recreational social ride for up to 30 licenced riders on registered classic and historic motorcycles at least 30 years old. The Rally takes place on one day each year and follows a course through the Jarrahwood state forest on unsealed roads that are permanently open to and used by the public throughout the year without restriction. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is responsible for managing and maintaining these roads.

The Rally was established in 2022 and DBCA advised that their approval was not required because it was held on public roads. But in 2024 DBCA changed their advice and claimed that the Rally now required their approval and that DBCA be indemnified from liability arising from the Rally on the unfounded basis that:

It utilised unauthorised signage – Even though no signs are required.
It is a car rally involving a navigation exercise and is a race involving vehicles – Even though there are no cars involved, it is not a navigation exercise, and it is not a race.
It is a race involving vessels – Even though there are no vessels (“boats”!) involved and it is not a race.

It was demonstrated to DBCA that none of these random reasons were applicable.

DBCA then changed their advice and instead claimed that the Rally required their Lawful Authority approval and that DBCA be indemnified from liability because some of the roads used for the Rally were not actually public roads, even though they are permanently open to and used by the public without DBCA approval or any other restriction (i.e. no signs, gates, fencing etc. and some are publicly signed).

It is understood that legislated definitions of “road” and “public road” exist which indicate that the Rally and the public can use these roads without DBCA approval. Yet, despite many written requests, DBCA has not acknowledged their existence or been willing to state how these definitions apply to the Rally.

This has created significant unmanageable uncertainty for the volunteer event organisers and participants in terms of their potential liability, legal position and insurance validity and therefore the Rally, which was scheduled for Saturday 3rd October 2026, has had to be cancelled.

Volunteer run local events and the economic benefits that they bring are extremely valuable to small regional towns such as Capel, but the impact of this unnecessary uncertainty has completely overridden the community, recreational, volunteering and economic benefits of the Rally.

You can assist by communicating any concerns or support to:

– Hon Ms Jodie Hanns, Member for Collie Preston, Tel: 9734 2073, E: Jodie.Hanns@mp.wa.gov.au

– Hon Don Punch, Minister for South West, Tel: 9791 3636, E: bunbury@mp.wa.gov.au

– Hon Matthew Swinbourn, Minister for the Environment, Tel: 6552 6800, E: Minister.Swinbourn@dpc.wa.gov.au

Thank you

The Office Holders of the Ironstone Adventure Riding Club
E: mail@iarc.com.au

The annual Capel River Classic Show & Shine is a free public entry community exhibition event for pre-1975 classic and historic motorcycles and cars run in partnership with The Bike Shed Times and sponsored by the Shire of Capel and Italbrit Classic Motorcycles, Talison Lithium, Community (Bendigo) Bank Capel, Healthway, B&J Catalano, Earth2Ocean Communications and Cohesion Photo & Video.

The event is a celebration of classic and historic vehicles and the 2024 Capel River Classic won the Shire of Capel ‘Community Event of the Year’ award and has grown to become an established and extremely well attended event which includes the following:

Classic Bike Show & Shine

We typically attract more than 80 road and off-road motorcycle exhibitors and a large display marquee is erected for the feature bike displays, plus an external display area for other entrants. The bikes are expertly judged, with awards presented across a range of classes and vintages.
Classic Car Show & Shine

Many of our Club members are also classic car buffs and we typically have more than 40 classic cars on display. This creates a lot of additional interest and will be continued in 2025, with a separate car exhibition area and awards presented across a range of classes and eras.
Classic Bike Swap Meet

We also host a classic bike swap meet in its own separate area where enthusiasts can browse and buy.
The Rustic Off-Road Rally

This is a unique feature of the event, run in partnership with the Indian Harley Club (Bunbury) which provides a ‘gentle’ Rally ride for pre-1975 road and off-road bikes on a marked course through the adjacent Capel-Jarrahwood state forest on gravel and unsealed roads, and the oldest bike to complete the course to date was a 1927 AMAC 1000 Special, whilst the oldest rider was 76 years old!
Band

This year the Bunbury based ‘Sultans of Sound’ will be performing a set that matches the vintage vibe of the event.
Food, Refreshments and Bar

We will also have a range of food vendors serving throughout the day and a licenced bar.

The event brings exhibitors, enthusiasts and spectators from across the south west, the great southern and the Perth metropolitan area, with many classic bike and car clubs organising day rides to the event, and importantly all of this brings a demonstrated increase in visitors, activation and economic benefit to Capel and the local community.

We hope you enjoy the official videos from our most recent Capel River Classic events.