Historical information

The Redex Reliability Trial 1953 -The first Redex round-Australia reliability trial covered of 6,500 miles (10,500 km), and had a first prize of £1,000. It attracted both amateur and professional drivers in a variety of cars. The route passed through Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and Melbourne before returning to Sydney and attracted much public interest. At the time the idea of driving huge distances around the country in ordinary cars was novel and the logistics were challenging. In many parts of the country there simply wasn’t adequate accommodation or suitably located refuelling stops. The Shell Company facilitated the race by placing petrol dumps along the 5000 km route between Townsville and Adelaide. The race began at the Sydney Showground on 30 August when 192 cars left at three-minute intervals. Of the twenty top finalists, two thirds were sponsored. Ken Tubman and John Marshall won the trial in a Peugeot 203.

Physical description

A black & white photo taken in Whitehorse Road, Mont Albert during the 1953 Redex Trial as a Volkswagen is passing 688 Whitehorse Road on the extreme left. The VW appears to have advertising on its panels indicating it was a competitor in the trial. On the far side of the road is a Morris Minor with a hatted man sitting on the bonnet. The houses in the background are partly obcsured by large hedges.