In August 1925, young missionaries Nevill Westwood and Greg Davies set off from Perth in a 1923 Citroën 5CV with the plan to drive to Darwin.
This, however, became an adventure that made history when Bubsie became the first car to circumnavigate Australia.
One hundred years later, Kevin and Glenda Amos are retracing the steps of the original Bubsie in a similar 1923 Citroën 5CV.
“On the open road, it travels nicely at about 40km an hour,” Mr Amos said.
“So, I say to kids at schools, when you come to a school, and it’s morning or afternoon, what speed do you go?
“‘40km an hour,’ they’d say.
“Well, we don’t slow down because we’re barely even doing 40km when properly driving.”
The pair commenced their travels at the end of February near Newcastle, and are hoping to complete the journey by the end of January 2026.
In each town they stop in, they put Bubsie on display and tell the tale of the original travellers.
“What we’re doing here today in Broadford is stopping, putting the car on display, telling the story, and allowing people to see a bit of history,” Mr Amos said.
“It’s about telling the story and just reminding people of what Australia was like 100 years ago, and the kinds of cars that people drove back then.”
Mr and Mrs Amos stopped in Broadford on Monday, April 14.
Their travels will take them to Castlemaine, Elmore and then to the Prince of Wales Showgrounds in Bendigo on Easter Sunday, where Bubsie will be on display at the Australian Street Rod Federation Nationals.
For more information on the history of Bubsie, and its future destinations, head to tinyurl.com/4sjfyp83
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