Previous Find of the Month - 02/2025

Find of the Month

February 2025

Takin’ it to the streets:

A look at the history of Canberra’s iconic car festival

Fig. 1. Stephen Fynmore, Burnout at Summernats, c.2003

Fig. 2. Stephen Fynmore, Crowd at Summernats, c.2003

If you were not holidaying interstate in early January, you might have been at Summernats 37. Australia’s premier festival for car enthusiasts, Summernats attracts tens of thousands of locals and visitors to Canberra at a time that the city is otherwise quiet.

The inaugural Summer Nationals Canberra event was held at Easter 1987, and over the new year period since then, based at Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC). Chic Henry founded the event and was its director for many years, before Andy Lopez took it over in 2009.

Summernats grew in popularity in the early 1990s. ACT government files from this period show how the government prepared for the event, working with Chic Henry and his colleagues, the Australian Federal Police, and local community groups.

A survey of people attending Summernats 5 in late 1991 reported that 29,392 people attended, with 17,604 coming from interstate. The survey quantified the retail spending by interstate visitors as more than $5.5 million, not including accommodation and entry fees.

Fig. 3. Executive summary (p.1) of survey of people attending Summernats 5, Jan 1992

Fig. 4. Executive summary (p.2) of survey of people attending Summernats 5, Jan 1992

From the start, community opinion about Summernats was divided. Gary Humphries MLA, then the Liberal police and justice spokesman, conducted a whole day call in survey about it on Monday December 30, 1991. Seventy-seven callers generally supported, and 59 callers generally opposed the event. The comments, recorded in a report, are reminiscent of community conversations that might take place online now. One caller said:

Canberra wants the money but isn’t prepared to allow people to enjoy themselves while they spend it…average Canberran is so isolated and self-opinionated they’ve forgotten how to have fun.

Others commented on the dangers of cars driving at high speeds in suburban streets, and about the harassment experienced by women during the festival.

Summernats 6, held late 1992 to early 1993, was a low point for the festival. Large crowds outside the event, particularly in Civic on New Year’s Eve, were uncontrollable, and the reputation of the event was significantly damaged.

Newspaper reports show that local traders remained enthusiastic about the event. McDonalds Dickson, for example, set a national record for the most trade in a day.i

Seeking to repair the damage to Summernats’ reputation, and to keep it running into the future, Chic Henry wrote to the Attorney-General, Terry Connolly. He noted that “the event was professional and conducted in an orderly manner” ii within EPIC (then called Natex). He also proposed some major modifications to future events, including avoiding scheduling it over New Year’s Eve, and cancelling the Supercruise down Northbourne Avenue.iii

File 93/15017 shows that these proposals were taken up and the event went on, with careful planning and additional restrictions. These arrangements are outlined in the following press conference speaking notes for Terry Connolly, as Minister for Urban Services:

Fig. 5. Speaking notes for Minister for Urban Services, Terry Connolly, 1993

With all these changes put in place, the 1993 event went smoothly and was widely received as much more successful. A Canberra Times editorial headline commented “That’s much better; let’s not slip back.”[i]

Still, a letter of complaint dated 30 December 1993 showed that some residents were still not convinced that the event was an appropriate one for Canberra.

Fig. 6. Extract of letter to Attorney General Terry Connolly, 30 Dec 1993

Apart from a Covid 19-related cancellation in 2021, Summernats has persisted as a fixture in the Canberra summer calendar. It continues to be an event that creates great memories for car lovers, economic opportunities for Canberrans, occasional controversy, and a whole lot of tyre smoke.

Fig. 7. Graham Tidy, Summernats burnout competition, 5 Jan 1998

ACT Government files used

2024/15300. GOVERNMENT & STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS - Events (N) - Motor Sport - Slides - All Sorts of Car Racing Including Summernats - V8 Supercars

91/16278. CITY PARKS MANAGEMENT SECTION, SUMMER NATIONALS EVENT (SUMMERNATS)

93/15017. ROADS & TRANSPORT BRANCH, EXECUTIVE SECTION, SUMMERNATS

Images

Figs. 1-2. Stephen Fynmore, Summernats, c.2003. File 2024/15300

Figs. 3-4. Executive summary of survey of people attending Summernats 5, January 1992. File 91/16278

Fig. 5. Speaking notes for Minister for Urban Services, Terry Connolly, 1993. File 93/15017

Fig. 6. Extract of letter from member of public to Attorney General Terry Connolly, 30 Dec 1993. File 93/15017

Fig. 7. Graham Tidy, Summernats burnout competition, 5 Jan 1998. National Library of Australia, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-143471193

References

i City Parks Management Section, Summer Nationals Event (Summernats). Letter Chic Henry to Terry Connolly, 2 Feb 1993. File 91/16278

ii Charles Miranda. ‘Business was big for the big M’. Canberra Times, 5 Jan 1993, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126966998

III City Parks Management Section, Summer Nationals Event (Summernats). Letter Chic Henry to Terry Connolly, 2 Feb 1993. File 91/16278.

iv Editorial, Canberra Times, 3 Jan 1994, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126920538

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