Canberra has a rich rallying heritage, dating back to the days when Ford Escorts, Datsun 1600's and Chrysler Lancer's raced through the forests on the edge of the city. Today that tradition continues through local club events and through one of the most prestigious events on the Australian Rallying Calendar.
In May, Canberra plays host to a round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Drivers from Australia, Asia, Europe and the Pacific come to town for the Rally of Canberra.
In recent years, the Subaru Rally of Canberra has become more spectacular as drivers
and manufacturers compete to stand alone at the top in their respective fields.
Canberra's conditions showcase rally driving at its best, on the smooth, fast flowing roads of the forest complete with tight corners and water jumps all in the pine forests that surround the city.
The Mineshaft Stage - where cars leap over a near vertical drop - is a favorite spectator point year after year. As drivers approach the top of the mineshaft the road "drops away" making it impossible to see the bottom. Cars and crews take a leap of faith off the mineshaft often landing half to three quarters of the way down. Most of the time the cars are able to continue but occasionally it all goes wrong.
In a 2002 club event one crew approached the mineshaft a little too quickly. As they made the leap of faith they shifted into fourth gear resulting in a spectacular crash which was reported worldwide. Fortunately both occupants were able to walk away with no serious injuries. And when the rally returned to Canberra in 2013 the mineshaft claimed another victim, thankfully the crew were unharmed though shaken and the cache owner was one of the officials on scene. Excellent video footage of this accident from multiple angles can be seen here.
To provide a unique prospective of this legendary feature of Canberra Rallying we have hidden a cache close to the top. The cache is hidden at the coordinates above however to gain the crews perspective take a short walk to S 35' 21.614 E 148' 56.715.