Five Holden motor museums to plan a road trip to

The Holden brand may be gone, but it won’t be forgotten. At least if the sheer number of enthusiastic owners, collectors and drivers of cars made by Australia’s own iconic car company have anything to say about it. The GM owned company built cars from 1948 to its closure in 2018 but was founded in 1856 when it made saddles for horses.

The really good news is Holden’s heritage collection of concept cars and heaps more good stuff will remain in Australia, and be distributed among our various motoring museums, including some of those listed below.

Echuca is the closest point on the Murray River from Melbourne, so if you’re from the Big Smoke and want about a three hour drive to somewhere special, this is it – especially if you’re into Holden cars. The NHMM is a private museum dedicated to Australia’s Own: the cars on display change regularly but with room inside for about 50 vehicles there’s a good spread of early Holdens through to performance and recent models. Even the car park can be a treasure trove of visiting Holdens – maybe even yours! Check out the museum’s Facebook page for latest arrivals.

Here’s another great private Holden collection on the Murray, although this time at Mildura – or rather, just across the bridge in Buronga on the NSW side of the river. Assembled by the late Ron Morello, the museum has around 35 Holdens starting with the original FX 48/215 (similar to one Ron bulldozed in an old shed, to his lasting regret!) right up to the later years. There’s a nice indoor/outdoor café plus a well-stocked shop of memorabilia and mementos.

This museum dedicated to all things Holden is installed in Trafalgar’s old butter factory, about 90 minutes east of Melbourne. Yes, there are plenty of cars wearing the Lion badge but also the full story of the company’s early history as a saddle manufacturer and coachbuilder. The collection also includes a few American GM models, and even a WW2 40-foot workboat built by Holden.

Okay, this WA car museum doesn’t just do Holdens but among an amazing display of automobilia from around the world and covering more than a century is a fair representation of Australia’s finest – and plenty there for Ford fans as well! Whiteman Park is in Perth’s eastern suburbs and is also home to a tractor museum and the Revolutions Transport Museum showcasing pretty much anything on wheels (and hoofs).

It might take a little more research and dedication to visit this privately run Holden shrine given you need to make an appointment, but a little hard work pays off. Metcalfe is just off the Calder Freeway near Castlemaine (itself modestly dubbed Australia’s Hot Rod Capital) and to be honest, there’s not much there apart from this jewel of a museum. Owner Jason Lee has assembled a shed full of memorabilia, signage and documentation and of course there are plenty of older-style Holdens to check out.

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