This year The Machine Show will be in its fourth year! Each year it grows and is more successful than the last, and we hope that continues for many more years into the future.

We are trying to promote a very laid-back weekend of motorcycles, camping, and hanging out round a campfire out in the country. We don’t pretend to be a music festival, and we don’t intend to be a dirt track/drag weekend. We have many friends that organise events like that and we will not step on their toes by putting on an event similar to theirs. We are about motorcycles, motorcycle history, veteran, vintage and classic motorcycles and the rich culture that goes hand in hand with that. We have always respected and admired all types of motorcycles of all marques and The Machine Show is a celebration of that. Amazing things happen when motorcycles and owners of different ages get together in one place. We end up meeting new people and discovering new motorcycles that we might never have seen or heard about before. This in turn promotes a tighter and ever expanding motorcycle community here in Australia and that’s the long term goal of The Machine Show. So please, respect our show for what it is and its own positive aspects, and please don’t compare us to other shows that are put on by our friends. We are all trying to offer diversity with our shows and understand that each show may not be everything to everyone so please remember and respect that if you could.

Gates open at midday sharp on Friday, so if you arrive early, head into town (Braidwood) only a km or so away, and grab a coffee and check out the shops. It’s a great town. The show technically finishes on Saturday night, but camping is still allowed until Sunday morning. But the ground must be cleared by Midday Sunday.

Tickets

Cash only, at the gate. For prices and info, click here.

Merchandise

T-shirts, hats and other merch will also be offered via the website at a reduced rate. Order with your ticket and you can pick it up at the show, from the bar. We would prefer people pre-order t-shirts so we aren’t left with too much stock left over. There will only be a limited number printed so it’s best to pre-order.

Schedule

Friday is a set up day. Once inside the Braidwood Showgrounds, find yourself a campsite. Some of the sites are powered, some are not. Sites will fill on a first come/first serve basis, so if you really need power then make sure you are in early to secure a spot. Bring a power-board and extension cable too if you want to share a power feed with another group of guys or girls. Grab a fire bin from the bar area and set up in a spot where your fire can’t ‘get away’ if it’s dry. We do our best to have firewood for sale at a really cheap rate. Don’t buy from a servo on the way as it’s more expensive. Make sure you look after your fire and don’t leave it unattended. Also, please don’t throw cans and rubbish that won’t burn in the fire. We’ve had to sort all through the fire bins before, and that was no fun at all. Use the recycling and general rubbish bins throughout the grounds - one won’t be far away.

The bar will be open from Midday Friday til 11pm on Friday night. Last year we left it a bit vague on purpose, but this year it’s a strictly no BYO policy. The most important thing to understand here is that the Braidwood Showground is an equestrian centre, used for horse and cattle events etc. There cannot be ANY glass bottles etc within the grounds. If security see you with a bottle you will be escorted to the recycling bin so expect to drink that bottle on the spot or throw it out. Broken bottles in the grass cause havoc with the animals and we just can’t take the chance unfortunately. Bottle tops were everywhere through the grass last year and hours and hours had to be spent finding them and picking them up. Please respect this and don’t bring glass bottles into the grounds.

Our good mates Young Henrys and Collector Wines will be back with beer, cider and wine this year. We’ve taken the approach of making small but really well chosen steps with the food and beverage offerings, so we’re confident you won’t be disappointed!

Saturday morning will have barista coffee at the bar to help kick-start you into action, and some of the food vendors will be offering breakfast too. The gate to the large grassed arena will open at 8am, so if your bike is pre 1994, wheel it in, get a number and tag, write your name, year and model of the bike, put the tag on the throttle and make sure the bike is there between 11am and 4pm for judging, and that you are present when we have the awards, starting at 4pm. If your bike is post-94, and is a FULL custom motorcycle (not just bolted on parts) it can be wheeled into the arena and be eligible for judging.

Everyone is welcome to camp out for the weekend. You can ride any bike of any age to the event. It’s simply that in order to display your bike in the arena on Saturday it must be 30 years or older.

Throughout the weekend, if you want to sell parts or a motorcycle we encourage you to set up shop at your camp site and treat the entire weekend as an informal swap meet.

The food vendors will be in full swing for Saturday lunch and dinner, and the bar of course will be open from midday to 11pm. Please be aware that this is a family orientated weekend with people of all ages in attendance. Intoxicated people will NOT be tolerated and RSA marshals will be on duty all weekend. If you can’t handle your alcohol please put yourself in check before you go too far. Further on this note, any idiot behaviour involving burnouts, drags or anything even remotely out of line will be handed over to security. This is NOT the place for it. Inside the campgrounds is a no-idiot zone. If you want to muck up, please leave the premises or you WILL be asked to leave. Zero tolerance on this matter.

Our insurance, and your insurance, does not cover this behaviour and more importantly anyone that gets hurt.

Pets

Responsible owners have the choice to bring their pets (within reason) to the show. The owner must take full responsibility for their pet. If the pet does not have a docile nature please do not bring it to the show. There will be children around so if your pet is not kid friendly, or scared easily by loud noises, or prone to running around and could possibly cause an accident, please do not bring it to the show. Also, bring bags to clean up after your dog. There is nothing worse than stepping in some dogs shit that the owner didn’t clean up. Do the right thing, and be respectful of others in our community.

Promotion

We promote everything via Instagram, word of mouth and also through select advertising in publications like Just Bikes. We also do some advertising by handing out posters and flyers and such but this year we are really targeting the classic, vintage and veteran clubs with letters to the clubs directly. If you are a member of a club please contact us so we can make it easier for you to have your club here in Braidwood for the show weekend.