Melbourne's cars and coffee scene is bigger than it looks and harder to find than it should be. The regular monthly meets sit at the edges of the city: one in Port Melbourne, two up the Hume, one down the highway in Geelong. Closer in, Mr Excited's one-off mornings and the northern night meets fill the gaps. This is the whole month on one page, every meet free or close to it, every one open to any car.
First Sunday: Kilmore Coffee and Cars
The month starts up the Hume. Kilmore Coffee and Cars runs on the first Sunday from 9am at 109 Northern Highway in Kilmore, about an hour north of the city. Bring your car, park up, and the cafes along the strip sell the coffee and the food. It is a drive as much as a meet, which is the point.
Kilmore Coffee and Cars on Drivesome
Second Sunday: Classic Muscle Cars and Coffee, Port Melbourne
The second Sunday is the closest thing Melbourne has to a city meet. Classic Muscle Cars and Coffee gathers from 8am at the Bonnie and Duke Cafe, 262 Lorimer Street, Port Melbourne, weather permitting. Classic and muscle cars, owners from several clubs in one car park, and a cafe that opens on Sundays with plenty of parking. Victoria Police know it is on and dangerous driving gets reported, so behave.
Classic Muscle Cars and Coffee on Drivesome
Third Sunday: Broadford, or Geelong
The third Sunday gives you a choice of direction. North, Broadford Cars and Coffee runs from 9am to noon in the High Street precinct at the top end of town, between Stuty's Bakehouse and the Mitchell Shire Offices. Cars and motorcycles, any make and model, family-friendly, and it runs regardless of weather or public holidays. It is on public roads, so respect the parking limits.
Broadford Cars and Coffee on Drivesome
Also on the third Sunday: Caffeine and Gasoline, North Geelong
South-west, Caffeine and Gasoline fills Federal Mills in North Geelong on the same morning. Classics, muscle, modern builds, modified cars and bikes, coffee and breakfast from the cafes on site, and a vintage market to wander. Geelong Motoring Enthusiasts runs it with committee members at every meet, so it is the easiest place to ask what joining a club is actually like.
Caffeine and Gasoline on Drivesome
Last Sunday: the open weekend
There is no regular cars and coffee on the last Sunday yet. The nearest thing is Mr Excited's Cars and Coffee at the Manhattan Hotel in Ringwood, which runs quarterly: 9:30am to midday, gold coin entry, two coffee vans, a Lions Club barbecue breakfast and six trophies at noon. Dates are on the event page, and it is cancelled in bad weather, so check the night before.
Mr Excited's Cars and Coffee at the Manhattan Hotel on Drivesome
When there is nothing on, use the last Sunday for a drive. The Black Spur from Healesville to Marysville and back through the Yarra Valley is the Melbourne answer.
The Mr Excited's one-offs
The same organiser runs themed mornings at York on Lilydale in Mount Evelyn, 8am to 11am for a gold coin: an All Ford Day in September and an All American Day in December. There is also a Christmas charity morning at the Manhattan Hotel in December, $10 entry, all of it to the MND team on site.
All Ford Day, All American Day, Christmas charity cars and coffee
Saturdays: Melbourne meets at night
There is no regular Saturday morning cars and coffee on the calendar right now. What Melbourne has instead is a night scene in the north. A club-run Saturday Night Meet and Greet fills Harvey Norman Broadmeadows in November, all cars and bikes with a barbecue. Cars and Kebabs at Kebab Kingz in Campbellfield is a Halloween Saturday in October from 6:30pm. TuffStreetVictoria and Hooligoon run a cars and superbikes meet at Harvey Norman Thomastown in December. In the south-east, Midnight Millennium fills the Shannons Showroom in Heatherton for a Saturday evening in October.
Saturday Night Meet and Greet, Cars and Kebabs Halloween, TuffStreetVictoria x Hooligoon, Midnight Millennium Vol. 2
Your month at a glance
- 1st Sunday: Kilmore Coffee and Cars, 9am, up the Hume
- 2nd Sunday: Classic Muscle Cars and Coffee, Port Melbourne, 8am, weather permitting
- 3rd Sunday: Broadford Cars and Coffee, 9am to noon (north) or Caffeine and Gasoline, North Geelong (south-west)
- Last Sunday: open. Mr Excited's at the Manhattan Hotel when its quarterly date falls here, otherwise the Black Spur
- Saturdays: no regular morning meet yet; night meets in Broadmeadows, Campbellfield, Thomastown and Heatherton
An open Sunday a month is a gap someone will fill. If you run a meet in the inner suburbs or the west, list it on Drivesome.
Meet etiquette, briefly
Arrive in the first half hour for a spot with the cars rather than the shoppers. Park where you are pointed. No revving, no burnouts on the way out, ever: nearly every one of these meets has told the police it is on, and one idiot is how a meet ends. Take photos, talk to the owners, and post them on the car's page afterwards.
Everything above, plus the shows and cruises that fill the rest of the calendar, is on the Melbourne car events page. Follow the meets you like and their next dates land in your timeline. For the big weekends, read the biggest car events in Melbourne, and if a meet has you thinking about joining something, try Melbourne car clubs worth joining.
Questions people ask
Where is cars and coffee in Melbourne?
Port Melbourne on the second Sunday of the month, Kilmore on the first, Broadford and North Geelong on the third, and Mr Excited's quarterly mornings at the Manhattan Hotel in Ringwood. All are free or a gold coin.
What time do Melbourne car meets start?
Sunday meets start between 8am and 9:30am and most are done by noon. The night meets in the northern suburbs start at 6:30pm or 7pm.
Is there a cars and coffee in Melbourne every Sunday?
Not yet. The first, second and third Sundays are covered. The last Sunday is open most months; Mr Excited's quarterly morning at the Manhattan Hotel fills it when the date falls there.
Are Melbourne cars and coffee events free?
The monthly meets are free to attend and display at. Mr Excited's mornings ask for a gold coin and the Christmas charity one is $10. Buy a coffee from the host cafe, since that is what keeps the venue saying yes.
