Cooly Rocks On is an event that happens once a year in Coolangatta, on the southern end of the Gold Coast, Australia. This year it was held from May 30 to June 9, for ten days, always culminating on the Queens Birthday Long weekend. A perfect way to celebrate all things 50s & 60s – rock n roll, vintage and hot rod cars and bands playing rock n roll, rockabilly and swing.
A fabulous weekend this time around which was a pleasant change. Usually for Cooly Rocks on it initiates the start of winter with cold, wet and miserable weather, no matter that it was sunny the week before. Not this time, fantastic weather, great crowds, and the cars!! Perfect time to take my new Canon 70D out for a test drive. I forgot to change the ISO to 100 and it tended to push it up over the course of the day to ridiculous limits so I tended to have grainy photos. I am still o my “L” plates and will mould it to my shape soon I hope.
I’m not a rock n roll fan but have an attraction to the vintage cars, not so much the engines like the boys do but more aesthetically with the shapes, colour, patterns etc. The bygone cars show us what sexy really is with their chrome curves, teasing shapes and beguiling colours.
I have a picture gallery below and forgive me (sorry boys!!) that I may not have the right car in the right group (let me know if I’ve done this) and there were a couple of mystery ones as when I am getting carried away with the sleek lines of the cars I forget to look at the make!!
I tried not to be biased towards Holden or Ford (well really I am) but on my return home after collating all my photos it seems the Chevrolet got most of my attention with its beautifully designed car inscribed with grace and elegance in the form of the Bel Air!
Of course Ford was well represented with some classy looking models. The Victoria was a nice looking, well upholstered vehicle and one of the first I fell in love with, but my heart belonged to another in the end.
The main street of Coolangatta and the adjacent Marine Parade just across from the picturesque beach were closed off for the weekend. All the wonderful vintage cars are parked along each side of the streets and the road used as a walkway and dance floor. There were three bands we could see in separate areas to entertain the crowds. Market stalls were also set up on the park side of Marine Parade. My only disappointment – normally there are so many Elvis impersonators that I could have had a separate post on these delightful characters but not this visit. Is it a dying art? My consolation prize – a car named Elvis.
I have so many photos but will cover some more in my next post else I bore you too much with my newfound car fetish. Just another one to add to the list 😉
daysandmonths 
I don’t really like cars, but you made this whole event sound like a lot of fun! This is one of the things I enjoy the most about taking my camera to different places with me. I typically look more closely at things and from different angles. Photography makes things more interesting. Great job with this post! The photos are amazing, as usual. 🙂
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Thanks A.. Yes I didn’t like cars much either but you are right if you look at something from a different perspective you will hopefully find something you love about it and I did .
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Each and every photo, a feast for the eyes! What photographic fun 🙂 Loved the shots of the red Bel Air! Well done, Karen.
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Thanks Stacy very much 🙂
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I love old cars and you captured them so well!
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TY. I’m posting a few more abstract pictures of Cooly Rocks On today or tomorrow just to finish off!
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I love love love the buttons and the accesories and basically the designs of vintage cars. It blows how cars had involved to characterless designs. Awesome, awesome capture. I find it difficult to capture cars. The shines and reflections get in the way. 😀 so yeah, zooming in closer is one good way to approach iwhen cars is the subject. Great job!
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Thanx Rommel. Yep a few times I caught my reflection in the chrome and had to take it from a different angle but zooming definitely helped!
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