Updates for HTA 2025 TASMANIA - 21st to 24th March
Last update 12th October 2024
ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED
THE EVENT - 21st to 24th March 2025
“The Ford Coupe Club of Australia (Vic) Inc is pleased to announce that the next Hardtop Anniversary will be held in Tasmania! March 21st to 24th 2025.Tasmania has a fantastic motor sport history, with Baskerville, Symons Plains and of course Targa Tasmania, to name a few! So why not come and explore some of that history with your fellow coupe owners! There will be sensational driving roads, spectacular scenery, great food, wine, spirits and that very fresh and clean Tasmania air!The plan is to assemble in Geelong on the Thursday afternoon of the 20th and catch the overnight ferry over to Devonport where the event begins on Friday morning! Progress from there to Launceston for a tour and then take the scenic route to Hobart for a meet and greet event! Saturday will be a standout with the Show and Shine on the lawns of Parliament House, right next door to the world-famous Salamanca Markets! Followed by cruise options in the afternoon to take in the local sights.Sunday will see a motorsport event for those who like to put their coupes through their paces, plus a Poker Run, cruise options and other events yet to be finalized. We will round out the day with a dinner and awards event.Monday will be a cruise back to Devonport with options for those who need to leave, or why not stay a bit longer and explore for yourself or in a group.There remains lots of organizing going on right now, including finding sponsors and putting the details to the program. We recognize that a trip to Tasmania may not be cheap, so we are doing our utmost to deliver as much value to all attendees as possible.So please save the date, and we'll keep you regularly informed as we know more! In the meantime, if you know any sponsors who would consider coming on board, please contact us.
Entries to HTA 25 Tasmania are now officially closed
After some significant effort by a number of people, the Ford Coupe Club of Australia has regretfully now closed all applications to the HTA event.
The response to the event has been above our expectations, so it is no longer possible to accept any further entries to the event.
The event is brought to you, through our naming rights sponsor Recycal and with fantastic assistance through a grant from the Hobart City Council.
We have a number of other sponsors who have now come on board and we will continue to acknowledge as these develop, and who we will work with closely to deliver value to them from this spectacular event.
So what happens next?
As you can expect there is a significant amount of information we have to process from all entrants, so we continue to do that. We will get an acknowledgement email out to all entrants very shortly. The critical first step is to close the gaps in the information, so expect if we need to clarify anything, you'll get an clarification email from us, very soon.
Our key steps now are to lock down venues and source entrant merchandise and make all the detail plans for the events now we know numbers. So please be patient with us.
Of course Spirt Bookings and accommodation bookings can still be made, with the details below.
If there are any questions please contact us via the channels posted below on this page.
It is with pleasure we confirm arrangements for the Ford Coupe Club of Australia and associates who wish to travel aboard Spirit of Tasmania. Travel is currently open but more dates will become available in the coming weeks as their schedule generally opens 11 months in advance.
All details regarding this event including how to book are listed below:-
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An Exclusive Member’s Page has been created on our website and is ready for participants use
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The URL address to your Exclusive Member’s Page is: https://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/offers/ford-coupe-club-of-australia-2025
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When booking/amending via this page, members will have access to the best available fares on their chosen sailing dates.
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All passenger, accommodation and vehicle space are subject to availability at time of booking/amending.
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Please keep in mind fares do fluctuate and are subject to change until payment has been made and a booking number and e-ticket provided.
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Alternatively availability and bookings can be requested via their Customer Contact Centre on 132010.
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Please note booking and amendment fees do apply to non-internet bookings.
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Bookings for this event are valid for travel between 21/02/2025 – 24/04/2025
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When booking via the Exclusive Members Page, the following fare types will be offered (subject to availability):-
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Ford Coupe Club (Spirit)
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Ford Coupe Club (Flexi)
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If the name of your event is not included in the fare type name, this indicates you may have left the Exclusive Members Page booking platform and may need to re-check before proceeding.
Now in terms of travel dates, there is the ferry that leaves Geelong on the Thursday evening of 20th March, which is the overnight trip with arrival on the Friday morning 21st in Devonport. This requires you to book sleeping arrangements on the ferry, the cheapest of which is a reclining seat, and there are other options for your preference. The alternative will be to make it a day trip, using the day ferry option that leaves Geelong on the 20th in the early morning. You of course will need accommodation in Devonport on the evening of 20th. There will be some recommended accommodation options forthcoming for those who choose to do that.
As for returning, the options are more open, but if you’re staying for the dinner, and we hope you are, then the earliest return trip would be the evening of the 24th March from Devonport to Geelong. I suspect like a number have planned to do, some of us will be staying on to see a bit more of Tasmania, hence it really is up to you when you return, hence the validity date of up to 24th April 2025 for the group booking offer.
We are currently working on the accommodation options and pricing with our preferred location for the event and will make that available as soon as we have the details to share.
Spirit of Tasmania - Group Booking facility
Event Accommodation Options - Group Discounts
At our last club meeting (8/5) we said that there would be some details shortly on accommodation options for those attending the HTA 25 in Tasmania. There was a post on social media earlier last week, with some details, and while those details are correct here’s the details that go with that post. As with all HTA events we do our best to offer options, ultimately the decision is always yours as to what you do!
Certainly, for Hobart, which will be the epicenter of activities from the Friday afternoon (21st), until the Monday morning (24th) HTA25 or ‘Rallye Centre’ will be based at the Wrest point Casino, 410 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay where the event registration, welcome and Gala dinner will be held. Sandy Bay is about 10 minutes from the Hobart CBD. Discounted room rates have been negotiated as part of a broader event package. The rates are as follows
Motor Inn: $175/night
Water Edge: $185/night
Deluxe Tower Twin: $190/night
Deluxe Tower King $220/night
Executive Suite: $370/night
You need to call 1800 030611 and say you are with the Ford Coupe Club Rallye. There is undercover parking and 24-hour security and surveillance. Theya re holding a number for rooms for the event.
Similar discounts are available for accommodation in Launceston at the Country Club and Villas, which is run by the same company for those who may be coming earlier or staying longer.
What we have seen is that there is some significant variation in arrival times of participants, with people booking to arrive a few days earlier in Devonport, or who booked to come on the day ferry and those who will arrive on the Friday morning. No matter what your choice, the local team has decided it will be best to have an assembly point so no matter where you are staying and when you arrive, even straight off the boat, then all you have to do is get to the assembly point and we’ll have coffee and a breakfast roll available, before we head off as a group to the first stop. This makes it a little easier from an accommodation choice perspective. There are special rates available at the Elmitta Hotel and the Argosy Motor Inn in Devonport, but you may make your own choice based on your own preferences, the good thing about Devonport is that nothing is too far away.
In some very late news, the Novotel Devonport has also offered some discounted accommodation.
20 – 21 March 2025
10 x Standard Room with 2 Queen Beds
$180.00 per room, per night, room only
Changes and cancellations can be made until 14 days prior to arrival without charge. Any cancellations after this date will incur 100% cancellation fee.
Rates quoted are valid for 7 days from the time of writing (so from the date of this update)
Don't forget
For any questions about the event, please contact the team via our recently set up event email address
tassieHTA25@gmail.com