A Bagshot couple who collect antique carriages have celebrated the end of "seven years' bad luck" by driving an original Cobb & Co through Huntly.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
World-class driver and friend, Gavin Robson, drove the four black horses who pulled the carriage.
Andrea Stringer and Laurie Jensen were both already collectors when they met 25 years ago.
"We're just two people that had a common interest," Mr Jensen said.
"I got the interest by watching cowboy pictures. There's no argument. I always wanted to drive the stagecoach."
Mr Jensen worked at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat until the wheel of the carriage he was driving came loose and catapulted him out.
The accident left him with one tendon holding his arm on, and ended his career.
Soon after, Ms Stringer was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer that required a double mastectomy and radiotherapy, as well as preventative surgery against ovarian cancer.
"But that's all right," Ms Stringer said. "I got better and Laurie got heart failure. We call it our seven years' bad luck."
"So it was really nice for Gavin to be able to facilitate us in being able to get back out with the horses."
Carriage collecting a 'madness'
The couple describe themselves as antique collectors who can take their finds for a spin around the block.
They said their carriages aren't show quality, but that means they can drive them down the road to get fish and chips, instead of keeping them safe in a shed until show day.
The coach they drove through Huntly on Easter Sunday was last seen in the True History of the Kelly Gang, starring Russell Crowe.
The couple have around 60 carriages.
"It's a madness. An obsession. A hoarding obsession," Ms Stringer said.
The also have 10 horses, including a 40-year-old Clydesdale with no teeth.
"You'd probably find that five of them are paddock ornaments," Mr Jensen said.
Community waves carriage on
The night before the drive, Ms Stringer posted on the local community Facebook pages to let everyone know they would be out in the carriage.
"I thought, get on and say, 'This is what we're going to do. We'll do our best not to hold you up for any length of time. If you encounter us on the road, please just pass wide and slow,'" she said.
"Well, families and stuff came out and there was all these people taking photos. And families came out to wave us by."
"People had cameras on stands and all. They had planned it. We got mobbed when we stopped for lunch," said Mr Jensen.
Despite the success of the day, Ms Stringer and Mr Jensen don't have any concrete plans to take their carriage out again because of how people-heavy the process is.
"You need six to eight experienced people to be safe," Mr Jensen said.
Mr Jensen said they had two people abuse them on the day for holding up traffic, not to mention those who were concerned about their horses' safety.
"I mean, if they knew the horse was worth $20,000, we're not going to upset the bastard," he said.