Bega Valley Rally

About the Bega Valley Rally

The Bega Valley Rally is a two-day gravel rally based in Bega on the far south coast of New South Wales, run on shire roads around Bega on day one before moving to coastal forestry tracks around Eden — including the notorious "Snake Track" — on day two. Regarded as the second-oldest rally in Australia, it traces to the Southern Mountains Trial of around 1960, became a special-stage rally in 1967 as the Snowy Rally, and adopted the Bega Valley Rally name when it settled on Bega as its base in 1973; it was a round of the Australian Rally Championship from 1968 to 1982. The 2026 running, held 6-7 June on the King's Birthday long weekend, was organised by the Sapphire Coast Sporting Car Club under AMSAG sanction as Round 2 of the Southern Cross Rally Series, with 15 scheduled special stages (two cancelled on the day) covering 243.47 km of competitive distance.

Championship

AMSAG Southern Cross Rally Series

Organiser

Sapphire Coast Sporting Car Club (SCSCC)

Base

Bega, NSW

Surface

Gravel

The route & format

• Format: Two-day event. 15 scheduled special stages (13 run after two were cancelled on the day), 243.47 km competitive, 576.41 km total route. Day 1 stages around Bega, day 2 around Eden including the "Snake Track."
• Terrain: Gravel shire roads around Bega and coastal forestry tracks between Bega and Eden, on the NSW far south coast.

Bega Valley Rally 2026 results

Where spectators watched

Free — there's no charge to watch and no ticketing. The club published three official spectator points for 2026, one near Candelo on the Saturday and two on Burrawang Road in the forest south of Eden, plus open public access to both service parks. Spectator instruction PDFs with driving directions and first-car times go up on the AMSAG event page in the lead-up; on stage you park where directed and follow the spectator marshal.

Spectator points

• Niagara Lane — Saturday morning

  From the Bega Saleyards: right out the gate, left onto the Princes Highway for 4.6 km, right into Candelo-Bega Road for 14.3 km, right across the bridge in Candelo then immediately right into Sharp Street (which becomes Mogilla Road), 7.3 km, then right into Niagara Lane. The point is 4.4 km into the 7.90 km opening stage — first car through at 11:28 in 2026, so it's the first competitive action of the weekend. Gravel access road.

• Burrawang Road — Saturday night

  From the Boydtown service park: out the gateway, right towards the highway, left on the Princes Highway for 11 km, then right into Burrawang Road; the point is 2.5 km along. It sits 2.7 km into the 17.44 km Anteater stage, first car at 17:07 in 2026 — and with sunset at 16:52 this is a genuine night-stage point, so bring a head torch and warm gear.

• Burrawang Road — Sunday morning

  Same turn-off as the Saturday night point, 11 km north of Boydtown on the Princes Highway, but only 850 m along Burrawang Road. It's 8.8 km into the 13.32 km Wombat stage, first car at 09:45 in 2026, so cars reach it mid-morning.

• Bega Saleyards service park — Saturday morning

  Kerrisons Lane, Black Range, off the Princes Highway just west of Bega. Rally HQ and the Saturday morning service park: cars on display from check-in at 07:30, first car away at 11:00, then a 30-minute service break after the fifth stage. Free to walk in, catering on site.

• Boydtown Beach service park — Saturday afternoon and Sunday

  Boydtown Park Road, just south of Eden off the Princes Highway. Rally HQ and service park for the rest of the event — an hour-long meal-break service Saturday before the night stages, a 20-minute service mid-morning Sunday, and the finish. Catering on site, with the presentation afterwards at the historic Seahorse Inn next door.

How 2026 ran

1. Saturday 6 June 2026 — Bega shire roads

   07:30 check-in opens at the Bega Saleyards, 10:00 navigators briefing, 10:30 competitors briefing, 11:00 first car away. Niagara Lane 11:28, Bukajo 12:16, Coopers Gully 12:49, Upper Cobargo 13:18, then a 30-minute service. Ben Boyd Road 15:21, an hour-long meal break at Boydtown, then the night stages — Anteater 17:07, Banksia 17:36, 23 Mile 18:05. First car finishes 19:31, last car 21:49.

2. Sunday 7 June 2026 — Eden forestry

   07:30 Rally HQ reopens at Boydtown, 08:15 competitors briefing, 08:30 first car away. Nullica 08:42, Snake Track 09:08, Wombat 09:45, then a 20-minute service. Banksia 2 at 12:33 and 23 Mile Long at 13:02 close it out. First car finishes 13:41, last car 15:59, presentation 17:30 at the Seahorse Inn.

Access, timings and prices checked 30 August 2026. Organisers move spectator points and road closures at short notice — confirm on the official event page before you travel.

Getting there & staying

• Getting there: Bega is on the Princes Highway on the far south coast. The closest airport is Merimbula, about 26 km and 27 minutes away, with Rex and QantasLink flights to Sydney and Melbourne. Driving, it's roughly 2h45-3h from Canberra (about 230 km via Cooma), 5h30 from Sydney and 6-7h from Melbourne; coaches also serve the coast. The highway and the run into Boydtown are sealed, but the stages and the spectator access roads — Mogilla Road and Burrawang Road — are gravel forestry and shire roads. Nearest fuel is in Bega and Eden; the Eden state forest stages are remote, so don't count on reception.
• Where to stay: Bega has motels and a caravan park with cabins and motel-style units. Boydtown Beach Holiday Park is the Eden-end rally HQ and offers camping right next to the service park for a fee, with toilets and showers. Merimbula, 26 km from Bega, carries the biggest bed stock, and Eden has beachfront holiday accommodation. Because the rally lands on the King's Birthday long weekend and the start of whale season, the whole Sapphire Coast books out — reserve well ahead.
• While you’re there: The Bega Cheese Heritage Centre in town covers the valley's dairying story with tastings, but the coast either side is the real draw: Beowa National Park south of Eden holds Boyds Tower, Green Cape Lighthouse and the 32 km Light to Light walk, while Mimosa Rocks and Bournda national parks sit north of Bega. Eden's Killer Whale Museum, home of Old Tom's skeleton, is a genuinely good hour, and the June long weekend coincides with the start of the humpback migration, so land-based lookouts and Eden whale-watching charters are both in season.

Entering

Entry is via the WOLF platform — register once, then complete the event entry — with payment in full by direct deposit or card at the time of entry; no cheques and no cash at check-in. The 2026 field was capped at 70 entries plus 5 reserves, entries opened 6 April and closed 18:00 Friday 29 May, and the fee was $1,325 including GST, covering Forestry Corporation fees, the officials levy, public liability and personal accident insurance. Every crew member needs AMSAG membership ($60 annual competitive or $20 single-event) and a current competition licence. Cars must be scrutineered at an approved regional venue up to three weeks beforehand — there is none at the event — and must carry a fully operational two-way radio. The event is fully route-charted with tulips plus written instructions, and a no-wheel-spin start applies at every stage as a Forestry Corporation condition.

History & form

• History: Second-oldest rally in Australia — traces to the ~1960 Southern Mountains Trial, became the Snowy Rally in 1967, took the Bega Valley Rally name in 1973, and ran as a round of the Australian Rally Championship from 1968 to 1982. Colin Bond won three times (1971-75); David Eadie won three years running (1986-88).

Worth knowing

• Notable: A deep local/family event — 2025 saw three-time ARC champion Harry Bates navigate for his four-time-champion father Neal in Neal's 45-year-old Toyota Celica, and 1984 winner Ron McKinnon return with his brother Steve. Free spectating at the Bega Saleyards and Boydtown Beach service parks.