Rally of Oberon

About the Rally of Oberon

The Southwest Excavations Rally of Oberon is a one-day gravel rally returning to the NSW calendar on Saturday 14 November 2026, run by the Rally Car Club — the same club behind the Rally of Bathurst — across the forest roads around Oberon and the Jenolan area in the NSW Central Tablelands. Announced on 20 July 2026 and given its naming sponsor on 18 September, it closes the Rally NSW season as the final round of three series at once: the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, the East Coast Classic Rally Series and the NSW Clubman Rally Series. Clerk of the Course Ron Moore has pitched it as a deliberately uncomplicated, competitor-friendly event — roughly 140 km of competition in a traditional roadbook-only format, with no pace notes. Note it is a different event from AMSAG's Oberon Rally, which runs three weeks earlier on 31 October from Black Springs.

Championship

Round 5 of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, Round 6 of the East Coast Classic Rally Series and Round 4 of the NSW Clubman Rally Series — the final round of all three

Organiser

Rally Car Club

Base

Oberon, NSW

Surface

Gravel

The route & format

• Format: One day, approximately 140 km of competitive stages, run as a traditional roadbook-only rally — written instructions rather than pace notes. Stage count, itinerary, base location and service arrangements still had not been published as of 27 September 2026; the club's page says only that the event is based at Oberon and exact details will be confirmed closer to the date.
• Terrain: Gravel forest roads through the Jenolan forests around Oberon, in the NSW Central Tablelands.

Rally of Oberon 2026 results

Watching it

Nothing has been published yet — re-checked 27 September 2026, and the club's page still says only that further information, including event regulations, entries and the event schedule, will be released closer to the date. For a sense of what to expect, the Rally Car Club published a proper spectator instructions booklet for its Rally of Bathurst in March 2026, with signposted points, GPS coordinates and first-car times, and no admission charge. Watch rallycarclub.com.au and rallynsw.com.au as the date approaches. If you need to ask, Clerk of the Course Ron Moore takes enquiries on 0438 610 611 and at president@rallycarclub.com.au.

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: Oberon is 193 km and about 2 hours 40 from Sydney via either the Bells Line of Road or the Great Western Highway, 47 km from Bathurst and 244 km from Canberra via Goulburn and Taralga; the nearest airports are Bathurst, about 40 minutes away, and Orange, about 90. The stage roads are gravel forest roads, so expect to leave the seal once the route is published. Oberon town has the region's service stations — fill up there.
• Where to stay: The organisers recommend Oberon, Bathurst or Blayney. Oberon town is the closest and where most of the beds are: several motor inns and motels, the Royal Hotel, a holiday park with cabins and sites in the centre of town, and camping at the Oberon Showground. There are also farmstays and self-contained cottages scattered through the surrounding district, and Bathurst 47 km north has far more stock if Oberon fills. Mid-November is late spring at 1,113 m, so nights are still cool — and with the rally as a season finale in a small town, book ahead.
• While you’re there: Mayfield Garden at Oberon is the standout — 65 hectares of cool-climate garden with a giant box hedge maze and a cafe, open daily. Kanangra Walls in Kanangra-Boyd National Park is about 25 minutes from Oberon plus an unsealed but 2WD-friendly run to the car park, for one of the best escarpment lookouts in the state, and Lake Oberon and the Campbells River are trout water. One thing to know given the event's name: Jenolan Caves is closed for major road repairs with reopening planned for early 2027, so the stages run through the Jenolan forests but the caves themselves are not open to visit.

Entering

Not yet open, but close — Rally NSW said on 18 September that entries would be "opening soon". No entry fee, open or close date, or field cap had been published as of 27 September 2026. It is a roadbook-only event, so no reconnaissance or pace notes. The Rally Car Club takes entries through the WOLF platform for its other events, and publishes documents through the Sportity app. Club membership is $55 for the year if you need it.

On this page: the 21-crew entry list, the route and format, travel and accommodation, entry fees and deadlines. We're entered — our stage times and full onboard video of every stage follow after the event. Entries and official documents are handled by the organisers on the official event page.

Worth knowing

• Series finale: The season-ending round of the NSW Rally Championship, the East Coast Classic Rally Series (2WD and 4WD) and the NSW Clubman Rally Series, so it is the last chance to score points in all three — the organisers expect it to decide several 2026 titles.
• Not the same as the Oberon Rally: Two different rallies run near Oberon in 2026. AMSAG's Oberon Rally is on 31 October, based at Black Springs, with stages in the Vulcan and Essington State Forests. This event is on 14 November, run by the Rally Car Club, in the Jenolan forests.
• Three titles ride on it: Standings going into the finale, from Rally NSW's published pointscores after Ada River. NSW Rally Championship: Richie Dalton 175, Tony Sullens 173, Josh Redhead 139, Dennis Stanford 120, James O'Malley 118, Michael Chora 95 — two points between first and second with two heats to run. NSW Clubman: Damian Nugent 72 from Dennis Stanford 69 and Harrison Hudson 59. East Coast Classic 4WD: Michael Chora and Rachael Ferrante lead on 225 from Jake Bramble and Phillip Bonser on 125 — Shakewell Racing arrives at Oberon top of that table, having scored in every heat of four rounds.
• Notable: Announced as a return of the Rally of Oberon name to the calendar rather than an entirely new event, following the club's running of the Rally of Bathurst earlier in 2026. The Rally Car Club is affiliated with Motorsport Australia, so this is an MA-permitted event — unlike AMSAG's Oberon Rally three weeks earlier, which runs under AASA. If you are entering both, you need both licences.