Over the past 20 years, the SeaRoad Devonport Motor Show has evolved from a humble “Swap and Sell” gathering into a must-see Tasmanian event and a major drawcard for car lovers from across the country.
As the show grew, so did the ambition of the Rotary Club of Devonport North team. Every year brought a new idea – some small, some bold – and together they shaped the event we know today.
In 2010, the dyno first rolled in and instantly became a crowd favourite. By 2012, the show had grown to include a Saturday night gala. In the same year, the Motor Show received an Australia Day Community Event Award in recognition of its growing impact.
Soon after, feature marques were introduced, and mainland museums began sending rare concept cars.
When the show moved to Aikenhead Point in 2022, the reserve was usually brown and dry by March. So a small Rotary team spent weeks irrigating the site, transforming it into a lush, green lawn that protected the vehicles and created a spectacular display area.
Here are a few other standout moments over the years:
- 2017 – Holden EFIJY concept car was brought over, drawing some of the biggest crowds in the event’s history
- 2018 – A record 560 vehicles pre-entered, but torrential rain forced cancellation on the morning of the event
- 2019 – Showcase moved into the paranaple centre, using the internal car lift for the first time to display feature vehicles indoors
- 2021 – The committee pivoted mid-COVID, transforming the show into an indoor expo with 26+ cars and bikes displayed on the paranaple’s upper level
- 2024 – 50 Mustangs lined Bluff Road, alongside interstate Toranas and ex-Brabham F1 cars
Across storms, cancellations, location changes, and even a pandemic, one thing has never changed: the passion of the exhibitors and the dedication of the people who make this show happen.
(prior to foreshore development)
Entries now open – you could be part of this!
Vehicle pre-entries are FREE and open from 1 November 2025 on our website.
You’ve seen the highlights… now it’s your chance to create one.
If it’s something you’re proud of, show it.
Fun for the whole family, not just car lovers
While the SeaRoad Devonport Motor Show is known for beautifully restored cars and bikes, it’s always been more than a display of metal and horsepower – it’s a full day out.
In past years, families and kids have enjoyed roving entertainers from Slipstream Circus, watched extreme stunt shows from Borys Zagrocki and WSM Freestyle Motocross, and sampled food from some of the region’s most popular food vendors. Kids run around with icecreams and painted faces, while parents and grandparents wander the displays and reminisce about the cars they grew up with.
This year’s 20th anniversary show is the perfect excuse to spend the whole day together, with cars, food, entertainment, and a buzzing community atmosphere.
2026 Motor Show Snapshot
When: Sunday 22 March 2026, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Where: Aikenhead Point, Devonport (northern end of Victoria Parade)
Vehicle entry: FREE pre-entry until 15 March (includes FREE admission for driver + one passenger)
Gate entry:
Adults: $15
Children under 16 and student card holders: FREE
More to enjoy: Food trucks, coffee vans, trade displays, family entertainment, rides and face painting (vendor charges apply)
How the Devonport Motor Show grew into a Tasmanian icon
Following the early success of the first couple of shows, the team wanted to create something bigger than a car display. They wanted an event that people would look forward to year after year.
From 2009, committee members started travelling to events around Tasmania and interstate, gathering ideas and inspiration to make the Devonport event stand out. Exhibitor numbers climbed rapidly, and enthusiasm within the Rotary Club of Devonport North grew.
By 2010, the event featured 270 vehicles.
And in 2011, numbers jumped again to 360 vehicles.
As the event matured, it also received a new identity. The name changed from the Devonport Car Show and Swap Meet to the Devonport Motor Show, and a new logo was needed. Long-serving Rotarian Mac designed the silhouette of his Morgan sports car, the same logo that’s still proudly used today.
Along the way, the show made some big steps forward.
- Exhibitor numbers grew from dozens to hundreds as the show expanded to include modern performance vehicles, bikes, and specialty vehicles.
- From 2013, annual calendars and event videos began capturing the highlights and building anticipation for the next year.
- The show outgrew its original location and moved into larger spaces, including indoor exhibitions and eventually the current Aikenhead Point foreshore, signalling just how far the event had come.
Each year didn’t just add more vehicles. It created more memories.
After two decades, the SeaRoad Devonport Motor Show now stands as one of Tasmania’s longest-running and most respected motoring events, powered by passion, persistence, and the volunteer spirit of the Rotary community.
This has always been a team effort
Behind every great event is a group of people who believed in it. For us, that’s our sponsors. Some have been with us for nearly the whole journey. Others supported a single year or stepped in for a single idea.
A few standout supporters deserve particular acknowledgement:
- SeaRoad – Major sponsor since 2018, whose support has helped take the event to a new level.
- Chas Kelly Transport – One of our biggest contributors across the history of the show, providing sponsorship, vehicles, and logistical support year after year.
- D-Signs – A near-constant behind-the-scenes, producing our signage, road signs, and reams of printed materials.
- Gowans Toyota, Supercheap Auto, TT Line, and Knight Frank – Major sponsors who’ve supported multiple eras of the Motor Show.
- Devonport City Council – Strong and consistent backing, enabling us to bring visitors into the city and showcase the foreshore precinct.
- Ian Macleod Photography and Jeffrey Studios – Generous supporters who’ve helped tell the story of the Motor Show, year after year.
And they are just the beginning.
Over the past two decades, more than 100 businesses and organisations have contributed through sponsorship, services, partnership, or support. Their combined support is the reason the Motor Show grew from a local idea to a state-wide event that attracts visitors from across Tasmania and beyond.
This milestone year is our chance to say a heartfelt thank you. The show simply wouldn’t be what it is without you.
Sponsors and Partners of the Devonport Motor Show
7AD/SeaFM | Adam Brooks Group | Austrips | Autobarn | Bob Jane | Braddon Building and Surveying | Bruce Gowans Toyota | Buckby Motors | Burns & Co Auctioneers | Caltas | Camzilla | Chas Kelly Transport | Christopher Photography | Clennett Hire | Coates Hire | Complete Security | Dannebrog | Devonport Car Spa | Devonport City Council | DK Audio | D-Signs | Events Tasmania | Fairbrothers | Feelin Fruity | Firestorm | Fourways Newsagency | Goodstone | Hamilton Purcell Lawyers | Harbour Master Café | Harcourts | Harvey World Travel | Hill Street | Housing Choices Tasmania | Ian Macleod Photography | Inspirations Paint | Island Campers | James Roberts-Thomson | JanGar Cleaners | JMC | Ken Overton | Kenlyn Group | Kinetic | Knight Frank (Elders) | Labels & Badges | Lea Farrow Marketing | Mainwaring Auto Electrics | Marje Russell | Matthew Verney | Maxwell Drilling | McDonnells | Merseybank Apartments | Merseylink | Money3 | Motors | Murcott Caltex | Meguiars/Liquimoly | Newspower | No Frills Supermarket | Nubco | NW Trophy House | Optus | PCR | Peppermint Parties | Peracto | PFD | PSG Russel-Smith | RACT | Richardson Harley Davidson | Richardson Print | Robert Ferguson | Russell-Smith | Searoad | Sen Richard Colbeck | Serve-Ag | Shane Broad MP | Shannons | Sharkies | Skirving & Wells Ag Services | Southern Cross | Southern Cross Protection | Southside Performance Dyno | Speedy Tyres | Spirit of Tasmania | Statewide Belting | Stewart Sewing Machine Centre | Stony Rise Village | Streamline | Supercars | Supercheap Auto | Synectic | Tasfresh | Tasmanian Motor Cycle Transport | Tasmanian Process Instruments | TasPlates | Tasports | Terry White Chemmart Fourways | TFH Hire | The Advocate | Toyworld | Travel Bags | Tyrepower | University of Tasmania | Veolia | Verona | Vie Financial | White Sands Estate | WHK Group | Z1 Spares
Join the lineup everyone will be talking about
Every great Motor Show moment starts with someone deciding to enter.
Why not make this your year?
SeaRoad Devonport Motor Show is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania.
