You never forget your first car. So states one of the didactic panels on the wall at the exhibition Driven: every car has a story, on until February 8 at the State Library of Queensland.

SLQ is great at doing these social history exhibitions that tap deeply into the vein of nostalgia that runs in all of us. Amid the photos and exhibits I thought about my first car … an Isuzu Bellett. It was black with red upholstery and board racks.

The roof was often stacked with boards as I drove myself and a motley crew of my mates to surf locations along the Gold Coast and beyond. It was notorious and known as The Black Bellett. If you saw it once with surfers sitting on the bonnet driving along First Avenue, Broadbeach, please do not tell anyone. My second car was an HD Holden station wagon, but that is another story.

You’ll be thinking about your first car, too, when you browse at this notalgia-fuelled exhibition celebrating our connection to cars – from the first trip home in a baby capsule to family holidays, school formals and those beloved wedding cars and, as is pointed out, possibly that final ride in a hearse. Yikes.

You might like

Commentary

Don’t undervalue the creativity that flows from the ‘burbs

Commentary

Power burst: Louise Bezzina dares to blur the boundaries between play and art

Our rites of passage often happen behind the wheel, in the backseat (oh, behave!) or in the driveway, according to the exhibition curator’s blurb.

You might like

Commentary

Don’t undervalue the creativity that flows from the ‘burbs

Commentary

Power burst: Louise Bezzina dares to blur the boundaries between play and art

This exhibition features extraordinary photos from SLQ’s archive of early Queensland vehicles and there is a plethora of amazing historic motoring memorabilia. Look carefully at that black-and-white photo on the wall as you come in and you will see Mal Meninga, one of his brothers and his dad with their car. Memories are made of this, right?

It is also great to see some artwork in the exhibition, including one of Ben Quilty’s early Torana works and a photo from a series focussing on Rolls Royces by Michael Zavros.

Okay, what else have we got? There is a life-sized inflatable car by artist Robert Moore (it is inflated daily, later in the morning I believe) hanging from the ceiling. There is a 1980s fun arcade-style driving test game as well as  classic and contemporary number plates, including the second-ever plate struck in Queensland. Where is the first? Exactly.

There are road signs, bumper stickers, Refidexes and an artist’s version of racing legend Dick Johnson’s helmet, along with treasures from the RACQ archives and, of course, a photo of a bloke known for driving around Brisbane in a classic Holden – Rock ‘n’ Roll George, we called him.

And there is plenty more about our car culture. There is some interesting history of the interaction of First Nations Queenslanders and cars, too. I was amazed to read that the Bruce Highway, one of the longest in Australia (a massive 1679km) is based on an Indigenous songline. Used for trade, exchange, migration and cultural connection to country, songlines enabled accurate navigation and wayfinding as well as providing sustenance on the journey. Many of these songlines were leveraged as stock routes by colonial settlers and over time evolved into modern highways.

The Bruce Highway passes through 16 First Nations clan groups. Makes it all a bit more interesting while you are driving along and trying not to get too bored.

There is some amazing film footage in the exhibition, and it’s certainly not just for petrol heads. This exhibition is for everyone because we have all grown up with cars and they play an important part in our stories.

I remember driving from Agnes Water to Miriam Vale once when the engine of my mates EH Holden fell off its mounting. We were towed to Miriam Vale behind a big ute on what was then a dirt road and spent the next week trying to get the dust out of noses and ears. What fun.

Doubtless, you will have your own memories inspired by this wonderful exhibition, which features rare treasures from SLQ’s unique collection along with other memorabilia borrowed from various sources to chronicle this journey thought Queensland’s motoring history.

Driven: every car has a story continues at  the State Library of Queensland, South Bank, until February 8. Free admission.

slq.qld.gov.au/discover/exhibitions/driven-every-car-has-story