Passions Of Paradise Catamaran Sailing the Great Barrier Reef

Getting his hands on a 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Convertible was a dream come true for Alan Wallish who had been scouring the countryside for a classic dream cars he could enjoy on the weekends.

The Cairns businessman was chuffed when he came across the Chevelle as he has fond memories of childhood road trips in his father’s same model Chevelle when they lived in Canada in 1967.

“This Chevelle was delivered new into Australia in 1967 and its history can be traced back to its original owner,” Alan says.

“It is virtually original right down to the hubcaps which have the contact details of one of the early owners on the inside.

“This is one of the best equipped of the Chevelles made in 1966, it was even fitted with the first headrests which came out that year.”

One of only two in Australia, the magnificent red Chevelle is considered a very rare car.

“The other Chevelle is in Melbourne with its original owner and one other came into the country, but it was believed to be written off in a car crash in 1971,” Alan says.

Now Alan’s dream car is being used to fulfil the dream of many couples tying the knot in Cairns.

“I bought the Chevelle in South Australia for personal use, but so many people asked to use it for formals and weddings that I decided to obtain a special purpose limousine licence,” he says.

The Chevelle was such a novelty that it was often used for VIP pick-ups for passengers booking to go to the Great Barrier Reef with Passions of Paradise, a Cairns-based snorkelling and diving catamaran which Alan part owns.

Alan’s love of classic cars is shared by Passions of Paradise Chief Executive Officer Scotty Garden and when Scotty first joined the company in 2003 he stood out on his sales and marketing calls with the company’s yellow Mini Coupe.

When he was promoted to Manager a few years later, Scotty was able to indulge his classic car passion with a new company car that was older than him, a 1966 Fastback Mustang.

“Our company is all about fun and adventure, so we like to have some fun stuff out there and having such a car emphasises our philosophy,” Alan says.

Other classic cars to be parked outside the Passions of Paradise office have included a Holden Sandman used as a sales and marketing vehicle and a 1971 Stingray Corvette which is proudly owned by another Passions’ owner and his wife, Roger and Sybil Cumming.

It was over a couple of beers that Alan and Scotty decided to turn their hobby into a business and Classic Dream Cars was born in 2010.

“We are currently scouring the marketplace for the next addition to our fleet which we want to introduce in 2012,” Scotty says.

“We are looking at convertibles older than 30 years, but are doing a thorough search to make sure we get the right vehicle that will complement wedding photos.”

Passions of Paradise has become the first Great Barrier Reef operator to join the wedding industry with pre and post wedding activities designed especially for couples getting married in Tropical North Queensland.

“The move into the wedding market was a natural progression for the company as its products were ideally suited to the boutique nature of weddings,” Alan says.

“As well as our 25m catamaran which does day trips to Michaelmas Cay and Paradise Reef and night calm water cruises in Trinity Inlet, we have a live-aboard sailing vessel Coral Sea Dreaming offering intimate diving trips and a boutique dive training facility in the rainforest.”

The 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 Convertible will be on display at Wedding Expo at Paradise Palms on October 28, 5.30-9pm.

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