Car lover Brian McDonald moved to the New England area seven years ago from Taree and is now living his lifelong dream, owning a car museum.

His wife's dream was to open a second-hand book store, and she did just that, right next door to Mr MacDonald's museum.

"We wanted a life change and to get away from the humidity and the population of the town because we like small towns," he said.

Most of the cars on display at Burgess Garage car museum, such as Graham White's 1931 Model A Ford, are owned by locals.

"It works really well because, naturally, the owners want to show off their pride and joy, and it helps us out obviously because we get to show them."

Mr MacDonald said he hopes to provide an extra interest point for visitors and locals alike and that visitors are encouraged to stay a little longer in town.

A panel beater by trade, Mr MacDonald has held a lifelong passion for all things automotive.

"You asked me 10 years ago if I have a museum, I said no, you're dreaming."

He currently owns and is working on a classic Ford Fairlane, which he has had for close to ten years.

"I fixed the rust up in one side 7 years ago before I moved here, and now it's time to do the other side.

"It's taken a long time to get around to it; it's a real labour of love.

Established in June 2019 in an old Mechanics workshop, Burgess Garage Car Museum offers a trip down memory lane with a vast collection of cars and automotive memorabilia.

Mr MacDonald said owning the museum has given him great joy in being able to share his automotive passion with many others, both locals and those who regularly travel from every corner of the country to visit.

"There is an endless stretch of classic cars that come rolling through town," he said.

"Recently, there was a fella with an HR wagon Premier X2 that had over 500,000 miles on it. He has owned the car for 47 years.

"There was also a 1964 EH wagon, which was the owner's daily driver for 30 years and is still going strong, for many people, it's truly a lifelong passion.

"The older-style cars all have character; they are all so unique, and you can usually fix them yourself, which for modern cars, it's getting harder and harder to do so.

"Modern cars are also becoming, in my view, more and more homogenous, and therefore less interesting.

"My favourites are a 64 EH Holden, which is one of mine, that's the 4th one I've owned in my life, I love EHs.

"It's much easier to talk about them than work on them," Mr MacDonald said.

"But i really love to do both.

'You're dreaming': Why this car lover left the coast to open a museum next to his wife's bookshop