Quill and Alyssa, The Buloke Times
In the lead-up to the Easter long weekend, social media pages lit up with notices from tractor pulling teams starting out their journeys towards the 46th annual Australian Tractor Pull Championships, held at Quambatook on Easter Saturday.
Followers and fans were able to track their favourite team’s progress towards the purpose-built track, solidifying the sense of family within the tractor pulling community and building excitement for the fully-fuelled night to come.
And build, it did!
For the eager enthusiasts, the long weekend build-up has never felt so long – but at long last, the wait was over, and the revheads descended in droves upon the small country town with caravans and Easter plans in tow.
Because who needs to spend Easter with family, when there was a family of thousands to be found right by the trackside?
As the highest horsepower sport in the world, Quamby had everything for the engine enthusiast; from aircraft engines to big blocks – and with some blown alcohol involved – fully-fuelled this certainly was!
Alongside the familiar crowd favourites such as Bizzee B and Red Devil, there were also some new competitors that were raring for a challenge, and some others returning to the track after a number of years, ready to give the championship title another shot.
Though the tractors might roar and bellow as they take up the challenge, not even they could match the noise of the crowd.
Resurrection
Perhaps drawn to the name of the vehicle by the meaning of the Easter story, or maybe drawn to the classic style of the old Bedford body and 510 cubic inch, big block Chev engine, the crowd surrounding Resurrection when the pits opened was an appreciative one.
Upon hearing said tractor’s story from its owner, Dennis Missen, the crowd’s appreciation could only grow. After having been “resurrected” from a wreck sitting under an old tree near Ballarat, truly, what other name could have been more appropriate for this tractor that’s certainly making the most of another chance at life?
“And now I’ve got eleven of them,” said Dennis with a twinkle in his eye, “but I’m still looking for a bonnet, if you know of one.”
The Missens travelled from Snake Valley near Ballarat for the event, returning after a 12-year hiatus; back with a brand new engine.
These machines are truly a labour of love, and with his son Danny doing the bodywork, Dennis puts his mechanical skills to use, which can be clearly heard on the track. The roar of Bedford’s Big Block Chev ripped through the night, dragging the Executioner as far as it could go in a raw display of mechanical power and delighting the onlooking crowd.
On and off the track
Although the heat was relentless during the day, nighttime conditions must have been perfect for the other open modified tractors. It seemed as though the crowd never stopped cheering after the sun went down, as tractor after tractor achieved full pull when battling “the Executioner”, dragging the weighted sled across the 100-metre mark seemingly effortlessly, in some cases.
With the mini modified class running on the adjacent track and the vintage class running from 1 p.m., the Quambatook Tractor Pulling Complex offered a whole afternoon and evening of machinery on exhibit.
And, if what was on the track wasn’t enough to cool the piston fire in your blood, then a fleet of modern trucks were on display, enticing plenty of appreciative onlookers. For those longing for something more retro, too, the museum offered a glimpse into the history of tractor pulling with some older machines of yesteryear on display – as well as agricultural equipment that boggled some of the younger generations.
Alyssa at her first tractor pull couldn’t even figure out the modern machinery – what hope did she have for those well past her years!
For those who still couldn’t get enough of the fuel-filled festivities, if the half-time show wasn’t enough to satisfy those cravings, not much else would!
Although it wasn’t quite tractors, the half-time stunt plane show certainly still pulled (ha!) a large and enthusiastic crowd. People flocked to the fence of the nearby paddock to watch the aerial acrobatics with awe – manoeuvres that became doubly impressive upon understanding the effort that goes in to simply maintaining a stunt licence.
With a lifetime of experience under his belt, displaying the prowess of the Wolf Pitts Pro, Paul Bennet’s aerial interlude left people breathless and more than ready to return to the ground, and the plethora of tractors that awaited.
During the tea break, whilst hungry patrons swarmed the broad array of food vans and whilst market stalls and face painting offered a way for families to take mementos away from a fun-filled night, Australian Idol contestant Connor Bulger showed off his musical skills with well-known classics for the crowd.
The dulcet tones were certainly a difference from the fuel-filled roar of the primary festivities, though both equally as adored.
Tsk tsk, quill!
The tractor pull event attracted a steady line of traffic passing through the quiet streets of Quambatook, monitored by local police officer, Wayne Cook, who suggested drivers might need to calm their excitement and focus on the road all the way to their destination and home again.
Pulling over many drivers who had unwittingly missed the stop sign at the rail crossing, included one “Buloke Times” reporter who should have remembered the stop sign from previous years’ attendance. Quill was very grateful to have received a warning instead of a $962 fine and four demerit points. Let her warning serve as a reminder to others. Focus on the road, not on the destination, as exciting as it may be!
See all the photos in the issue.
This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 5 April 2024.
