If you’ve ever shouted, “Are we there yet?” in a fit of boredom, then a tractor trek may not be for you. For the members of the Harry Ferguson Tractor Club of Australia, tractor trekking offers them a chance to see the countryside in unique red, grey and even gold style!

The procession of Masseys rolled into Barham last week on their biennial trek, snaking the Murray River with a start in Corryong, Victoria and finishing at Coorong, South Australia.

Setting up camp on the banks of the Gunbower Creek, the intrepid adventurers gave me a look at the labours of love.

Alan ‘Doc’ Carpenter, the spritely 84-year-old from the Bairnsdale/Lakes Entrance area, was flanked by his four-legged co-pilot Olive.

“We get together, just a heap of blokes, with the enthusiasm, I suppose, to relive a bit of the past, because if you go around most of the blokes, you’ll find out that this was the era that they were brought up on,” said Doc as he pointed to a scene that reminded me of a western, the wagons circled, steads of red, grey and gold, and smoke rising from the freshly lit camp fires.

“They grew up in that era, and they sort of just try to keep, not so much the dream alive, but keep the heritage alive.

“I’m driving a multi-power, which probably, it’s the worst tractor that old Harry will ever have anything to do with because they freewheel. It killed a lot of people, because when they come to a hill, they just freewheel and run away on you.”

While careful operation of a multi-power was required, it did come with one distinct advantage, speed.

“The old greys, 18km/h, the reds, ordinarily, standard reds get along at about 24-30km/h, the multi-powers will do 34 very comfortably.”

I asked Doc where such a love came from that would see a man forgo the comforts of a car to bounce along the road in a tractor more at home ripping rabbits or slashing hobby blocks.

“I’ve had Fergusons for 25-30 years. My first job ever was driving a Ferguson.

“The old fella that I went to work with, his horse died, and I was supposed to plough a paddock.

“His next-door neighbour said, ‘Don’t buy another horse; buy a tractor,’ and the old fella said, ‘I’m not going to drive that thing,’ to which the neighbour replied, ‘no, get the young bloke to drive it.’ Of course, I got the job of driving it.

“My head was that big, being the only young bloke in the district to drive a tractor. Oh, yeah, that was something.”

Husband and wife Ruth and Alan Denny from Guys Hill, Victoria, joined the club after a chance meeting with Doc.

“We met Doc when the tractor club was up at the Wyperfield National Park ripping up rabbit warrens, and Doc was the first person I spoke to,” said Alan.

“12 months later, I was back there and Doc was there again, of course, and we built a good friendship – and we do crazy things like this.

“I was gifted that tractor by a chap who had it on his farm, fell into disuse and he parked it up and hadn’t used it for 12 and a half years, just left it out in the paddock. It was pretty much a wreck, and it took me two years to restore it.”

Ruth pointed out that “tractors breed” as the couple soon had five.

Ruth points out that Doc and Alan have relative luxury on their steads with cabins fashioned to shield them from the elements.

“You might note that these chaps have cabins, though some of the others don’t even have a top,” quipped Ruth.

“I’ve actually got a diesel heater in my cabin, so I’m immune to poor weather,” replied Alan.

Past president and now treasurer of the club, Bob Wilson of Bendigo, joined by wife Pauline, club secretary, taught me something new; Masseys came blinged up, gold in fact.

“I’m driving a 1961 converted grey and gold. It’s actually an industrial tractor. It was an aircraft tug for Essendon Airport, so it’s useless for anything on the farm, but it’s good for towing,” said Bob with a smile as he admired the restored beauty.

“We’re all sitting on about 25 km/h, which is quick for us because of our other tricks. Usually little greys have to keep it down to about 20km/h.”

Bob was chief planner for this year’s event and did say this trek was one of the closest to civilisation.

“I’ve been in the club about 14-15 years now. I’ve organised this trip. The club does a big trek every two years, usually much more remote than this, Cape York, Kalgoorlie to Alice Springs, across the Great Victorian Desert up to the big tree from Wentworth, around the Flinders, two Simpson Desert crossings.

“This time, we started at Corryong and we went out to the highest bridge on the Murray, right up the top, and basically set out from there. It took us two days to come down right along the river and along the side of Lake Hume. Crossed that, over to the Ettamogah Pub for a night, then Corowa, basically down to Echuca, camping along the river in the Barmah Forest and Koonoomoo.

“We do about 100km per day.”

It appeared that Bob and Pauline’s tractors bred too, with Bob explaining one of the other little greys he had had done 15,000km with him on the road.

If speed is more your thing, then Greg Wade of West Wyalong has you covered. This 1971 Massey 168 is punching out a respectable 67 horsepower, which propels Greg to an impressive 48km/h.

“I put the bigger wheels on it because it gives it a bit more road speed.

“When I bought it, I fully restored it, and the fellow invited me to go across the Simpson Desert with him, and we did that.

“I had to get this thing back together and that’s why it never ever got painted, because I was in a bit of a hurry. We done 4,700km across the Simpson Desert and back again.”

The patinaed giant of the field had many of Greg’s modifications on board. A thoughtfully laid-out canopy looked like mission control, with all the critical gauges and accessories to keep the big girl chugging along. Behind the driver’s envious air seat was enough fuel capacity for nine days on the road! Behind Greg followed his home on wheels, the caravan and tractor combination leaving the 200 series Landcruisers blushing at the bowser with a respectable 16.5L/100km.

Taking out best dressed in the field was ‘Digga’. The striking red and grey of a lovingly restored ‘Digga’ was owned by Manny Striha of Mackay, Queensland. As a cane harvesting contractor, Manny saw the tractor being used by a client and later came to own it.

“The old fella, he used to use this for his runabout tractor running the rubbish bin out to the road, and then they’d come down the paddock and see what we were doing,” said Manny.

“We joined the Fergie club, I thought of that tractor because he had passed away, so I saw his daughter, and she said, ‘Dad will want you to have it.’

“I bought her for $3,000 and done her up. She was a bit rusty, but engine and everything was all in good condition.

“I said to her, ‘Would she mind if I called it Digga?’ She said, ‘He’ll be up there watching.’”

A parting word from Doc, “You could sit down and talk about the aches and pains, couldn’t you? Get out and do it and enjoy it while you can!”

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 5 September 2024.