This weekend the Quamatook Tractor Pull Complex will be a hive of activity as farm machinery from yesteryear is fired up to work as the Quambatook Heritage Working Machinery Association holds their annual harvest working days event.

Getting underway on Saturday, January 25 the day will start with ploughing. Visitors will be able to not only see how it was done in the past, but also be able to hook their own tractors to the ploughs and join in the activities.

The small group of 15 members has been working on various projects in readiness for the event that is now in its twentieth year, including a century old Shearer header which will be put to work, along with other heritage machines harvesting a wheat crop grown for the purpose.

Four hectares (10 acres) of wheat has been planted to show what these old machines can do, giving a glimpse into the farming practices of the past.

The Shearer header was acquired last year and has had most of its woodwork replaced and is ready to run.

Association member, Ian Fisher said although it is not a museum, the group’s vast collection of machines is put on display with many of the machines put to work.

“We have some crop that we grow especially for the purpose of the event just so we can put our machinery to work,” he said.

“The tractor pullers own the land but allow us to put our sheds up and store our machines as well as plant our crop for the weekend.

“We also have a vintage tractor pull at 4pm on the Saturday afternoon. It is a bit slower and steadier than the Easter event where the focus is on the hotted up tractors with all the noise, smoke and dust.”

Machinery enthusiasts attending the event often bring their own machinery to show, adding to the interest for visitors and group members alike.

“I received a call from a fellow out at Yarrawonga who will be bringing a thresher. I wasn’t even sure what that was,” Mr Fisher continued.

“He needs a few sheaves of wheat, to feed into the thresher. We have an old binder that can create the sheaves so we will get that to work which he will then feed into the thresher.

“Every year people bring something that is interesting for other people to have a look at.”

It is not just the large machines that will be on display. There will be collections of smaller items such as butter churns and old rolling pins that were also an important part of farming heritage.

The group is not exactly sure how many pieces of equipment they have and are in the process of building additional sheds, to house the collection consisting of not only farm machinery but trucks as well.

Visitors won’t go hungry as the event is fully catered and includes a roast meal on the Saturday night.

For more information contact Doug Carroll on 0427 346634 or Ian Fisher on 0427 571381.

This article appeared in  The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 23 January 2025.