Quambatook was busy over the Australia Day long weekend as farm machinery enthusiasts of all ages descended on the town, travelling hundreds of kilometres to view, and in some cases, bring their own machines to display at the Quambatook Heritage Machinery Association’s Harvest Working Machinery Display and Vintage Tractor Pull.

Overall, the event was a success with many vintage machines, many still working, added to the extensive collection that already exists at the Tractor Pull complex where the association stores their machines.

Association member, Ian Fisher said the reason the event is held over the Australia Day weekend is that it is an ideal time to harvest the crop planted for the event and it is when it originally started more than 20 years ago.

“We have some crop that we grow especially for the purpose of putting our machinery to work,” Mr Fisher said.

“Most of us have harvested in November and December and we don’t want to wait much longer than January and it is a holiday weekend.

“People come from all over, NSW, South Australia and throughout Victoria.”

Attracting young and old, the new generation of farmers are just as keen to look at, and work on the old work horses, to pay homage to their farming heritage.

Hunter Barber has spent a lot of time restoring his 1954 Lanz Bulldog tractor that was sitting at the back of the family property for more than 15 years.

Mr Barbar has been surrounded by tractors all his life

“When I started it had the wrong flywheel and governor and was sitting on four flat tyres,” he said.

“I managed to get it up on four new tyres, replaced the flywheel and governor and then found it had leaking oil lines everywhere and replaced those. Then the radiator started leaking so fixed that and now she is a goer.

“So here we are today and I’m going to get her on the sled and have a crack.

“This is it’s first outing so we will see how it goes.”

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 30 January 2025.