Old gold sparkles at Clunes Truck Show

Watching the Channel 10 chopper traffic report on the news on Friday, March 11, it was obvious that just about the entire city of Melbourne was heading bush for the Victorian Labour Day long weekend. Doubtless there would have been a few trucks in that endless ribbon of traffic whose destination was not the depot, but rather to a small town a couple of hours’ drive north-west of the city.

Clunes, roughly 30 kilometres north of Ballarat, chose this weekend to host its 11th truck show. Although officially staged on the Sunday (March 12), many trucking patrons had arrived on the Friday evening to make the most of the long weekend.

Given that diesel is currently commanding record prices at the pump, and trucks are going to gurgle the precious liquid down quicker than this writer can throw back a fine single-malt Scotch, the turnout was frankly amazing.

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Terry and Marg Whelan

Terry and Mark Whelan are great supporters of all things HCVC (Historic Commercial Vehicle Club) and ATHS (American Truck Historical Society – Australian Chapter), having attended the Lancefield Truck Show just two weeks before. Coming as they do from Gippsland, Victoria, it has been common practice for Terry to drive the truck to these events with Marg following behind with their caravan in tow.

Whether Marg missed sharing the cab with Terry on the way to these outings or she’s just tired of hauling the caravan cross-country, we don’t know, but she came up with the ideal solution. “Let’s build a weekender on the step of the Fruehauf trailer which will leave enough room for the Road Commander to sit behind it and we can tow the lot with the Western Star Constellation.”

So they did and they do, and a neat little set-up it is. The double bed against the far wall (“that’s Marg’s side”) has windows at head and foot for airflow, aided by a roof hatch. Next to the bed is seating for two which was the rear bench seat of a Mini Minor and next to that is the shower and toilet. Three overhead cupboards take care of the necessities for a few days way.

Outside, the rollout awning covers the barbecue and ‘deck’ area. Of course with the Road Commander unloaded, the ‘deck’ becomes an invitation for 100 or so invited and uninvited guests to partake of Terry’s barbecue culinary skills. Maybe a sausage sizzle at two dollars a pop to balance out the increased fuel cost…

Billy Reid's Dodge

Billy Reid’s approach is similar to the Whelan’s. Billy’s old petrol-powered Dodge would always struggle pulling a 42-foot Fruehauf, so instead he found a “tough as bricks” high voltage cable trailer that came from St George County Council in Sydney. Billy’s short and stout home-away-from-home probably attracts more attention than any other set-up at the show.

“She may be small but I’m not sure how much I save in running costs because boy, is she heavy,” says Billy. “The Dodge knows that she is there.”

Easy to back, Billy? “So easy to back you wouldn’t believe it. Yeah, right!”

Entrance is via a rear door, although there is also one on the side set up high. “That one is for pit stops only,” says Billy.

The bonnet of the Dodge carries the moniker ‘Sheri-Leigh’, an amalgam of Billy’s daughters Sheridan, who sadly passed away four years ago, and his other daughter Ashleigh. “They are with me in spirit everywhere I go,” he says.

It’s just as well that Clunes has plenty of room for trucks with trailers because many had arrived with them in tow. One of the more unusual ones belongs to Rob Lister, on which the logo signifies it as a McFreight.

“It does get a few people in,” Rob explains. “Back in the 1940s the Freighter Trailer factory was just across the road from McGrath. Sometimes they would build or part build each other’s trailers. This is a Freighter trailer with some McGrath components, so I thought I would confound the ‘experts’.”

To further confound them the trailers mudflaps are marked ‘MF’. Now, dear reader, we understand why, but occasionally an ‘expert’ asks Rob if the trailer is a Massey Ferguson.

“My old mate, Rick ‘Chocs’ Hayman, who had a great knack for telling tall stories, suggested that I should tell them indeed it was – that it was one of a number of prototypes that they used to tow around a paddock with a Massey Ferguson tractor. All the others were wrecked and this is the last in existence. It really gets them going! The thing about Chocs was that he was so believable.”

Rob’s McFreight is hauled by a 1957 International 190 he did up to recreate his dad’s original truck. “These were the king of the road in the day,” he says.

“Kane Shelton (K&S) of Mount Gambier had heaps of them and this was one of theirs. Buying it in 2008, it took me until 2015 to complete, doing a whole lot myself. It puts a big smile on dad’s face every time he climbs into it.”

Mal Blanch's Kenworth SAR

The rumbling of a CAT causes heads to turn to witness a superb Kenworth SAR entering the showgrounds. Belonging to Mal Blanch, it is hard to believe that the truck dates back to 1983. As well as hauling B-doubles around Melbourne, the truck also did some country work. Having undergone the Klos treatment, Mal bought the truck as a toy. “I spent too much on it, as you do, so had to put it to work. I’ve only recently put it back on club plates.”

That this truck looks so good should come as no surprise given one of Mal’s previous Kenworth rigs won the coveted Truckin’ Life Rig of the Year back in 2010.

Ted Beamish's 1986 Kenworth SAR

Ted Beamish has six Kenworths in his heavy haulage float business. The only one he brings to shows, however, is his 1986 SAR that he bought new. With an 8V92T driving through an 18-speed double overdrive, this is the truck with which Ted kicked off his business. Built up for big float work, the old girl handles 105 ton gross.

Starting at age 16 and now north of the official retirement age, Ted insists he is still a greenhorn. “I learn something new about trucking every day. By the way, what is the retirement age?”

Not everyone can afford a big banger, much less pay for the fuel to bring them to this type of event. But the beauty of old trucks is that there is a shape and size to fit most pockets.

Fitzy's International C1800

Fitzy is one of the characters of the trucking scene and has brought along his Cummins-powered International C1800 – originally belonging to Lake Boga Transport, and restored in that company’s colours.

“This is the beauty of belonging to a club such as ATHS,” said Fitzy. “It’s not only the physical help that they gave, but lots of friendly advice along the way. Sourcing parts for a 50-year-old truck can be difficult and belonging to the club helps in that respect too.”

Fitzy is contemplating taking out a 12 month gymnasium membership. “It’s that or power steering,” he laughs.

Fitzy is just one of the many keeping trucking history alive, with shows such as Clunes bringing them all together for both theirs and the public’s enjoyment. Here are a few more reasons to visit Clunes next year…