Fresh off putting on a successful show, Trangie in NSW is hoping to soon progress plans for its own truck and tractor museum within the small town.
On Saturday August 19, over 4500 people made their way through the gates of the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show, where there were approximately 270 trucks on display.
There were also eight truck awards presented on the day, with Mudgee’s Bob Swords’ 1960 B81 Mack taking out Truck of the Show.
“We had plenty of positive feedback from the locals as well as those who came to the show from interstate. We had several trucks that made a two-day trip from Victoria to get here. There were also a lot of trucks from the coast, from Wollongong and Sydney. A lot of people had been here before, some with a different truck and some with the same truck,” said Rob McCutcheon, who is part of the organising committee.
Started in 2019, where the inaugural event welcomed 2500 people through the gates, the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show has well and truly earned its place on the national trucking event calendar – attracting people from throughout NSW, as well as Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
“We certainly had a lot more trucks this year. The word obviously spreads in our industry very quickly. People who came to the first one and enjoyed it have spread the word, so we’ve basically doubled in size from 2019,” McCutcheon added.
Though it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. The event is supposed to run bi-annually. After the 2021 rendition was postponed due to Covid restrictions, the new date in 2022 saw the show’s home, the Trangie Showground, completely washed out due to heavy rain.
Though the event did still run. “We just moved what we could and ran the truck show in the main street, but the showground component was washed out,” said McCutcheon.
“This is only the second time the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show has been run in its entirety. This is a real community event, so there is plenty there for the partners and kids of truck drivers too, with lots of free activities for the kids. Events like this are important for a town like Trangie, which is only home to about 800 people.”
Trangie is located about 80km west of Dubbo. “We run our event in the years that the Dubbo Golden Oldies does not run. Both our committees work together and support one and another. So we run in the odd year, Dubbo runs in the even years. So far that’s worked really good,” McCutcheon added.
“Trangie is very central in NSW, so that makes it ideal for people from South Australia, Victoria and Queensland to visit as well.
“People like the open spaces we have. It means the trucks aren’t limited to a certain amount of space. There’s also camping available on the showgrounds. We had over 100 caravans there this time.”
Festivities actually kicked off the night prior, on Friday August 18, during a special dinner event, where inductees into the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show Hall of Fame are presented.
The Hall of Fame aims to showcase and recognise those within the Narromine Shire who have made a recognisable contribution to the agricultural and transport industries.
Nominations are open to business owners, drivers, employees or advocates that have contributed to either of these industries.
There were three new additions this year to the Hall of Fame, bringing the total to seven people who have been recognised.
“The Hall of Fame is very local at the moment but we’re hoping to grow it into something bigger,” said McCutcheon.
He explained that the committee’s ultimate aim is to raise enough money to build a truck and tractor museum in Trangie, which will also honour the Hall of Fame inductees too.
“We want to do something similar to what’s been done in Alice Springs. Although a lot of people love heading to Alice Springs, it’s quite far away from where we are, so there’s been a lot of interest from the community around a museum closer to home,” said McCutcheon.
It is hoped that through the money generated through the generous support of sponsors, particularly the event’s gold sponsor Inland Petroleum, together with money raised through entry fees along with the major raffle, that the committee will eventually be able to turn their dream into a reality.
“Now that we’ve realised we can raise some money, we can start to plan and choose the site of where we’d like to build it. Then we can look into approvals, and once we get to that point, we can try and get some extra funding,” said McCutcheon.
“The aim is to get the museum built. We’re hoping we can get some government funding too. If we can raise half of the money ourselves and through philanthropic donations.
“I’ve travelled a lot of Australia and local museums when you’re travelling are important to spread the word about the local area and give people a reason to spend a few days in the town too.
“We have a massive number of travellers passing through here, but we just need something that will encourage people to stop here and spend a bit more time in our town. Every little town needs something to attract people. That’s where we’re aiming to be.
“There are some magnificent museums all around Australia and they’ve all grown from same sort of roots we’ve got.”
Trangie Truck and Tractor Show award winners for 2023:
Truck of the Show: Bob Swords’ 1960 B81 Mack
Best Classic: Tony Kent’s 1976 White 4000
Best original: Rylie Duren’s 1953 B Model Mack
Best working truck: Steve Morrison’s 1995 Kenworth T600
Best Fleet: Ned Tipping and their 2001 Kenwoth T401
Best Restored truck: Phil Campbell’s 1970 D1950
Best Kenworth over 10 years: Dale Cornfeet’s 2011 Kenworth T950
Best Mack over 10 year: Dale Cornfeet’s 1984 Mack Superliner