Castlemaine Truck Show goes down a storm

A quiet growl turned into a roar as the trucks rolled through the main street of Castlemaine on Sunday, November 26, as day two of the 35^th Castlemaine Rotary Truck Show got underway.

While Sunday morning’s parade was all part of the show, the otherwise tranquil Victorian town had been bustling since Friday afternoon as nearly 300 trucks rolled in for the fun, including the 265 trucks and their drivers who registered to be judged this year.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Castlemaine, the event is pitched at families and enthusiastically supported by local businesses, including long-time naming rights sponsors Heavy Haulage Assets and Larsen’s Truck Sales.

McClure Earthmoving rolled in with this classic Mack.

Up for grabs were a total of 30 trophies across a wide range of categories, including the coveted Truck of the Show, which went to Cornwill Transport’s lovingly crafted 2022 Kenworth SAR Legend.

The Cornwill brothers created the truck as a tribute to their Pa, adding a range of retro touches including a stainless sun visor more in line with the 80s look of the trucks.

Inside it’s a work of art, with a custom floor and a photo of their grandad nestled at the base of the centre console.

Ricky, who collected the trophy on behalf of his brothers Troy and Wayne, said the family, which is based out of Bannockburn, near Geelong, had come to the Castlemaine Truck Show for nearly 30 years and it was great to be involved again and to go home with a trophy or two.

Castlemaine Rotary president and truck show organiser Kerry Anderson said the show had been a great family event with plenty of activities for everyone, including live music, food, rides, and a truck driving simulator that was popular with the next generation of drivers.

Freemans Transport made their mark with a pair of Kenworths.

She said the oldest truck entered this year was 97 years old, the average age of the trucks entered was 15 years and the average number of kilometres topped one million per truck.

“In total the trucks had travelled more than 240 million kilometres and there was 120,500hp on the ground – that’s a lot of trucks!”

CATEGORY WINNERS

Best Tipper Truck: Slingo Earthmoving

Best Tow Recovery: Parson’s Towing

Best Tilt Tray: ETA Heavy Haulage

Best Engine Bay: AMK Services

Best Interior: Grand D Inverno

Best Paint Artwork: AMK Services

Best Paint Traditional: Spinifex

People’s Choice: Derham Transport

Best Custom: Spinifex

Best Restoration/Show: Spinifex