The Heritage Truck Association Australia’s annual Heritage Truck Show will again run alongside the Brisbane Truck Show, held off-site at the Rocklea Showgrounds, from May 17-18 next year, with a huge array of classics on display.
After returning to its inaugural home of the Rocklea Showgrounds in 2021 – about 15 minutes’ drive from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) – the classic truck event has grown in size and popularity.
“We got around 160 trucks last time, with around 2000 people through the gate, which is just huge,” said HTAA President, Mark Plunkett.
“It is looking to be even bigger because we got so much positive feedback last time, with visitors coming from all over Australia and overseas.
“They came to the Brisbane Truck Show, but they could jump on a bus to come out and see our show too.”
A huge drawcard at the 2023 show was the Mack display, which celebrated 60 years down under, with iconic (and rare) models from each decade on show in a tribute to the ‘Bulldog’ brand.
“That brought a lot of Mack trucks in and the display itself got a lot of interest across the weekend – we’d certainly like to do more like that because it got a lot of attention,” Mark added.
Heritage trucks offer a fascinating look into the past, and Mark says the interest in these classics is steadily growing.
“People are taking a real interest in the older trucks because a lot of them remember either their dad driving one or their uncle driving one – they want to relive that in a lot of ways,” he said.
“So many times I hear people say ‘I used to drive one of those’, or they take a look inside and reminisce about sleeping across the seats, or on the ground while dad slept across the seats! That’s what brings people back to these older trucks – the memories.”
Nostalgia is a major driver for people like Mark, who enjoy reliving their time on the road through old trucks – right down to the smell of the seats.
“There’s a lot of nostalgia, like my truck for example – a Mercedes-Benz 2233 – I bought when I had the opportunity because I loved it when I was out on the road,” he explained.
“When I hop into that truck, the smell of the interior is exactly what it was like in the one I used to drive – it’s the fabric in the seats or something, but it’s a distinctive smell and I just love it.”
According to Mark, the HTAA is growing with more than 500 members now and it’s showing no signs of slowing – proving there is a serious appetite for the classic trucks that once ruled the roads.
“It’s been growing fairly well for the last couple of years and while you do lose some people as the older guys drop out of the club or sell their trucks, new ones come through,” he said.
“We even have people who never really had trucks but they fall in love with them. It’s like a GTHO Falcon, you may have never had one but geez you want one.”
A highlight for Mark is seeing the faces of children light up as they get to see, smell and hear the old bangers fire to life – particularly the old GM ‘bird scarers’!
“You should see them when you start the trucks up, particularly the old GMs, they make a lot of noise and the kids just love it,” he laughed.
It’s the camaraderie that makes the HTAA and its annual show a special occasion though, Mark believes, forming a fantastic excuse for old mates to catch up and recount stories from their time on the highway.
“You get a lot of mates who come each year to display their vehicles from down south or up north and you all get to catch up, which is a really good thing,” he said.
“We then get to travel a lot of miles in the bar, where we no longer travel them on the roads! It’s all about catching up with old mates.”
Whether you know a lot or a little about old trucks, Mark says it won’t be hard to find a HTAA member to talk to about a particular make or model. “Lots of our members bring their vehicles and then hang around to chat about them,” he said.
“If there’s a particular truck somebody wants to look at or chat about, we’ve got people there that can do that. It definitely won’t be hard to find somebody!”
While he wouldn’t give too much away, Mark hinted at some recent restorations that are set to roll into the show. Among them is the iconic Mean Machine B-Model Mack drag truck from the 1970s, which has been meticulously restored by owner Bernie Tobin.
“There are some really outstanding restorations that are coming along, and we will have the Mean Machine there which is a really iconic truck,” he said.
“Come along and see the history of transport; we’ve got trucks from the 1920s all the way through to the 1990s, so there’s something for everyone.”
Alongside the show at Rocklea Showgrounds, the HTAA will also have an array of its members’ trucks parked at Stanley Street Plaza as part of a truck festival that will take over Brisbane.