Way back in 1972, when I was just a lad, my employer transferred me from Melbourne to Sydney. Whilst I fell in love with the harbour city, I missed all my mates I’d had grown up with.
Consequently, any chance I had – long weekends, Easter, whatever – I would jump in the car on Friday night after work and head back down south. My hazy memory tells me that the trip used to take between 12 and 13 hours.
What I remember clearly was the endless line of trucks crawling uphill, flying downhill and rushing madly to pass each other wherever possible – which wasn’t all that often.
I also vividly remember the towns I would drive through being lit up like Christmas with truck stop signage proclaiming that this was the best place to eat anywhere, anytime, full stop!
As is the case in Victoria, these towns have now all been bypassed for many years and have faded into distant memory for those whose job it is to get between the capital cities in the shortest possible time.
And that is what makes Haulin’ the Hume (and its southern cousin, Crawlin’ the Hume) such wonderful events. Because the fact is a good percentage of the trucks taking part in the run are from the era of the old Hume and indeed, so are the fellas behind their wheels.
Haulin’ the Hume harks back to a time when drivers would stop and talk to each other, where they would pull up to lend a helping hand in the event of someone breaking down and would become good mates on the road through a common bond.
This year, Haulin’ commenced its run a little further south from the Luddenham Showgrounds on April 12 and continued beyond its usual ending point, Yass through to Gundagai.
Don Turner drove his International R210 down from the Gold Coast to attend Haulin. With 2.3 million miles on the clock, Don’s had the truck since 1978, buying it from his dad in 1983, going out on his own and subbing for his father, whose business he took over in 2000.
“It has an L10 290 in it with a Jake, 15 overdrive and 4/11’s so it gets along at 130 km at 2150 so it’s pretty quick – only in the Northern Territory of course.”
Marty Stockley-Smith from St Peter’s in Sydney turned up in something a little different in a 1942 Ford Jailbar
“It is actually a three-quarter ton express so it has a 17-inch wheels with the split rims so it’s a little bit rarer than most Jailbars.
“It’s been restored over the last four to five years and has the original Flathead engine in it. Basically, everything has been put back to original.
All the six-volt gauges work – everything runs as it would have done in 1942 – some say even better.”
Marty is no stranger to Haulin’ the Hume, having attended a few times before, usually in a 1962 Ford 100 or in one of the old Clipper buses.
“This keeps up with most of the trucks. It ticks along nicely at 80km/h. I don’t like being on the freeway as you would appreciate but other than that it handles itself quite well and goes around corner then better than some of the trucks although it doesn’t stop quite as well.”
Anthony Brown from Picton joined in the run in his 1978 K123 Kenworth, his participation in Crawlin’ the Hume last year giving him the bug.
“I’ve done a bit to the truck since last year when I had only just got it – the guards, checker plate, new light bar, painted all the intakes at the back, dressed it up a bit and painted the chassis.
“I just like the older trucks you know. You just don’t see them out and about every day so it’s a chance to mix with like-minded people and guys who like to keep the old stuff running. You have a look at some of the trucks here, the work that goes into them is just amazing. But no-one cares what they look like – it’s all about being on the run.
“It’s been a great opportunity to catch up with a few blokes we now know, from last year, that are doing at all and keeping history alive. Going through the old towns is really something special. I drive trucks for a living and no one pays any attention but with a run like this, everybody is out and about and appreciative of everyone in the run. And that’s something different for a truckie!”
From Razorback, the Hole in the Wall, Berrima, Dugiong and all the towns in between, as well as through parts of the old Hume that are now on private land, some 350 trucks of all persuasions meandered along a once well-trodden path, stopping when the fancy took them and giving the trucks an occasional squirt when no-one (official) was looking.
The day finished with a dinner at the Gundagai Services Club who did a sterling job.
The next morning some silly prizes were handed out and then everyone disbanded with promises to do it all again next time – with many indicating they’ll be at next year’s Crawlin’ the Hume event, which is scheduled for April 11, 2026.
Bring it on!
- For more pictures from this event, make sure you grab your free copy of the April 25 issue of Big Rigs from the usual outlet.