Living in Melbourne, any time I mention where I am from, I usually get one of two reactions.
Either it’s ‘where the hell is that?’ or a cheeky side smirk and the proclamation ‘Deni Muster’ dragged out into a holler.
While the small New South Wales town of Deniliquin is famed for its bogan activities and country music, there seems to be an event that could soon illicit another response.
The Deniliquin Truck Show and Industry Expo, proudly supported by the Rotary Club of Deniliquin, first kicked off festivities in September 2015 at Memorial Park, showcasing 50 trucks and 30 motorbikes while drawing around 2,000 attendees.
The inspiration for founding the Truck Show came when past president John Creenaune moved to Deniliquin in 2012.
“I’ve been in the transport industry most of my life. I fell in love with trucks at a young age and, as I got older, I loved meeting some of the trucking legends,” Creenaune told OwnerDriver.
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“When I moved to Deni in 2012, I saw all these trucks coming in and thought ‘why aren’t we recognising these people, these legends?’
“We decided that we needed a truck show, and an awards night for the Wall of Fame, so that’s what we did.”
Since then, through fires, floods and pandemics, the show continues to expand its reach and become known within the industry.
The 2024 festivities kicked off bright and early, as stallholders and vehicles were expertly guided into place by a hardy bunch of volunteers and professionals.
With a new home at the Deniliquin Festival Site, there was space galore for the stalls to spread out and stake their claim, with a whole manner of offerings on site.
“It’s been such a great turn out, with plenty of community groups and local businesses jumping onboard,” Deniliquin Fishing Club member Karen Martin told OwnerDriver.
Local community groups like the Fishing Club ran the food stalls, with hot dogs, steak sangas and more up for grabs. I was even convinced to chuck on a pair of gloves and get some onions grilled for the occasion.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to raise a little bit more money and get the word out to locals and people popping in to visit,” Karen says.
The Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds Foundation even managed to bring its truck down, educating truckies and those alike on the resources available to them.
“This is our first time at the Deniliquin Truck Show, but after hearing how many owner drivers and operators were going to be here, we knew we had to come,” Healthy Heads CEO Naomi Frauenfelder says.
“This is the perfect conversation starter for us. We are able to share our free wellbeing resources, tailored to those working in road transport and warehousing.
“We’ve spoken to a number of drivers that haven’t heard of us yet, but now they are keen to look at our services and get involved.”
There was something for everyone on the truck side from classic Kenworths and Macks to slick looking DAFs and old Fords. All corralled into one area, it was the perfect way to ensure you saw every last one.
As was expected, competition was fierce this time around, with every entry vying to take home one of the coveted trophies.
Finley’s Scott Congram ultimately came out on top – his Kenworth C509 taking home ‘Truck of the Show’, meaning he became the first person to win Deniliquin and the district’s most coveted truck prize twice.
Award winners:
Best Truck of the Show – Scott Congram, C509.
Best Truck 0-3 Years – Darren Marshall, K220.
Best Truck 4-9 Years – Darren Frankling, T909.
Best Truck 10-25 Years – McNaughts, T909.
Best Truck 26-39 Years – Gunn Freight, Transtar.
Best Truck 40+ Years – Dean Asworth, Mack R700.
Best Local Truck – Fellow Bulk Transport’s KW, previously owned by J Murphy & Sons.
Best Fleet (3 or more) – Frankling Transport.
Best Rigid – Marc Quarrell, T659.
The Muscles Gray Memorial Award – Geoff May Transport, 2013 Kenworth 909 Director Series.
Best Non-American Truck – Tony Rinaldi, Mercedes Benz.
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