The Tooradin Tractor Pull and Truck Show is the sort of event you hear going on, even before you make it to the gate to see what’s happening inside.
Born out of the sport of tractor pulling and held at the official Tractor Pull Stadium at Tooradin, the heart of the show involves heavily modified tractors and cars being strapped to a weighted sled on a long dirt track then travelling as far as possible in a straight line before the weight of dirt backed up against the sled’s blade forces them to stop. The vehicle that travels the longest distance – wins.
While the tractor pull contest sends local seabirds flying skywards startled by the roar of the V8s, the popular burnout sessions at the burnout pit see parents reaching for ear mufflers for their kids and fanning away clouds of rubber smoke with smiles all round as they try to catch a glimpse of the cars spinning wildly for everyone’s entertainment.
For the truck lovers, a third of the grounds for the event have been given over to a celebration of trucks and transport, bringing drivers and their vehicles from all over Victoria and beyond.
Committee member Danii Reeve, who also has a tractor in the competition with fellow committee member and tractor puller Matt Reeve, says the show continues to grow each year, increasing its ability to give back to the local west Gippsland community.
More than 6,800 people attended this year’s 25th incarnation of the event, and Danii expects the committee will have more than $50,000 left after costs this year to donate to a range of local community groups who not only help out on the day, but also provide ongoing support to the local community each and every day.
Since 2016, the event has donated more than $100,000 to local organisations including the primary school, Koo Wee Rup Men’s Shed, and local sporting clubs.
“We are only getting bigger! And we’ve already started planning the 2025 event,” Danii says.
For the truck drivers and owners who made their way to this year’s event it was a chance to share the pride they have in their vehicles with other like-minded enthusiasts, to catch up with friends, and to put the names of their businesses out there in the local market.
Dean Notman, of Notman Transport, brought along his 1973 Atkinson hoping to attract potential buyers for the truck itself and also to be part of his local show.
A qualified baker, Notman says he had taken the long road back to the transport industry.
He grew up with his father and grandfather in the game and had opted to learn a different trade, only to find himself drawn back to trucks after years of early starts in the bakery game. He likes the older trucks and is looking for his next project to get stuck into.
Attending the show was a family affair for Courtney Cartage. With two trucks on show, Mick, Molly and Fiona Courtney were never too far away from the pride of their fleet, a 1997 Scania 450 with a big V8, custom bull bar and high shine on show.
Mick says the family tries to get along to three or four truck shows a year to support the organisers and bring something a bit different along for people to look at, “even though I cop it a bit for driving a Euro”.
For amateur truck photographers Melissa and Mark Eldridge and Craig Johnson, Tooradin offered plenty of subjects for their lenses.
The trio were taking their time checking out the hundred or so trucks on show, chatting to drivers they’ve met before and looking for new angles to shoot photos from, including some with Western Port Bay in the background. They showcase their work under the names Make a Mile Photography and Big Aussie Truck Vids (on YouTube).
Chrome dreams
Andrew Humble, who spends his days working on truck bodies, came along with his son Dylan, to check out the chrome and modification work on the trucks.
The duo, who were admiring the Blue Mule Kenworth when OwnerDriver dropped by, said they were enjoying the atmosphere of the event and the variety of trucks on show.
Among those trucks was a stunningly well-maintained 2001 Kenworth T404 driven by Stewart Turner for South East Organic Fertiliser.
While the truck may well be 23 years old, the shine on the paint and the chrome, and the absolutely immaculate condition of the interior have it looking like it’s just rolled off the showroom floor.
For Turner, who has returned to driving for the company after a couple of years away, the pride in his truck is palpable.
He says the business provides him with a truck to look after, and he takes that job seriously, to the point where there are no shoes allowed in the cab.
Hauling chicken poo and fertiliser all week across dusty farms and dirt roads sees the truck looking worse for wear pretty quickly – but Turner says he aims to always turn up on a Monday morning with a pristine truck, ready to represent the business well and to get working again.
Outside of checking out the trucks, visitors to this year’s event were spoilt for choice when it came to activities.
A local business had set up helicopter flights over Western Port Bay and the local coastline from a neighbouring paddock, and food vans offered all manner of tucker to keep the hunger pangs away.
Classic memorabilia, information on new trucks and all the gear from Kenworth’s range of retail products could be bought at the grounds, along with information about new trucks from local dealers.
The show kicked off at 10am and rolled on until 10pm, with the stands filling up later in the afternoon to watch the action on the tractor track as teams such as Russian Devil, Sledgehammer, Disorderly Conduct, Woteva, Flat Stick and Plum Crazy fight it out for glory in their categories.
An aerial performance by a local stunt plane group drew plenty of attention in the afternoon, and the kids’ corner, with rides and activities saw a constant stream of activity throughout the day.