Don’t know if anyone else on here watches Outback Opal Hunters on Quest?
I have been astonished by the number of elderly British lorries languishing (and working) on the remote isolated mines deep in the Australian deserts, usually small family operations or two-man bands.
In the last two episodes alone, I have noted an AEC Mercury split-screen, an ancient Thames Trader, a Ford D series, an old Coles lorry mounted crane, and an unidentifiable double-decker bus, not to mention a Mercedes bull-nosed two axle tipper and several old JCBs.
Perhaps I should write to the production company and suggest they make a spin off series about the old tackle in the outback!
I’m a member of the Morris Commercial Facebook group, my favourite make of lighter commercial vehicles, and the amount of vehicles of that make (and later Austin/Morris/BMC’s) still turning up in Oz, and mostly requiring restoration of course, is remarkeable. They must have been exported in their thousands.
I spent a some days in Coober Pedy a few years ago. It is a fascinating place where there are, as you say, loads of older Brit wagons. Most are still goers as they are used to transport the ginormous boring machines used by the miners. So they only need to move occasionally and then for short distances.
Don´t forget that prior to the UK joining the EU Oz was a massive supplier and customer of the UK, thus the loads of older British gear about. Since we abandoned them the Pacific rim countries have taken our place.
Fergie47:
Old Merc still working in the SW on a cattle Ranch
Fergie trust you and the good lady are ok, not sure if that old Merc is working as they got the bonnet up by the looks of things, Cheers JD
Hi John…were both well thanks, and your family too I trust…
It’s still working John, well it was last year, the young lad that does our m.o.t’s took a year out and worked on this ranch maintaining this old girl plus an old Commer 6X2 fuel tanker which he’d drive to a rdv point and top up the various tractors and equipment, the meeting points could cover several hundred miles, sometimes needing a night out in one of the many farm houses they had dotted around the huge place…a different world out there…he loved the job, so much so he’s off again end of this year to do it again…oh to be young again, with a sense of adventure…
windrush:
I’m a member of the Morris Commercial Facebook group, my favourite make of lighter commercial vehicles, and the amount of vehicles of that make (and later Austin/Morris/BMC’s) still turning up in Oz, and mostly requiring restoration of course, is remarkeable. They must have been exported in their thousands
The old Leyland WF was one of my favourite light trucks with the exception of the vertical conventional type steering wheel position.
A hot dry climate is a game changer for vehicle preservation.
I was once reading an Australian forum on road transport and none of the contributors had a good word for British vehicles of the past with Leyland and AEC being well down
ramone:
I was once reading an Australian forum on road transport and none of the contributors had a good word for British vehicles of the past with Leyland and AEC being well down
I know a lot of British vehicles were exported in pretty much the same spec as for the UK. Needless to say that did not always go well.
Thus you see pics of Fodens (but not always) with an extra large rad tacked on the front to cope with the heat. But some did well. I visited the Hall of Fame vehicle musuem in Alice Springs and saw many fine old Brit trucks that had served well, including a Rotinoff. The old TS3 Commer were valiant workers too. So not all bad.
ramone:
I was once reading an Australian forum on road transport and none of the contributors had a good word for British vehicles of the past with Leyland and AEC being well down
I know a lot of British vehicles were exported in pretty much the same spec as for the UK. Needless to say that did not always go well.
Thus you see pics of Fodens (but not always) with an extra large rad tacked on the front to cope with the heat. But some did well. I visited the Hall of Fame vehicle musuem in Alice Springs and saw many fine old Brit trucks that had served well, including a Rotinoff. The old TS3 Commer were valiant workers too. So not all bad.
Yes i do remember the Commers coming in for praise but the ones you would expect to do well were hated. Like you said they were sent in UK spec designed for short haul trips in much cooler conditions running at max weight of 32 tons . Horses for courses , the Americans have similar operating conditions apart from the outback so they would probably have off the shelf vehicles
ramone:
I was once reading an Australian forum on road transport and none of the contributors had a good word for British vehicles of the past with Leyland and AEC being well down
I know a lot of British vehicles were exported in pretty much the same spec as for the UK. Needless to say that did not always go well.
With the exception of the Rolls Eagle we were always going to be on the back foot in that environment of heat, distance and weight v 14 litre + ■■■■■■■■ CAT and Detroit two strokes.
The TL12 was flawed for reasons suggested elsewhere and anything less than 12 litre four stroke wasn’t realistically going to cut it.Fuller or Spicer also being the default transmission choices.KW etc were always going to win that contest.
Fergie47:
Old Merc still working in the SW on a cattle Ranch
It’s a cattle property or cattle station, we dont have ranches here.
Reminds me of the yarn about a Texan showing an Aussie around his place. The Texan bragged that it would take all day to drive around the perimeter fenceline. The Aussie replied, “I know that feeling, I used to own a Land Rover too.”
ramone:
I was once reading an Australian forum on road transport and none of the contributors had a good word for British vehicles of the past with Leyland and AEC being well down
Of all the Pom trucks we got lumbered with, Atkinson was the most popular. The Mk 1 of the early 60s was built here, almost a carbon copy of your version. Australian engineering input, to adapt the truck to our conditions, increased from that model on, until the only thing the two versions had in common was the encircled A on the grill. Atkinson was rated as a premium truck, up with Paccar, White and Mack offerings. The rest of the Pommie manufacturers were too arrogant to listen to our colonial engineers or needs.
ramone:
I was once reading an Australian forum on road transport and none of the contributors had a good word for British vehicles of the past with Leyland and AEC being well down
I know a lot of British vehicles were exported in pretty much the same spec as for the UK. Needless to say that did not always go well.
Thus you see pics of Fodens (but not always) with an extra large rad tacked on the front to cope with the heat. But some did well. I visited the Hall of Fame vehicle musuem in Alice Springs and saw many fine old Brit trucks that had served well, including a Rotinoff. The old TS3 Commer were valiant workers too. So not all bad.
Took these photos about two hours ago. Looks like these Super Beaver’s did some work, 32ton payload.
Reading the info plaque, you can just about hear the driver’s spine crumbling,
If they were bought from the Snowy Mountain project, I’m wondering if they were driven over(about 4500km).
All the best. Colin.
Star down under.:
The rest of the Pommie manufacturers were too arrogant to listen to our colonial engineers or needs.
To be fair not arrogant they were lumbered with a domestic market which was a bit ‘special’ ( downright retarded ) both in terms of customer demands and legislation with the result that they couldn’t make the economies of scale figures add up.
Given a decent gross weight and dimensions regime here at least would have been a game changer for us.
OzzyHugh:
Some of the Atki’s pulled their weight ?
This looks like a twin headlight version to me, would that be mid - late ‘60’s ?
Photo from Road Transport Hall of Fame Australia - try : road transport hall.com and then select the U.K. manufacturer for loads of photo’s.
That’s a Mk.2, so I think that would put it very early 70s. All the Australian-cabbed Atkis were designed with twin headlights, although Shell seemed to have some Mk.1s fitted with larger singles:
How does NZ’s haulage industry compare to Australias, are there similarities or completely different. NZ seemed to continue using certainly ERF and Foden and Leylands i think
