By Luke Voogt
The smell of coal and steam will entice lovers of vintage engines and turbines to the Geelong Classic Truck and Machinery Show this weekend.
Organiser Chris Quirke was gearing up for the annual celebration of old-school contraptions at the Geelong showgrounds.
“The show is renowned for having the biggest and best display of restored working vintage machinery and tractors in Australia,” he said.
“It attracts people from all over the country and even quite a few enthusiasts from overseas.”
The Newcomb truck driver’s obsession of all things mechanical began as a teen “leaning over the fence at the Geelong Show.”
“I used to come and spend four days at the show,” the 30-year-old said.
“You see all the wheels spinning and things that do some of the most amazing tasks, and you just become hooked.”
The show features 15 fully-operational steam engines, 12 permanently-installed oil engines and an interactive section for the youngsters.
“The kids can come and have a build – it’s all hands on,” Chris said. “They can make all sorts weird and wonderful things.”
The vintage tractor pull would thrill crowds for a fifth year in a row, Chris said.
“Some 70 tractors take part in this not-to-be-missed event demonstrating the pulling power and torque of the machines that worked the land over the last 100 years.”
Chris was also on the lookout for new engines for the show.
“If you have a special piece of machinery in your shed we would love to hear from you.”
