THERE are undoubtedly quicker ways to make the epic 2500-kilometre trek from the goldfields of Kalgoorlie to the oasis of Alice Springs.
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But speed was not the name of the game when Maiden Gully’s Bob Wilson, wife Pauline and son Jake set off in July on their expedition.
Instead, it was about taking their time to celebrate the legacy of one of the most beloved pieces of farming equipment ever built.
The Harry Ferguson tractor, manufactured in England between 1946 and 1956, holds a special place in the hearts of primary producers all over the world.
The light-weight, yet incredibly hardy, vehicles essentially replaced the horse-drawn plough to become every farmer’s most important tool.
Mr Wilson, vice-president of the Harry Ferguson Tractor Club, said “Fergie” owners regularly embarked on such adventures, such was the enduring affection for the machines.
“They absolutely revolutionised farming around the world,” he said.
He and his son shared driving duties of the 1956 TEF20 tractor, which Mr Wilson bought last year, in a convoy that included 17 Fergies and 21 support vehicles.
Bendigo man drives across the country
While the rebuilt engine of Mr Wilson’s tractor can handle speeds of up to 70km/h, there were days the rough desert terrain saw them average a positively pedestrian 20km/h.
“There was never a moment that I doubted we would finish,” he said of the 32-day journey, which saw the convoy arrive in Alice Springs for the annual National Road Transport Hall of Fame.
“The old tractors handled the conditions easily. Mine is nearly 70 years old and it just purrs along. It’s better than most 4WDs.”
The reliability of the vintage tractors was never in question, however, the rough roads played havoc with all the tyres of the vehicles in the convoy, resulting in 19 punctures in just three days during one particularly treacherous stretch of highway.
Mr Wilson, who used the month-long trip to spend some quality time with his son before the 32-year-old joins the Army, said the outback landscape never lost its lustre.
“You keep telling people the countryside changes so much that it’s never boring,” he said. “There were a couple of things that really stood out, such as mountain ranges that would rival the Flinders Ranges.
“But it was how we were received along the way by the people we came across who stopped to ask us what we were doing that was the highlight.”
Mr Wilson spent his working life as a psychiatric nurse, but said he had a strong attachment to the land.
