We’ve been dropping into the homes of our machinery catalogue pursuers to find out what’s in their backyards: vintage vehicles, antique trinkets, multifarious machinery and curious curios.This week we headed into the backyard of Simon Southwell at Murrumbateman. And he showed us four of his best.
“We collect a lot of vehicles of old as well as stationary motors and hope to one day build a big enough shed at Murrumbateman so people will be able to come and look at this wonderful stuff of yesteryear,” Simon Southwell said.
Thing no. 1: 1963 Mack B61
"My first truck, this 1963 Mack B61 pictured in Haulin' the Hume, a vintage truck run that goes from Sydney to Yass along The Old Hume Highway (Highway 31), was bought when we were living at St George in Western Queensland,” Simon explains.
“She did thousands of kilometres carting grain and machinery throughout the eastern states of Australia. Needing bigger horsepower, the decision was made to sell her in about 1992, a decision that was always regretted from the day I saw the buyer drive it away.”
“Pining over it for many years, I tracked the truck down on a property west of Rockhampton and managed to buy it back. An oil change and new steering tyres, and I drove the 1900kilometres home in 26 hours where it is now back in the family shed at Murrumbateman.”
“The truck has all the matching numbers. The original motor, gearbox and diff are back together and it runs like a dream. I would take her to Darwin tomorrow!”
Thing no. 2 McCormack tractor
“This is my father’s first new tractor, a McCormack International W30. This tractor was bought new by Southwell brothers in 1938 and farmed in the Canberra district for many years.”
“The tractor was the first in the region to have rubber tyres and was classed as a big machine at the time.”
“Still in the family and shedded at Murrumbateman, the tractor is pictured here with a third generation Southwell, George, learning the ropes.”
“No restoration required as it still goes on a single turn of the crank handle and is sitting on the original Dunlop tyres that it was delivered new on 84 years ago.”
“We are also into cars,” Simon says.
“Having been born in 1959, a surprise rolled in the gate for my surprise 60th birthday from a beautiful wife and four kids. This 1959 four-door Fairlane is commonly known as The Fairlane Tank.”
“This, in fact, was the first four-door Fairlane manufactured in Australia. It has a 332 cubic inch Y block V8 coupled to a two-speed automatic.”
“Restoration was new brakes, four new tyres, oil change and now we’re crusin’. It’s a beautiful car to drive.”
Thing no. 4: 1963 FJ Holden
“The other recent barn find was this beautiful army 1963 FJ Holden that had been driven into a shed on a property north of Yass 23 years ago and put on blocks.”
“We had to cut a tree down that had grown behind the car to get it out of its 23 year resting place. New brakes, oil change, a new battery and she started perfectly on the second crank.”