A nostalgic rumble echoed through Victorian towns long bypassed from Highway 31 when 235 classic trucks crawled the old Hume
Trucks dating back to the 1920s were among the 235 vehicles registered for the Crawlin’ the Hume classic truck run from Melbourne to Albury on April 16.
The oldest truck to travel the Victorian section of the old Hume Highway was Brian Smith’s 1923 T Model Ford.
Powerful rigs from the 1970s and 1980s also delighted crowds along the way.
David Connor felt privileged to drive Canny Carrying Co’s 1956 International AS 160 on the run. In February the International took part in the funeral procession of Wangaratta trucking legend, Brian Canny, who had driven the AS 160 on the Hume in the 1950s and 1960s. The International’s restoration was completed early this year and Brian was shown the finished project only a week before he passed away.
Many beautifully restored Internationals took part, including Graham Wright’s 1965 AB 184D with a 1965 McGrath trailer.
Dodges, Fords, Kenworths, Macks, Whites, Peterbilts, Volvos, Mercedes, Atkinsons, Reos, Bedfords, Commers, Chevrolets, Diamond Ts, Austins, Studebakers and Fodens were all represented.
Hundreds of people took the opportunity to see the trucks up-close when they stopped for lunch at Winton Motor Raceway.
The run finished at Albury Racing Club where Arch McLeish’s stories from his days as a transport operator entertained 280 people attending the dinner.
Crawlin’ the Hume was organised by Rob French, Roger Marchetti and Trevor Davis with assistance from volunteers who helped on the day. It will be held again in 2018.
Meanwhile Bruce Gunter and his Haulin’ the Hume committee are organising a similar event between Sydney and Yass on April 1 and 2, 2017.
See the full pictorial report in the May issue of Owner//Driver magazine.
Photography: Tamara Whitsed