BULAHDELAH Showground came alive with a roar of engines last Sunday morning, as 35 vintage tractors and jeeps set off on a trek around the region.

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The convoy will chug along a 600 kilometres route, with the owners trekking their tractors to Bunyah and Krambach, then to Nowendoc and Gloucester before returning to Bulahdelah on Friday.

While it will be slow going along the country roads, race organiser Bill Onley said it will be a great way to enjoy the scenery.

“We are out to have some fun over the next six days,” he said.

“All the tractors have to be driven, unless they break down, so they will certainly be on the roads.”

Bill said for a tractor to be considered vintage, it needs to be manufactured prior to 1987.

“It can be any make, but it has to be over 30 years old to qualify as being vintage,” he said.

The oldest tractor in the race is a 1948 TE20 Ferguson, named Charlee after Merv Turner’s granddaughter.

“It’s well and truly heritage,” Merv said.

“I bought it off a mate from Clarence Town in 2003, who bought it off a farmer who had it since new.”

Merv said after buying the tractor, “it sat in the shed for ages” before he gave it to his granddaughter as a present.
“My son-in-law restored and repainted it and has used it ever since,” Merv said.

“It has probably done something like 9,000 kilometres since 2008.”

The event was organised by the Rattlin’ Bones Club which was established in 2014.

“We have travelled to a number of tractor treks across the state, so decided to host one of our own for our friends to come and join us,” Bill said.

The event attracted tractor trekkers from NSW and Victoria.

By Daniel SAHYOUN