23 July 2014

But wait, there's more......


My wife and I recently spent a weekend in Echuca, which is known as the river boat capital of Australia and is located on the banks of the mighty Murray River, which also acts as the border between New South Wales and Victoria. Once we were settled into our accommodation we then visited the local tourism centre and discovered that the Chanter Estate winery, located across the river in Moama, also housed a historic commercial and military vehicle collection, which we thought might be worth a visit. 

Unfortunately as interesting the collection turned out to be - containing some 40 vehicles and artifacts dating from the early 1900's through to the present day - the manner in which the vehicles were displayed inside the large hangar, coupled with the poor lighting, made photography almost impossible. However, despite this the number and variety of vehicles on display, both civil and military, was amazing and even more so when you consider that they are they fully restored and all in running condition.

Although I was disappointed at not being able to take any photos of the vehicles inside the hangar, those located outside (near the entrance) and in the adjoining yard more than made up for this, making the visit still worthwhile.


Ex-Australian Army LARC & Series 2A Land Rover Ambulance

M3 Stuart

M3 General Lee

Dodge Army Truck

GMC CCKW 353 Open Cab

GMC CCKW 352 Closed Cab

After leaving the winery and driving through the town of Moama we then stumbled across the local Returned & Services League (RSL) club, which had on external display a Centurion MKV and a recently installed Leopard AS1. Although the former is starting to show it's age somewhat the latter is still in near pristine condition, having only been installed there within the last 12 months.

Centurion MKV & Leopard AS1

Centurion MKV

Leopard AS1

On our final day we then decided to return home via the Northern Highway and just outside of Heathcote came across a Chevrolet Blitz Crane located in the front paddock of a farm. A short stop ensued, followed by the obligatory photographs and we were soon on our way once again. Aside from enjoying a weekend away with my wife, I always get a great kick out of discovering things like this especially when I was never aware of their existence.

Chevrolet CMP Blitz Crane

Chevrolet CMP Blitz Crane