Boolcoomatta Station, South Australia, 29th and 30th March 2015

 

On the Sunday we got up again before dawn to photograph the sunrise.

I could make this image of the homestead look like it was full daylight but that wouldn’t make much sense because it was in the gloom before the sun was up.

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Probably still before dawn, looking to the far distance.

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After dawn we visited the station’s car showroom and some of the vehicles appeared to be previous year models.

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These were an interesting pair.  Look at the flared front mudguard of the one on the left and the chassis which are telescoped towards the front of the vehicles.

These are not trucks, more likely some kind of racing vehicles.  Perhaps they were used for local drag racing in the 30s or 40s.

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The paintwork could do with a polish here and there.

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And since we had some time on our hands, why not a quick burn around the fields?

Well, OK maybe not so quick and there weren’t actually any fields.

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With the engine so exposed perhaps it’s been done up to be a hot rod.

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Nice curves.

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Handling might leave something to be desired.

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Perhaps a bit down in the horsepower.

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Oil pressure seems a little low.

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Nice details on the duco, though.

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Tare 1 ton 17 cwt, speed 25 mph.

So that gives a weight bearing capacity of one imperial ton and seventeen hundredweight (at eight stone or 112lb (= pounds) per hundredweight).

That is equivalent to 1.88 tonnes or just over two American tons.

Speed is 40kph.

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The odometer, sitting on top of the dashboard.

It says 72,000 miles (116,000 kilometres) but who knows how many times round the clock since it turns over at 100,000.

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May be more suited to going round right hand corners.

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Seems to be needing a head…

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Says it all, really.

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The context.

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Starting to rain…

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So originally it was Truck No 5 of the City of Brighton.

Then it was bought by M J Halliday of Meningie who painted it blue or grey and put his name on it.

The rust has brought out the underlying lettering.  Meningie is a South Australian town on the coast below Adelaide about 500 or 600 kilometres away.

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Austin S 60 N may mean something to someone.  Overall it looks like an Austin WF from the mid 60s.

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And I came back the next morning, our last, to take a few more.

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… of the once sleek lines of the cars…

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… and the trucks….

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