Regarded as one of Okay’gari’s (Fraser Island’s) iconic relics has been returned to the mainland and positioned on show cloak at its contemporary house in Hervey Bay.
Key facets:
- Most attention-grabbing 1,999 of the Cat 35s were manufactured in the early 1930s
- All 5 tonnes of the Cat 35 were floated up to Okay’gari from Brisbane by Richard Smith in 1935
- Hervey Bay Ancient Village and Museum declare they’re optimistic to procure the machine up and working
The 89-year-frail Caterpillar Diesel Thirty-5 crawler tractor used to be unveiled at the Hervey Bay Ancient Village and Museum this day.
Most attention-grabbing 1,999 of the Cat 35s were manufactured in the early 1930s.
At the time of production, it used to be the first machine to don the iconic ‘caterpillar high-blueprint yellow’ paint schemes and or no longer it’s believed to win been the 2d diesel offering from the manufacturer.
President Greg Jacobsen talked about the machine would radically change a showpiece at the village.
“It spent all its existence hauling logs from Urang Creek to Garry’s Anchorage set apart,” he talked about.
“It used to be retired in 1964 and after a restoration it used to be handed over to the forestry department in 1994.
“Or no longer it has been on show cloak up till honest no longer too long in the past at Central Feature.”
A reward from Okay’gari
All 5 tonnes of the Cat 35 were floated up to Okay’gari from Brisbane by Richard Smith in 1935, the set apart he started logging bushes with his employee and eventual successor Andrew Postan, Senior, who bought the industry in 1940.
Mr Postan grew to radically change the sole logging contractor on the Island and persevered harvesting bushes with the Cat 35.
Almost about 90 years on, volunteers at the Ancient Village and Museum declare the half of machinery holds essential heritage fee.
Mr Jacobsen talked about they were very fortunate to radically change the beneficiary and custodian of the machine.
“At the time of production, it used to be per chance a step up from the varied which used to be per chance ox wagons or logging trucks,”
“They’d win conception that it used to be very revolutionary in the 30s and being a Caterpillar, or no longer it’s correct long gone on and on.
“But we can source those and when we can we’ll win that machine up and working.
“This would be a itsy-bitsy bit mission however we’re optimistic to procure it up and working.”
‘We can procure it going’
Ancient Village and the Museum volunteer Dennis Ross-Jones talked about the restoration of the machine could presumably well expend time.
“It used to be frail for logging up till 1964 when logging seized on Okay’gari,” he talked about.
“The trouble is or no longer it has been sitting there for 40-novel years and or no longer it’s starting to rust and falling apart.
“There could be gorgeous sand that’s in the motor so we win obtained to flush all that out.
“Queensland Parks and Plant life and fauna win given it to us with the assumption that we can procure it going and retain it going.
“It used to be a fight to procure all of it over from the Island with out negative something else.
“At the least its here now and we can study after it and retain it for future generations.”