World's biggest tractor sculpture unveiled as new Midwest WA icon

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The world's biggest tractor has been officially unveiled in Carnamah, in WA's Midwest.  The statue is a replica of a Chamberlain 40K, which was integral to WA's farming history.

Transcript

00:00This tractor is 11.5 metres tall and 16 metres long, making it well and truly the biggest

00:08tractor in the world.

00:10You might notice the vibrant orange colour of this tractor.

00:15That was 800 litres of paint that it took to cover this tractor.

00:19And that makes it a true replica of the tractor it was modelled after, which was a Chamberlain

00:2540K.

00:26Now these tractors were critical to WA's agricultural history from 1949 onwards.

00:33They're the tractors that really got WA's primary production up and going after the

00:39two world wars in the 1900s.

00:42And they're the tractors that many farmers across WA still have on their properties today

00:48and that their parents or grandparents drove as well.

00:51So preserving that history is really what it's all about.

00:54But this tractor here, and it's a 42 tonnes of steel went into this one.

01:00So there's a bit of celebration going on right here today.

01:03So this is the newest addition to a number of big things across Australia.

01:07How big, how did a big tractor come about in Karnama?

01:14Well it was all at the hands of the WA Vintage Tractor and Machinery Association of WA.

01:21They first thought of the idea to build a big tractor somewhere in WA about nearly 30

01:26years ago.

01:27And that was to advertise their field days where they would demonstrate the vintage machines

01:32that are critical to WA's history.

01:35Those plans from back then fell through until about six years ago when the idea was sort

01:40of revolutionised to build a Chamberlain 40K instead.

01:44The Shire of Karnama got on board and there was a lot of fundraising to get this tractor

01:49here today as well.

01:51About $600,000 of funds were raised by the rural community across WA and across the state.

01:58And it had a fair amount of in-kind contributions as well.

02:02So it was definitely a bit of a community effort to get this up and going.

02:05But yeah, a lot of celebration now that it's here today.

02:08Yes, how is the town celebrating today?

02:10Well, they're having a big vintage tractor parade a little bit later.

02:18They'll be driven by local farmers with vintage tractors coming from all over the state.

02:23I did see a few on my way in from Geraldton today.

02:27Some of these exact Chamberlain 40Ks as well, the same colour orange, driving a little slower

02:32than your average traffic speed on the road.

02:35But they'll all be heading in for a big tractor parade.

02:39And later on, there'll be a bit of a country carnival as well with agricultural games for

02:43the kids.

02:44So definitely a bit of a family fun day.

02:48For more information, visit www.fema.gov

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