The entrance to the Dardanup Heritage Museum, which was started by Gary Brookes, Transport and Earthmoving Contractor, now deceased. The front building is a 120 seat tearooms, and the buildings behind, contain collections of tractors and machinery. There are many sheds given over to displays of single-brands of tractors - such as a shed full of Fergusons, or a shed full of Internationals.

Dardanup Heritage Museum Show programme and map

Numerous tractors and machinery awaiting restoration, in this lineup.

An International crawler and an early Cat 955 awaiting restoration, in the restoration lineup.

This is a view of the inside of one of the restoration sheds. There is a Cletrac, a Chamberlain Super 70, a Ransomes crawler, and several stationary engines undergoing restoration or repair.

An International TD-9-92 series, in its final restoration stages. The colour is likely to be correct - the International crawlers adopted construction equipment yellow as their standard colour in the late 1950's or early 1960's (description corrected 15th March, 2009, as original ID was incorrect).

This view shows the approach to the main tractor display, and "play area" The building on left houses more machinery.

This is the tractor "play area" with several Cats playing in the dirt, alongside the static display.

Four antique Cat owners are having fun pushing some dirt around for the pleasure of the spectators.

Two Allis-Chalmers crawlers - a HD6 in front, and a HD-5B behind. A Euclid TC-12 is at the rear.

The "Jolly Green Giant" - a mid-1960's, twin-power Euclid TC12 crawler tractor. This tractor was purchased by Gary Brookes from a limestone quarry North of Perth, Western Australia - where it had been ripping the hard caprock over the limestone. Unfortunately, it broke down often, meaning that it was in fairly good shape when Gary found it and bought it. It had been parked up for several years, as the big Cat D10's and D11's had taken over the job of ripping the caprock.

A range of Caterpillar crawlers and some other brands on static display at Dardanup.

From L-to-R .. a 1949 cable control 8U series, D6 - two late 1930's, 2H series D6's - a 1933-35 Diesel Forty (painted the wrong colour), and a late 1920's Caterpillar "gas" Sixty. The Sixty is the only one in Western Australia and was originally purchased by the Govt for road works, pulling towed graders and other drawn equipment.

A nice neat little 7U series, Caterpillar D4, fitted with a toolbar. The toolbar has been given a very hard time in some rough ground, judging by the patches, welds and multiple repairs where it attaches to the tractor and the hydraulic cylinders. To the left is a "gas" (petrol-kero) Caterpillar Sixty.

An interesting history of one of the late model 7U series, Caterpillar D4's on display. This description is of the D4 fitted with the Cat toolbar. Obviously, the previous owner wasn't a very nice person.

A Caterpillar Diesel Forty and a Caterpillar "gas" Sixty. Both of these tractors are owned by farmer and tractor collector, Bob Lukin, who has a sizeable collection. The Diesel Forty was originally purchased by a big timber company and used for logging.

A Caterpillar R4, in "as-found" working condition. Despite being pretty rough looking, this is quite a good condition tractor, and would restore to an excellent result.

A 1949, 8U series, D6. This tractor ran like a top, it had that classic deep Cat bellow from its 6 cylinder D318 engine that is music to my ears. This tractor was the one that Gary Brookes first drove in the early 1950's, and which led to his love of old Cats, and the commencement of the construction of the Dardanup Heritage Museum.

The short history of the Piacentini (Pen-sin-teeny) D6. Piacentini are now a huge company with many dozens of items of equipment.

An unrestored Caterpillar Fifteen, in as-found condition, with a Cat 2-Ton to the left.

An unrestored, as-found, Caterpillar Fifteen, with two x Cat 22's to the left of it.

A "gas" Best, Model "30" tractor, which belongs to Best Tractor Parts in Australia. This tractor was imported from America in the early 2000's, and was restored by two mechanics who work for Best Tractor Parts in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. This is one expensive little collectors item. There were very few Best Tractors imported into Australia, and I would be surprised if any of those survive. BTP had to go to America to find one for sale. WW2 saw many old tractors broken up for scrap to feed the hungry war furnaces.

A Caterpillar RD6 coupled to an Athey track-type trailer, with a Caterpillar Twenty Two on the deck. This Athey trailer track design did not stand up to the abrasive conditions of the sandy West Australian soils, and it was rebuilt by the big timber company that owned it, to a more durable design.

A parade of Cat crawlers - a Twenty Two, a D2, and a Best 30 - with a 1903 Marshall steam traction engine traveling the opposite direction. The wheeltractors facing the parade are all West-Australian-built Chamberlains.

This is a 1965, Powershift, 46A Series Caterpillar D8H, pulling a logging arch. This tractor is in excellent condition, and the deep rumble of that big 6 cylinder, slow revving (1250 RPM) Cat engine, is music to any old Cat aficionados ears.

"Stuss" Eatts in action with his late 1930's, Cat D6 and "Britstand" scoop. Note the rope control for dumping the load.

Two, 1H-series D8's from the WW2 era. The one to the left has had a fancy "hardnose" installed, so it could carry a cable blade without needing the overhead framework, that was usually used for blade lift mechanisms on Cats in this era. The one on the right is being erroneously described as a 1944, "RD-8". The year of build may be correct, but the last "RD-8" was built around August-Sept 1937. From that date on, they were merely known as the Caterpillar "D8".

"Stuss" Eatts, late 1930's, 2H series, D6, coupled to a "Britstand" scoop or "fresno". This tractor was purchased in many dis-assembled pieces, and the engine was unrepairable due to corrosion. "Stuss" imported a good used engine from Ohio in the U.S. to Western Australia to repower the D6. He has done a very good restoration job.

"Stuss" Eatts cranking the starting engine into life on his late 1930's, 2H series, 3 cylinder D6. I must admit I was rather surprised at the massive firing stroke thumps on this old 5¾" bore x 8" stroke engine. It vibrated the sandy ground, running at a fast idle. These old Cat engines only do 850RPM at full speed.

A very nice little 7U series, Caterpillar D4, being put away at the end of the show day.

A very neat little IH TD-9 crawler, fitted with an Armstrong-Holland double drum cable control and A-H cable blade mechanism. The blade is not fitted. The TD-9 is coupled to a WW2 Model "D" LeTourneau Carryall, which is in excellent condition.

A late model, LeTourneau-Westinghouse, Model "D" Tournapull scraper. This machine is fitted with a 4 cylinder GM 2 stroke engine, a 5 speed "crash" gearbox, and has a big electric generator behind the engine, which produces electricity for the electric motors that power the steering, the lift motors on the bowl and apron, and the tailgate motor. These things are a handful to drive, and I know all about them, because I've actually got a licence to drive one! These machines need the main engine run at full RPM, or near it, to keep up the voltage to the electric motors. Otherwise, you run out of steering or power to load or empty the bowl. Early models were often known as "widowmakers" due to their tendency to kill operators who weren't properly trained on them. If you commenced a sharp turn and backed off the throttle - you couldn't straighten up, and they would sometimes roll over as a result. The early "D's" had multi-plate air disc brakes that would lock up all wheels at 40 mph, fully loaded. These brakes were incredible. However, when Westinghouse bought the LeTourneau Co in 1953, they commenced to put Westinghouse Air-operated drum brakes on the Model "D's", saying that the material used in the original LeTourneau disc brakes was too deadly to continue using.

The "Tangye" engine shed. The shed is full of mainly "Tangye" engines, restored by brothers Ron and Fred Smith. One of the Smith brothers is in the picture - the very old man with white hair and his back to the camera. This old fella must have been about 90 years old - he is sitting in his wheeled walker, while another bloke talks to him. In a far corner was his electric wheelchair. I guess it's his love of restoring old engines that keeps him going.

An old fella with his two scale model steam engines. The one in front, took him 13 years to build. I didn't ask about the one on the trailer! I was fascinated by the rubber "tyres" on the models. He uses the rubber sheeting they normally use to recondition conveyor drive rollers. It's glued on to the steel wheels, with some kind of high strength adhesive.

Part of the International collection in the International Shed, showing a range of IH crawlers, trucks, a Scout, and a Wheeltractor.

Another view of part of the impressive collection of IH wheeltractors, crawlers, and IH trucks in the IH shed.

A nice selection of beautiful condition, McCormick-Deering TracTractors.

Here's a view looking in through the doorway of the International shed, showing 3 of the IH crawlers - a TD24 at front, a TD18 behind, and what I think is a TD35 or TD40 at rear.

Just a part of the impressive collection of restored International, and McCormick-Deering tractors in the International shed.

This is an Italian Vender tractor of the early 1950's. It's in amazingly good condition, and obviously hasn't done a lot of work. I guess you wouldn't want to wear it out - Vender disappeared as a crawler manufacturing company in 1962 - and any parts you needed nowadays, you'd have to make. Vender commenced production of crawler tractors during WW2, was later nationalised as a Italian Govt-owned business - but ceased production in 1962 after incurring heavy losses due to poor management, poor quality products, and poor sales. They had some wonderful tractor model names such as Vender "Destroyer", Vender "Champion", and Vender "Bully". Unfortunately, their products never lived up to their wonderful names. The engines were Venders own design, and you'll also probably notice the twin-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, starting engine, a-la Caterpillar.