Old trucks

Talking about Len Beadell and his years of work for the WRE (Weapons Research Establishment) at Woomera. Here are some of his Department of Supply vehicles. Note the Commonwealth "Z" number plates.

Len bogged in his Landrover is interesting as it is exactly the same set-up as my Landrover I had as kid. Wonder if my vehicle was Len's (I painted mine green but was grey when I bought it from disposal sale). The funeral pyre of the 4x4 Commer can still be seen as they have put a fence around it and it is now a landmark for desert travellers. His grader is at Giles weather station in a cage also.

Here are a few more Department of Supply Vehicles connected with WRE. The blue Bedford is support vehicle for National Mapping air photography in Central Australia.

Hi,

for anyone that hasn't read the story the pictured truck was the supply truck for the Gunbarrel Road crew and on one the trips the fan went through the radiator and the driver, on his own somewhere on the Nullabor rigged up some pipes and pumped the water through a 44 gallon drum in the back and drove it like that until the temp got up enough that he would stop, let it cool down and then drive another leg and repeat.
https://www.hcvc.com.au/forum/attachment/15054

Terry

Commonwealth number plates.

You will notice those Department of Supply vehicles have "Z" number plates but the International at Woomera has "C". Attached is the history of Commonwealth plates. A bit of a shambles from what I can see.

Looks like "C" up to 1961 and "Z" after that.

dna.nl/aus-com.htm

Lang

This is another crop from an airport photo, identified in an aviation group as Mt Isa.
Mt Isa airport (Qld): Bedford truck. Sept.1968. (Annabel Brownell, Roderick Smith collection).
That just has to be Bedford J, but there were variations with extra letters.
The yellow and location offer a hint at ownership, but I can't read the numberplate.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Vehicles
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_TJ

Roderick

J6 by the looks of it... Maybe J5

I've got a roller and other equipment in a thread with tractors.
However, these are trucks.
IIRC M&MTB used mainly/entirely Bedfords. When researching Bedford J models, the Wikipedia reference noted the strong sales of Bedfords in export markets.
690907Su-11b-Malvern-SW6.887-trucks-RSmith-sss.jpg
Roderick

This came via one of those groups which circulates photos, credited to ABC.
Most vehicles are private cars, and too small to identify with ease.
There are some light-commercial vehicles in the crowd.

1950s-Perth-StGeorgesTce-ABC.jpg

Roderick

How about the 6th vehicle in the line after the Ford F? Looks very much like a Chev Woodie!!

Behind the Ford F, I get:
A single-spinner Ford Customline
Two Vauxhalls, with the distinctive bonnet strips.
Ford Mercury?
then the woodie.
Way back, a Morris Minor stands out, with a Chev truck behind it.
Parked rhs, the sixth is a Ford Prefect.


190801Th - Melbourne 'Age' truck in a movie.
From memory, this the latest in an action series.
Roderick