Historic Tailem Town

Interested to know what the green machine is, 3rd photo of the 4th group? Quite unusual.

Paul to me it looked like a road sweeper adapted to a tractor. We spent about 3 hours there but you could spend longer. One of the light trucks in the used cars shed was a Diamond T- the red one in the middle of the photo. I like the home made crane with the home made duals on the drive. Talk about cobbling something together with what you've got. Didn't look for a compliance plate.

Bparo, talking with the staff I was given to understand it was still private and the bloke that started it all is 85 years of age or there-a-bouts. Lang I didn't go poking around in the sheds because of all the cobwebs and dust and shit. I could have taken more photos if I had.

I seem to recall driving through a place called Tailems Bend a few times doing Melbourne-Adelaide, is Tailems Town the same place?

That makes sense Pete, disc on right of photo for a sweeper brush. Thanks.
The crane is a ripper. Plenty of ballast on the back end but fair load on front axle.

Thanks for all the pictures..

Diamond looks good, what would the grey one with wooden spoke wheels in front of it be?
Mid 1920’s Buick cut down to a ute with home made cab roof, 3rd photo in 2nd group. Powerful old thing, must have been a lot sold here.

Straddle truck preserved well. Hard to believe so many of them rocketing around the wharves and suburbs in the 1960’s. So much has changed.
Thanks for sharing these old timers Pete.

PaulFH wrote:

Diamond looks good, what would the grey one with wooden spoke wheels in front of it be?

 

My guess would be a 28 or 29 Chev.

I went first there about forty years ago and then again about ten years later. There are obviously a lot more wrecks and a lot more dust and cobwebs there now.
It is a private property well outside the town of Tailem Bend. There is no "S" on the name of the place or the actual town.
If you are in that general area, along the Murray river, a place worth seeing is the old Pumping Station museum at Cobdogla. I have not been there for thirty years either, but a mate I told about the place loves it, joined the museum volunteers and moored his paddle steamer there for a few years until the South Australian Water Authority had a change of policy and kicked it out.