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Weird scenes on Biglorryblog of the 'trucks' at the Coober Pedy mine in Australia.

Thanks to Gerald, my mate and editor of Transport News Network Biglorryblog has ended up with these really wacky pictures sent in by Bob Murphy in Australia...and my thanks to Bob who says: "These are some real oddball machines from Coober Pedy, an opal mining centre in the middle of Oz. They use a lot of unregistered jerry rigged heavy vehicles there in the course of their mining efforts which are widely dispersed."

"Some years ago it was driving the road authority crazy to have these vehicles on public roads so the locals did a deal where they graded tracks across the somewhat lunar landscape to their mines and so they can keep their vehicles off public roads. So they are pretty well left alone to do their thing."

"Some years ago it was driving the road authority crazy to have these vehicles on public roads so the locals did a deal where they graded tracks across the somewhat lunar landscape to their mines and so they can keep their vehicles off public roads. So they are pretty well left alone to do their thing."

"I really get a bang out of the former army

"I really get a bang out of the former army 'Deuce-and-a-half' (2.5t ) cross-country, all-wheel-drive Yank army truck) which now pushes a crane around the place. It has a large rock as a counterweight on the back. It still looked serviceable when I took these pics in 2005. It has been in Coober Pedy for years!" And so do I Bob...it looks like an enormous Harvestman spider or something out of 'Wild, Wild, West!'

And the AEC underfloor bus was driveable for a long time but is now towed. It has crushing equipment on the back. I have never seen it working but, of course, if it was it would be out in the backblocks somewhere and I probably wouldn

And the AEC underfloor bus was driveable for a long time but is now towed. It has crushing equipment on the back. I have never seen it working but, of course, if it was it would be out in the backblocks somewhere and I probably wouldn't see it anyway. The trucks with those blowers on the back are used for ventilating mineshafts in the desert. Cheers, Bob.""

And I love the way the Aussies just keep things running...never mind if it ain

And I love the way the Aussies just keep things running...never mind if it ain't broke don't fix it...it's more a case of broke or not, just keep 'er running mate!

And to finish off, Bob

And to finish off, Bob's also sent this shot of a Commer from the Alice Springs Transport Reunion from 2005." And for a quick pie what model is it and what's the truck featured in the very first picture at the start of this blog? Cheers Bob, great stuff!

by Brian Weatherley
25/03/2008

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