The Big Tractor

We Aussies love a Big Thing on a road trip, and Australia has a brand new entry into our long list of Big Things.

Joining family favourites like the Big Merino, Big Prawn, Big Banana, Big Pineapple is… The Big Tractor.

36,000 kilograms of steel sculpted in the shape of a Chamberlain 40K tractor, now situated in pride of place in Carnamah, Western Australia, around 300km north of Perth in the state’s wheatbelt.

And the people of Carnamah are not messing around. It really is a very big tractor.

The 11.5m tall and 16-metre-long sculpture is officially the world’s largest, five times the size of the 1949 Chamberlain it was sculpted to replicate. Too big to recreate in rubber, even the tyres are solid steel.

The Google reviews are in, and so far, it’s a five-star affair, with punters marvelling at the scale of the monolithic piece of agriculture equipment, calling it a must visit.

Chamberlain’s history stretches back to the 1940s. The 40K was the first commercially produced tractor made in WA, manufactured from a base in Welshpool and servicing the needs of up to a quarter of the Australian tractor market at peak in the 1960s, selling 13,000 every year.

The tribute tractor was a major investment, with the Shire of Carnamah anticipating a boon in tourism as seen by other regional areas that have gone all out on their ‘Big Thing’. With over 400 hours of computer modelling, Contractor DIAB engineering in nearby Geraldton then had 60 people working on the tractor over 17 months.

Beach Energy and Mitsui E&P Australia (MEPAU) proudly got behind the Mid-West community’s Big Tractor Project contributing $20,000 to the initiative.

Unveiled at the North Midlands Agricultural Society’s Country Carnival at the start of October, the big orange Chamberlain 40K stole the show, drawing visitors from around the country as the showpiece of the vintage tractor parade.

“We believe in supporting initiatives that drive economic sustainability and growth in the regions where we operate. By contributing to projects like the Big Tractor, we help promote tourism, create business opportunities, and strengthen local communities.” – Beach Energy