Quambatook Tractor Pull

Quambatook Tractor Pull OFFICIAL PAGE. EASTER SATURDAY EVERY YEAR. Est. 1977
The home of tractor pulling in Australia. Australia's first permanent tractor pulling complex.
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The first Australian Tractor Pull was held at the Elmore Field Days (Victoria) in 1976. The following year saw Tractor Pulling begin in the Victorian rural town of Quambatook. It has developed over the years into a highly competitive and technical sport, where the difference between first and last place may be as small as one or two metres. Often the top tractors are separated by mere centimetres.

The Australian Tractor Pullers Association (ATPA) is a non-profit organisation that governs Tractor Pulling in Australia. Our events (Tractor Pulls) are held in conjunction with a promoter. This is often a local school, sporting, service or community club (for example; Apex, Rotary, Lions, Netball, Cricket, Football) who use the event as a fundraiser. Tractor Pulls are held in locations throughout Australia, predominantly in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. In the west the Western Australian Tractor Pullers Association (WATPA) runs events and is affiliated with the ATPA. The ATPA is focused on actively promoting this spectacular sport and working with communities to not only establish a unique annual event, but more importantly to assist communities financially through the influx of spectators, sponsors and promotion. The tractors are divided into classes and comply with either "Limited" or "Open" rules. The classes are Open Modified, Super Modified, Limited Modified, Open Mini Modified, Mini Modified, Pro Stock (diesel) and Two Wheel Drive Trucks. The distinction between classes is determined by the overall maximum weight, engine modifications, fuels and physical size. Competition is open to both women and men, the only restriction being that competitors must at least hold a current Learner Driver’s Permit. It sometimes comes down to members of the same family competing for the trophies. The Junior Modified Pulling Association conducts an "introductory" class for 8- to 16-year-olds to develop driving, mechanical and competitive skills. The Modified Mowers pull their own smaller version of the big sled. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tractor_pulling)

Throwback Thursday 📰How’s this for a crowd… more than 5,000 people packed into Quambatook for the 1982 Australian Tracto...
27/08/2026

Throwback Thursday 📰

How’s this for a crowd… more than 5,000 people packed into Quambatook for the 1982 Australian Tractor Pulling Championships!

The sixth annual event brought plenty of noise and excitement to town, with everything from jet-powered Black Velvet and the Mann brothers’ Supaman to vintage tractors, model aeroplanes and local rider Jon Burke jumping his motorcycle through a blazing wall!

There was even a little trackside drama when the sled caught up with a Mini Modified and tore off its wheel guard. Thankfully, the driver wasn’t injured and it remained the only minor accident of the day.

A record $13,500 was taken at the gate, which would be roughly $60,000 in today’s money and was $3,500 more than the previous year. Not bad for a day out in little old Quambatook!

Unfortunately, we don’t have any footage of the 1982 tractor pull. If you have footage of the first Mini Modified tractor pull at Quambatook, or the moment this tractor “topped the sled”, as the article’s heading describes it, please get in touch with us. We’d love to see it!

Were you among the 5,000 people cheering them on in 1982? Let us know what you remember.

Article and photograph courtesy of the Northern Times, Kerang, now known as Gannawarra Times.

In 2027, our community will celebrate a massive milestone: 50 years since tractor pulling began in Quambatook!As we begi...
27/08/2026

In 2027, our community will celebrate a massive milestone: 50 years since tractor pulling began in Quambatook!

As we begin planning for this special event, we would love contributions from past members, attendees and competitors to help us celebrate and capture the nostalgia of 50 years of tractor pulling in Quambatook.

Anyone interested in joining our committee is welcome to come along to our Annual General Meeting. There’s no pressure or commitment required. You’re welcome to simply come along, hear what’s being planned and see if there’s a way you might like to be involved.

📅 Friday 11 September at 6:30pm
📍 Swan Hill Club, 5/17 McCallum Street, Swan Hill

Please RSVP to Tim on 0428 377 342 by Monday 7 September.

We finally got to pick up this fantastic framed photo, which was left with Jodie at the Quambatook Bush Retreat  back at...
22/08/2026

We finally got to pick up this fantastic framed photo, which was left with Jodie at the Quambatook Bush Retreat back at Easter!

A huge thank you to Sean, who is part of the Desperate Dan Tractor Pulling Team in the UK, for such a thoughtful gift. It will certainly hold a special place among our tractor pulling memories and will be heading straight to our “Pull Hall”, where we display all our tractor pulling memorabilia.

We hope you enjoyed your stay in Quambatook and your time at the Australian Championships. We only wish we’d known you were there so we could have caught up once things had quietened down a little!

Hopefully we’ll get the chance next time, perhaps even in 2027 when we celebrate FIFTY YEARS OF TRACTOR PULLING IN QUAMBATOOK - Quambatook Tractor Pull (Australian Championships).

Thank you again from all of us at the Quambatook Tractor Pull Association!

North West Tractor pulling club
European Tractor Pulling Committee (ETPC)

Throwback Thursday takes us back to Easter Saturday, 1993!Around 4,000 people reportedly packed into the Quambatook Trac...
20/08/2026

Throwback Thursday takes us back to Easter Saturday, 1993!

Around 4,000 people reportedly packed into the Quambatook Tractor Pull Complex that year for the Australian Tractor Pull Championships.

The newspaper described the town as being “shuddered to life” as thousands flocked to watch competitors from across Victoria and Tasmania battle it out on the track.

Among the familiar names, machines and memories is a comment from then association president Leo Parker:

“We’re in our 17th year and we’ll be here in another 17 years.”

More than three decades later, Quambatook is preparing to celebrate 50 years since tractor pulling began in our town.

Take a look through these clippings from 1993. Who do you recognise, and what do you remember from that year?

FIFTY YEARS OF TRACTOR PULLING IN QUAMBATOOK - Quambatook Tractor Pull (Australian Championships)

Gannawarra Shire Council

Flat Stick Tractor Pulling Team

Quambatook Historical Centre

Address

Quambatook Tractor Pull Complex, Charlton Road
Quambatook, VIC
3540

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