Built in 1911, ‘Deakin Lad’ boasts a rich regional history rooted in Pyramid Hill, Cohuna and Gunbower.
Throughout its working life, the engine was used as farm equipment for threshing, pumping water, and cutting firewood.
Purchased in 2019 by its fourth owner, Rod Bain and his family, they had fully restored it by 2020.
‘Deakin Lad’ now enjoys a new lease on life and has become a familiar sight across the district, visiting local schools, participating in the Rushworth Easter Parade, and bringing joy to the people of the Campaspe region.
Travelling at a top speed of about 5km/h while burning wood to make steam, every trip with ‘Deakin Lad’ is an adventure.
A road trip to Rushworth, for instance, takes about 8.25 hours — giving the crew plenty of time to cook a roast and gravy rolls.
Rod said it’s about the fun and the stories on the way.
While Rod’s steam engine may be the bigger of the two within Wyuna Steam Club, Adam Fitton’s smaller engine carries a story just as big.
For Adam, restoring his beloved steam engine, ‘Candy,’ was a passion that took seven years to complete.
The machine holds a special place in Australian agricultural history as one of only five such engines that were brought to the country in 1910.
All five original engines still exist today across the nation, with four fully operational and the fifth undergoing restoration.
The engine had a long and winding journey before finding its home with Adam.
After its working life on the farm ended, it spent years in a local park and later served as a playground fixture at a school.
When the school closed down, the engine was acquired by a caretaker and sold to a man who kept it for nearly 30 years.
When Adam spotted it advertised for sale in Queensland, he drove all the way up north to bring it home, embarking on a meticulous restoration that included rebuilding the boiler from scratch.
Now a member of Wyuna Steam Club, he takes the engine out to events across Victoria, including to Ballarat and Daylesford, sharing a living piece of Australia’s steam era with delighted onlookers.
While Adam's meticulously restored engine hits the road for events across Victoria throughout the year, Deakin Lad will be taking centre stage on its own this weekend.
Catch the Wyuna Steam Club and Deakin Lad at Kyabram’s Breen Avenue Walking Track Parkrun on Saturday, October 3 at 8am, as they race the runners.
