One of the earliest surviving tractors manufactured in Australia has been acquired by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
The 1912 McDonald ‘EB’ oil tractor is one of three complete examples manufactured in Australia by AH McDonald & Co of Richmond, Melbourne.
It was purchased by the Museum for $250,000, with support of the Australian Government through the National Cultural Heritage Account that assists Australian cultural organisations to acquire significant cultural heritage objects.
The tractor was produced by Melbourne engineers Alfred and Ernest McDonald, who produced the first Australian-made, oil-powered tractor, known as the ‘EA’ in 1908. The improved ‘EB’ version followed in 1912.
It provides a revealing insight into the global transformation in automotive and agricultural practices triggered by the invention of the oil-driven, internal combustion engine in the 1870s.
National Museum director Dr Mathew Trinca thanked the Australian Government for its financial assistance with the purchase of the tractor, which he said is an unrivalled example of Australian ingenuity and design.
“The McDonald ‘EB’ oil tractor represents a theme of Australian innovation in a revolutionary era for engineering. This acquisition represents our agricultural history, and we are thrilled to share it with Australia,” Dr Trinca said.
The tractor was originally purchased new in 1912 by Frank William Chilcott for use at ‘Lillesdon Park’, his 163ha farm located on French Island in Victoria’s Western Port Bay.
It was likely used for land clearing as part of the local chicory cultivation industry, which was a prolific industry on French Island until the mid-1960s.
Museum curator Dr Ian Coates, who coordinated the acquisition of the tractor, said it has historic significance because of its association with Australia’s first tractor manufacturer.
“Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the early tractors produced by AH McDonald & Co was the relative sophistication of their engineering, which included coil ignition, a three-speed gearbox and automotive rack-and-pinion steering.
This reflects Alf McDonald’s capacity to improve the contemporary design of imported American tractors,” Dr Coates said.
It was acquired with the support of an anonymous benefactor.
The tractor will be on display at the National Museum of Australia from May 15 – July 23, 2023.
Three men, possibly Bennetts family members, with this ‘EB’ tractor at French Island, 1926. Photo: G Bennetts Museums Victoria.
The McDonald EB Tractor on display in the Gandel Atrium. Photo: Jason McCarthy.
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