MAN, TOYOTA & BULLS

FROM THE 1960s MODIFIED 4WDs CHANGED MUSTERING ON THE BIG CATTLE STATIONS ACROSS THE TOP OF AUSTRALIA. KNOWN AS BULL CATCHERS, THE SHORT-WHEELBASE TOYOTAS SOON BECAME THE RINGER’S VEHICLE OF CHOICE

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THIESS Brothers, an earthmoving construction firm, introduced Toyota 4WDs into Australia in 1958. The first batch was used in the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme where Thiess was one of the principal contractors. It also had a contract to remove overburden and ore from the massive Black Rock opencast mine at Mount Isa Mines, and introduced Toyotas to the Isa and the Gulf country when I worked in the pit. Mining and Toyotas were cheese and wine, but, not to be outdone, the grazing industry replaced ageing ex-military Jeeps, Willys Jeeps and British Land Rovers as quickly as they could afford it with the more powerful Toyotas. However, there was much scepticism in the bush about the Toyota – “Jap crap” according to some. How anyone could possibly believe that a…

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4x4 Magazine Australia (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2021

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