If you have a kid who stops dead in their tracks at the sight of anything big, noisy and on wheels, put the second Sunday of the month in your diary. That is when the Tractor Parade rumbles through Whiteman Park, and it is one of those simple, old-fashioned outings that somehow keeps the whole family entertained, from the toddler in the pram to the grandparent who grew up around machinery just like it.
The parade sets off from the Tractor Museum of WA at 1.15pm, when the museum’s volunteers fire up a collection of beautifully restored vintage tractors and chug their way up to Revolutions Transport Museum, past the front of the Motor Museum of WA, before looping back down the Village Mall. You genuinely hear them coming well before you see them, and that build-up of clanking and engine rumble is half the fun for little ones waiting along the route. Keep an eye out for “Tail-end Charlie”, a famous Chamberlain tractor that often brings up the rear of the procession.
The best spots to park yourselves are right outside the Tractor Museum, along the Village Mall, near Village Junction Station by Revolutions, and along the car parks between the Visitor Information Centre and Whiteman Park Administration. There is plenty of room for prams and for smaller children to stand back safely while still feeling close to the action. Give the volunteer drivers a wave as they pass, they always wave back, and it makes a small person’s whole day.
It is well worth building the parade into a longer visit to the Tractor Museum itself, either before or after. Inside there are nearly forty tractors along with stationary engines, vintage trucks, country life artefacts and old photographs. The oldest is an operational 1920 Fordson, the rarest a 1923 Bailor cultivator from America, and one of the more unusual is an HSCS crawler built in Sweden, the only known one in Australia. There is a proper WA story here too, with Chamberlain Industries once manufacturing tractors in this state, and their original 40K prototype on display. Kids will love the two interactive exhibits where they can climb up and get their hands on the controls of a couple of the museum’s oldest tractors, and the Bindi Bindi settler’s cottage display is a lovely little window into how families lived back then. Even the outside of the building is worth a look, with a striking mural by Mural Nomad featuring a Carnaby’s cockatoo, kangaroo and cattle against golden crop fields.
The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday and costs $5 for adults, with under 16s free, so it is an easy add-on. From there you can make a full day of it with a ride on the heritage electric trams or the vintage trains, a run around at Pia’s Place or one of the other Playgrounds, or a visit to Revolutions and the Motor Museum. Pack a picnic or grab something at the Village, and remember the parade is weather dependent and dates can occasionally shift, so have a quick look at the What’s On section of the Whiteman Park website before you set off. For vehicle-mad kids, this is about as good as a free afternoon in the Swan Valley gets.
Tractor Parade, Whiteman Park
Address: Whiteman Park Village, Lord Street, Whiteman WA 6068
When: Second Sunday of the month, departing the Tractor Museum of WA at 1.15pm (weather permitting)
Tractor Museum of WA opening hours: Wednesday to Friday 10.00am to 3.00pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10.00am to 4.00pm, Autumn and Spring school holidays Monday to Friday 10.00am to 3.00pm. Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday.
Museum entry: $5.00 adults (16yrs+), under 16s free
Phone: (08) 9209 3480
Website: https://www.whitemanpark.com.au/things-to-do/heritage-experiences/tractor-parade
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