The ‘utility vehicle’ or ‘ute’, as it has been shortened to, was invented in Australia in 1933. Utes are called ‘pickup trucks’ in the U.S. 6 & 8 cylinder Holden and Ford 2wd utes have since poured fourth in the thousands, and are still common on farms in southern Australia, along with some relative newcomers such as Daihatsu, Mitsubishi and Mazda.
The Subaru Brumby ute is the most under-rated ute ever (we’ve owned two). Being light and small was often advantageous – they could go nearly anywhere. Cheap to buy and run, and well made, they kept going for hundreds of thousands of kilometres despite treatment that was sometimes less than ideal. Subaru Brumbys were great to drive long distances on the bitumen. Despite having a small engine they went like a rocket because they were light. Unfortunately it was sometimes too easy to drive them too fast on gravel roads, and being front-wheel-drive made them a bit skittish on gravelly bends. The aerial equivalent of the Subaru Brumby is the American-made Robinson ‘R22’ helicopter. These two machines have an uncanny amount in common.
It was a tragedy when the powers that be in Japan decided that despite a loyal and increasingly large following, Subaru Brumbys no longer fitted in with Subaru’s future marketing image, and that it was not worth making the necessary alterations to the engine to comply with updated anti-pollution emission legislation. Secondhand Subaru Brumbys are still available and they command relatively good prices, though most have been around the block a time or two. We only sold ours because we had to buy a vehicle that seated more than 2 people – i.e. we needed a vehicle that we could stick a baby seat into. If Subaru Brumbys were made again, we’d buy one in a flash. For second hand Subaru spare parts (especially for superceded models, dating back to 1984), you can’t beat Sunspares Parts Plus at Yandina, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Larger, heavier 4-wheel-drive utes are now king in the north. Toyota Landcruisers are the common workhorses on northern cattle stations, where the high-clearance is useful to cross flooded wet season gullies, deep boggy patches, thick bulldust and soft sand; and higher clearance also means less damage to the chassis on rough rocky roads. There are other brands in the bush – Landrovers and Nissans, in particular, but Toyota is definitely king, even where a cheaper 2wd would do a perfectly adequate job. Toyota Landcruisers are relatively expensive to buy and to run but they are considered to be the most durable and reliable for driving long distances on unmade roads. And because there are so many Landcruisers about, finding spare parts and tyres is much cheaper and easier.
Ford F100s and Ford 250s are also popular with remote area residents who want a large vehicle to travel to and from town, without actually moving up into a truck. F100s and 250s have enough grunt to carry a lot of weight in the tray or tow a large gooseneck or trailer around the sticks, with ease. But they are thirsty beasts – not cheap to buy or run. And they definitely aren’t an ideal town car – standard-sized car parks present problems and the turning circle is not what you’d call neat. They really are more like small trucks than utes. I’ve never seen one used to get from A to B within a cattle station or farm, as a matter of habit. They are usually used to travel from the station into town or elsewhere, on public roads. Ford F100s and F250s aren’t common, but people who do own them absolutely love them. Like the Subaru Brumby, they are unique – there is nothing else like them on the market. (Chevrolet and Dodge vehicles have to date been almost non-existent in Australia.)
In recent years ‘ute musters’ have proliferated, and there are prizes for the best looking utes, best working utes, best old utes, most feral utes, best shiela’s ute – etc. The Deniliquin (Deni) ‘Play on the Plains’ Festival hosts an annual ‘Ute Muster’which in 2007 set the world record for the highest number of legally registered utes gathered together – 6,235.
Allan M Nixon is the famous ‘Ute Man’ who has judged innumerable ute competitions, written many books and magazine articles, and he ran the immensely popular ‘Ute Man’ website. However after 8 years of passionate toil on his favourite subject, Allan Nixon retired, moving on to other projects, in 2006. His website is sorely missed by a legion of devotees, it was unique. ‘Beaut Utes’ is the closest equivalent.
Tags: Australian Utes