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McFeeters Motor Museum
At the entrance is the Czechoslovakian 3 wheeled 1962 Velorex with a canvas body. After breakfast we went to the McFeeters Motor Museum just up the road, where we were greeted at the entrance by a little Czechoslovakian 3 wheel 1962 Velorex, with a canvas body! Most unusual.
Mr McFeeter had been a sheep farmer, now retired, whose hobby was collecting old cars. He had quite a few that were on loan and 40, which were his own cars. They included vintage and veteran cars, some Rolls Royces, a Kia Elan prototype with a plastic body and even a brightly painted car called “Barbie” with $5,000 worth of 24 carat gold plate on its fittings!
The cars were displayed in a large carpeted purpose-designed building with windows and a strong inside balcony but, smart man for thinking ahead, he told us it was actually the fully insulated shell for a 2 storey motel and could be easily modified by his family in the future. He obviously wasn’t short of a bob or two as the collection, building and upkeep would have cost a fortune.
The cars were all beautifully restored and kept in immaculate condition with all but one in working order and regularly used in parades and shows. Besides being
McFeeters Motor Museum, Forbes
My favourite was a really early RV - the Lamsteed KampKar, which could fit onto any car. In this case it was put on a 1915 Model T Ford. carpeted, something we’ve never seen in a motor museum before, he and his wife had created a very different display by having 40 mannequins dressed in clothes that matched the vehicles they “owned” both in period and style. They even changed them to suit the season. Mr McFeeter told us that they kept a cupboard full of clothes and had just last week reclothed the models for winter, so most of the ladies had furs.
He was a real character, in his 80s, and loved to talk about his cars and their histories. He took a small group of us around and told us the back stories of some of the vehicles and their previous owners, many well known to him.
Barry was fascinated by the 1959 Ford Skyliner 500 which was huge, a lovely blue colour and had a hard top roof that folded back into the boot using 16 motors and one push of a button. It only left room for a small box structure as a boot that you could put things into!
My favourite was the Lamsteed KampKar which could fit onto the back of a vehicle, in this case a 1915 Model
McFeeters Motor Museum, Forbes
A Lincoln Continental that has been turned into a Japanese Funeral Car (a hearse) for dignitaries. T Ford. The sides and back all folded out to accommodate the two beds and the kitchen. It came complete with cases especially designed to hold beautifully packed equipment, one for cooking utensils, one for eating utensils and another for the cooker itself. I had no idea people were RVing so long ago!
Another highlight was the Lincoln Continental that had been turned into a hearse (funeral car) for Japanese dignitaries. It was highly ornate both inside and out. (Not sure why the inside ceiling needed to be so beautiful as the only thing in there is the coffin and one would hope the occupant couldn’t see it!)
I learned one other thing about life on a big property from the museum. There was a really rusty 1935 Morris 8 car with a few children mannequins in it. It seems the family that owned it had it fitted with a one gallon tank and then the children (from about age 10) would drive it to the road at the end of their property to catch the school bus every morning, leaving the car inside the fence. After school they’d drive it back home again. The small tank meant
McFeeters Motor Museum, Forbes
The inside of the Japanese hearse. Who would get to see all this beauty? You have to be leaning right inside to see the ceiling. the kids couldn’t take it for a jaunt on public roads. It seems many large property owners still do the same with their kids. Who knew!
Their souvenir shop had some fun toys in it too, including a remote car that could drive up walls and ceilings, and a hover ball. Next door was a Honey Shop and Cafe so we enjoyed coffee and a delicious moist Honey and Date Slice. They had a lot of different honeys to sample but not, unfortunately, my favourite Stringy Bark Honey. I tried a few but they were all too sweet for me. I did buy some Feijoa and Macadamia Jelly, though, which sounds delicious.
Next we popped into the Platypus Gallery in town. It displays artworks by local artists and some were lovely, especially the scenic ones. I wish I was a millionaire – I’d love to buy lots of the paintings and sculptures. There’s no room for them in the van either and you can’t take photos. Another one for the memory!
Back at the van, we had lunch and hitched up to move half an hour up the road to Spicer Park Caravan Park in
McFeeters Motor Museum, Forbes
Mr McFeeter next to one of his treaures, and one of Barry's favourites. This is the 1959 Ford Skyliner 500 with the amazing mechanism to fold back the hard top roof into the boot using 16 motors and one push of the button. Parkes, where we will spend the next two nights.
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