Bonzle Collections - Cars

1902 Trevethan, the first car made in Queensland.

contributed by QldPics, taken in 1902
(contact QldPics about this picture)

The Trevethan is a motor buggy based around a 1 1/2 horsepower, single cylinder De Dion engine, and is thought to be the first Queensland-made car. It was made by Thomas and Walter Trevethan in their Coach Works in Neil Street, Toowoomba in 1901-2, largely to their own design. In 1903 it was driven down the Toowoomba range and on to the coast at Redcliffe, north of Brisbane. The lack of suitable oils for engine lubrication and a primitive transmission brake which operated through a chain to the rear wheels made such extended journeys a great challenge. The car was seriously damaged after being charged by bullocks in 1915 and subsequently spent many years lying in sheds and under houses, but has now been restored by veteran car enthusiast Ross Flewell-Smith, and is part of the RACQ's 'Bulldust to Bitumen...and Beyond' touring exhibition. The photo caption reads: 'The car in Toowoomba after completion'.