Transport World facts for kids
| Formation | December 2015 |
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| Founder | Bill Richardson |
| Founded at | Dart Street, Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Type | Transport attraction |
| Purpose | Display collection, attraction, education, events |
| Location |
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| Owners | Jocelyn and Scott O'Donnell |
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Parent organization
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HWR Group |
| Affiliations | Bill Richardson Transport World Classic Motorcycle Mecca |
Bill Richardson Transport World
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| Former name | Bill Richardson Truck Museum |
|---|---|
| Established | December 2015 |
| Location | 491 Tay Street, Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Type | Transport attraction |
| Collections | Vehicles, machinery, petrol pumps, transport memorabilia, wearable art, social history |
| Founder | Bill Richardson |
| Owner | Jocelyn and Scott O'Donnell |
| Former name | NZ Classic Motorcycles |
|---|---|
| Established | 23 November 2016 |
| Location | 25 Tay Street, Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Type | Motorcycle collection |
| Collections | Approx. 300 motorcycles and 80 motorcycle-related artworks |
| Founder | Tom Burgess |
| Owner | Scott and Jocelyn O'Donnell |
Transport World is a cool place in Invercargill, New Zealand. It's all about showing off amazing vehicles and offering fun activities. This organization helps New Zealand tourism.
Transport World has four main parts:
- Bill Richardson Transport World
- Classic Motorcycle Mecca
- Lodges at Transport World
- Dig This Invercargill
Bill Richardson Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca are huge displays of old vehicles. They have over 300 vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles. You can also find interactive activities there. The Lodges at Transport World offer comfy apartments for visitors. Dig This Invercargill lets you drive real diggers and heavy machines! Both Bill Richardson Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca have cafes. You can grab a bite at The Grille Café or Meccaspresso Café.
Contents
Bill Richardson Transport World
Bill Richardson Transport World is a massive place, about 15,000 square meters. It's packed with vehicles and other transport-related items. There's a special area for kids to build and play. You can also find a library focused on transport history. This place also hosts events and conferences. They even show off unique wearable art and items from social history. Some cool things to see include three of John Britten's special bikes. One of them is the V1000 Cardinal. They also have a very rare 1940 Dodge Airflow truck.
How it Started
Bill Richardson was a businessman from Southland. He started a transport company called Southern Transport. His company grew into a big group called HWR Group. Bill loved trucks so much that he sometimes bought them just because they were cool. His collection of old trucks began in 1967. By the time he passed away in 2005, he had 150 vehicles. This included trucks and farm machines. He also collected old petrol pumps and other transport items like signs and toy models.
In 2015, Bill's daughter Jocelyn and her husband Scott O'Donnell decided to share the collection. They built a new part of the building. Bill Richardson Transport World officially opened in November 2015.
Amazing Collections
Bill and his family gathered many rare and special vehicles. They also have popular classic cars and trucks. The collection ranges from a 1904 Ford Ac car to a 2016 Dub Box caravan.
The collections focus on:
- American trucks from before and after the wars
- British trucks from after the wars
- Kombi vans
- Ford cars made before the Model T
- Ford V8 cars
- Classic and modern race cars
- HWR company trucks
- Farm tractors and machinery
Vehicle Highlights
Many vehicles at Bill Richardson Transport World are rare or very important.
Some cool ones to see are:
- A 1940 Dodge RX70 Airflow truck: Only a few hundred were ever made. This is one of only three known to be restored in the world.
- 1914 Stewart 1 ton truck: This truck was built in Ohio, USA. It's believed to be the only one of its kind still existing.
- 1932 Mack BG: This was the first truck to use the famous Mack Bulldog mascot.
- 1907 Ford Model K car
- 1924 Gotfredson 20B truck
- 1936 Maple Leaf HY: This is an unusual Chevrolet truck made in Canada. It has a Maple Leaf badge.
- 1962 Kenworth Log Skidder
- 1974 Begg 018 Formula 5000
Special Exhibitions
Bill Richardson Transport World has several cool exhibitions:
- Pork Pie Corner: This area shows extra scenes from the 2017 Pork Pie movie. You can see real movie props, like the 2016 Mini Cooper S used in filming.
- Richardson Family Story: This exhibit tells the history of the Richardson family. It shows how they came to New Zealand and what life was like in early New Zealand.
- Ford Exhibition: Learn all about the Ford Motor Company and its founder, Henry Ford.
- Mobil Exhibition: Discover the history of Mobil fuel. It started as Standard Oil and is now part of ExxonMobil.
- Wearable Art: See amazing art pieces you can wear! These come from FibreOctave, an event in Invercargill.
Fun Interactive Activities
Bill Richardson Transport World has many hands-on things to do:
- Construction Zone: A room for kids filled with Lego and tablets. These tablets have fun educational games.
- Pork Pie Police Car: This is a real police car used in the Pork Pie movie. It's one of the few old police cars that still has its original parts.
- Replica Goodbye Pork Pie Mini: See a rebuilt 1978 British Leyland Mini 1000 car. It looks just like it did at the end of the movie, with parts missing.
- Jail Scene: Step into a mock jail set with a 1925 Ford TT Replica Paddy Wagon. Kids can dress up and pretend to be prisoners.
- Majestic Theatre: A copy of Invercargill's old Majestic Theatre. It plays classic movies.
Classic Motorcycle Mecca
Classic Motorcycle Mecca displays motorcycles on two floors. It's in a beautifully restored old building in Invercargill's city center. You can also see motorcycle-related artwork here.
How it Started
The Classic Motorcycle Mecca collection began in 2008. That's when Tom Sturgess bought a 1965 Triumph Cub. By 2014, he had almost 300 motorcycles! He also had over 80 pieces of art about motorcycles. In 2016, Tom and Heather Sturgess decided to sell their collection. Jocelyn and Scott O'Donnell bought most of the bikes and art. They moved the collection to two old warehouses in Invercargill. Classic Motorcycle Mecca opened in late 2016.
Amazing Motorcycles
The motorcycles at Classic Motorcycle Mecca are from different time periods. They range from a 1902 Motosacoche to a unique 2007 Vincent Black Shadow.
Some special bikes to see include:
- 1930 Henderson KJ
- 1937 Brough Superior SS100
- 1928 Indian 101
- 1928 Indian Scout
- 1941 Indian Chief
- Six Norton Manx bikes
- Several BMW R series bikes
- Four Ariel Square Fours
- 1960 BSA Super Rocket Gold Star
- 1936 Harley Davidson Knucklehead
Cool Artwork
The museum also has great artwork. Highlights include the La Motosacoche – Brevetée en Tous Pays Poster. There are also many other pieces from the early 1900s.
The Lodges At Transport World
The Lodges at Transport World offer comfortable places to stay for visitors. They have six apartments, each with two bedrooms. The Lodges opened in mid-2017. Graeme and Esther Bradford manage them.
Dig This Invercargill
Dig This Invercargill is a fun attraction. It's like the popular Dig This Las Vegas in the USA. Here, anyone can safely operate real diggers and heavy construction machines. It was planned to open in late 2017.
