Transport developments in the 1920s had far reaching effects.
Early in the decade the roads were so rough that orchardists complained their fruit was being bruised on the way to the cannery.
One resident recalled seeing more than 20 wagons, each drawn by two horses, waiting outside the cannery to see if their (bruised) fruit could be processed.
Orchardists campaigned for bitumen roads, but in the interim, sought their own solution and banded together to sand the roads themselves.
By the end of the decade their wagons, lorries, springcarts, buggies and gigs were being sufficiently replaced by motor vehicles to stimulate the move towards bitumen roads, which was just as well because the streets in the town did not have bitumen until after 1927.
Tractors were steadily taking over from horses on the farms and orchards.
With a team of 24 working horses, each with its own name and stall, the Thompson brothers were cropping up to 500 acres of wheat from their farm at Congupna; but as early as 1914 they bought a John Deere tractor and sold two of their horse teams.
This trend gained momentum in the prosperous 1920s, although not by any means to the extent of eliminating the need for horses, which were still widely used in the 1930s.
The Shepparton Heritage Centre is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested, contact the centre on 4831 8659.
