Level 10 - 500 Queen Street Brisbane QLD Australia
History
Great Western commenced business in Toowoomba in 1934, by Mr J.C. (Cyril) Anderson, C.B.E., when he bought a two ton truck to carry goods from Brisbane to his general store and garage in Toowoomba. By 1936, he was operating four vehicles. This business eventually became Western Transport, which operated Australia wide using 100 prime movers, 100 other trucks, 340 semi-trailers, 14 refrigerated trailers, bulk fuel tankers and many other pieces of specialised equipment.
Development of the Great Western Group of companies stemmed from the growth of Western Transport, with the first venture being entry into the marketing of motor vehicles in 1953, when Westco Motors was formed. During the next period, various existing companies were added to the group and in 1972, Leader Trucks Australia was established.
Development of the Great Western Group of companies stemmed from the growth of Western Transport, with the first venture being entry into the marketing of motor vehicles in 1953, when Westco Motors was formed. During the next period, various existing companies were added to the group and in 1972, Leader Trucks Australia was established.
The 1970's saw the business enter directly into the agricultural sector, with the establishment of Great Western Tillage. This complemented the manufacturing business greatly by having the ability to manufacture the tillage equipment directly, giving control over the Tillage business's supply chain. The acquisition of Excel Agriculture in 1996 greatly expanded the group's agricultural offering and capability, expanding the product set available to the workers of the land.
1998 saw the expansion of the Trucking business, which was solely in Toowoomba at that stage, with the acquisition of what became known as Westco Truck Sales Rockhampton. This marked the start of the Queensland regional expansion of the trucking business. Mackay was added to the group in 2006, and in 2009 the Queensland regional spread was complete with the addition of Cairns and Townsville.
Drawing from the deep experience in the group across manufacturing and truck sales, the group took hold of an opportunity in 2005 to establish Leader Truck Bodies. The market had pent up demand for a consistent, quality built product in this space, which could be manufactured in a timely fashion. This became another highly complementary product to our group's range. In 2023 the decision was made to cease the manufacturing of Leader Truck Bodies.
1998 saw the expansion of the Trucking business, which was solely in Toowoomba at that stage, with the acquisition of what became known as Westco Truck Sales Rockhampton. This marked the start of the Queensland regional expansion of the trucking business. Mackay was added to the group in 2006, and in 2009 the Queensland regional spread was complete with the addition of Cairns and Townsville.
Drawing from the deep experience in the group across manufacturing and truck sales, the group took hold of an opportunity in 2005 to establish Leader Truck Bodies. The market had pent up demand for a consistent, quality built product in this space, which could be manufactured in a timely fashion. This became another highly complementary product to our group's range. In 2023 the decision was made to cease the manufacturing of Leader Truck Bodies.
The tillage business has seen expansion over time, when in 2006 GV Cultivation and McCoy Tillage were acquired, as well as more recently in 2010 when Agpoint Australia was a highly successful addition to the group. The addition of Agpoint Australia greatly enhanced the reach throughout Australia our Tillage business could achieve. During 2023, our GW Tillage brand was merged into Agpoint Australia to create a strong, unified national brand.
2017 and 2018 brought change to the Truck Sales business, as the decision was made to divest the dealerships located in Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Toowoomba. This saw GWC exit from its rich history in Truck Sales.
The Truck Sales and Manufacturing sites in Toowoomba became the original base of the property group, as core Industrial properties. Then as businesses were acquired to expand the group, it was often the case that the land was procured also, if it was the right fit. This included a number of the original regional Queensland Truck Sales sites, as well as Agpoint in South Australia. Some of the industrial properties were exited as the Truck Sales business was exited.
Other property projects were completed during the property group's life, such as the iconic Q1 tower joint venture on Queensland's Gold Coast, at the time the world's tallest residential building, having a project value in excess of $420 million. The property group evolved over the years, with expansion into quality commercial property. Various A grade commercial assets have been held during the last 25 years, taking various market opportunities to invest or divest particular assets. However, a core group of quality property assets will continue to be held and form the base of the property portfolio.
Moving forward, Great Western Corporation will continue to build on its extensive abilities and depth of experience, seeking to identify and focus on further opportunities to grow the group, organically or via acquisition. GWC is focussed on servicing customers in the agriculture, mining, public utilities, manufacturing and transport industries, providing customers with market driven value propositions that enhance their businesses.
2017 and 2018 brought change to the Truck Sales business, as the decision was made to divest the dealerships located in Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Toowoomba. This saw GWC exit from its rich history in Truck Sales.
The Truck Sales and Manufacturing sites in Toowoomba became the original base of the property group, as core Industrial properties. Then as businesses were acquired to expand the group, it was often the case that the land was procured also, if it was the right fit. This included a number of the original regional Queensland Truck Sales sites, as well as Agpoint in South Australia. Some of the industrial properties were exited as the Truck Sales business was exited.
Other property projects were completed during the property group's life, such as the iconic Q1 tower joint venture on Queensland's Gold Coast, at the time the world's tallest residential building, having a project value in excess of $420 million. The property group evolved over the years, with expansion into quality commercial property. Various A grade commercial assets have been held during the last 25 years, taking various market opportunities to invest or divest particular assets. However, a core group of quality property assets will continue to be held and form the base of the property portfolio.
Moving forward, Great Western Corporation will continue to build on its extensive abilities and depth of experience, seeking to identify and focus on further opportunities to grow the group, organically or via acquisition. GWC is focussed on servicing customers in the agriculture, mining, public utilities, manufacturing and transport industries, providing customers with market driven value propositions that enhance their businesses.