Caterpillar® spent 2025 celebrating with its dealers and customers around Australia as the world-famous machinery brand turned 100
From its origins in 1925 to its present-day innovations, Caterpillar has helped shape infrastructure, mining, agriculture and energy across continents.
The journey from tracks to triumph began with the merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company and the C.L. Best Tractor Co. in 1925.
Inspired by the movement of its track-type tractors, the name ‘Caterpillar’ was born – symbolising strength, adaptability and progress.
Australasia joins the celebration
Across Australia and New Zealand last year Cat® dealers hosted a series of events that honoured the brand’s legacy and future.
WesTrac Cat leads the charge in WA, NSW and ACT
WesTrac showcased the brand’s evolution at major expos like the National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo.
Held in Sydney, visitors experienced hands-on demos, interactive family zones and the unveiling of the all-new Cat 285 – the largest Cat compact track loader to date, with a lift height of 3.7m and a lift capacity exceeding three tonnes.
WesTrac also celebrated internally and with customers through storytelling campaigns, video retrospectives and historical displays.
CEO Jarvas Croome highlighted dual milestones: 100 years of Caterpillar and 35 years of WesTrac as a Cat dealer in WA, noting over 20,000 machines delivered and 47,000 customers supported.
Hastings Deering celebrates in Queensland
Queensland’s Cat dealer Hastings Deering marked the centenary with social media tributes, customer events and community engagement, recognising every machine delivery and service call as part of the 100-year journey.
Cavpower brings history to life in South Australia
Partnering with the History Festival, Cavpower hosted a centenary event in Hartley, featuring live demonstrations of vintage Holt and Caterpillar machines – bringing the brand’s legacy to life for the public.
William Adams showcases progress in Victoria and Tasmania
William Adams celebrated with historic displays, competitions and community events, including a presence at Agfest 2025.
Antique machines stood beside the latest Cat models, illustrating a century of technological advancement.
Wheels at Wanaka sets a world record with Terra Cat
The 2025 Wheels at Wanaka event aligned perfectly with the Caterpillar 100-year celebrations and featured a world record attempt for the largest parade of Cat dozers.
Enthusiasts from across New Zealand brought vintage and modern equipment ‘out of the shed’ for a spectacular tribute.
Grassroots gatherings across the regions
From Kingaroy to Kojonup, local communities hosted vintage tractor displays and storytelling events.
Beckett’s Museum in Tasmania featured the largest collection of Cat machinery ever assembled on the island, celebrating the brand’s role in earthmoving, mining, forestry and even Antarctic exploration.
Centennial collectibles: machinery with meaning
To mark the milestone, Cat dealers offered limited-edition machines in historic grey – echoing the original colour of early models.
NSW-based Daracon Group added a Centennial Grey 432 backhoe loader to its fleet, one of just 25 produced globally.
Daracon’s Cory Hay praised the alignment between the Cat brand and Daracon’s values of quality and efficiency, calling the commemorative machine a symbol of a decades-long partnership.
Special centennial editions of the Cat 938 wheel loader also featured in the Caterpillar Global Operator Challenge across Australia, combining vintage aesthetics with technology like Cat Payload, Cat Detect and advanced cab comfort.
One of the commemorative Cat 938s became a prized possession of Queensland’s Coburn Sand & Gravel, a family business set up 40 years ago by John and David Coburn.
Sister company C&C Civil co-owner Claire Watt says David picked it up himself from the Hastings Deering branch and drove it home.
“That was quite a special moment for David because it’s been his life’s dream to have a big, good-looking loader like that. It was a really nice moment to stand back and look at it and know that it’s ours,” she says.
100 years strong — and just getting started
From global expos to local parades, the centenary celebrations reflected a legacy built on innovation, reliability and community.
With Cat dealers leading the charge, the brand’s next century promises even greater impact across industries and generations.
Voices from the ground
As part of the celebrations, Earthmovers & Excavators and sister publication Earthmoving Equipment Magazine spotlighted the stories of customers who’ve built careers, businesses and communities with the help of Cat machinery.
From national parks to quarries, from solo operators to multi-generational businesses, Cat machinery continues to support Australians who build, dig and innovate. These stories are a testament to the brand’s legacy – and its future.
Western Australia: building roads and legacies
In John Forrest National Park, Proform Civil took on its largest project to date – constructing an access road through steep bushland.
Owner Dale Weerts relied on a GPS-equipped Cat 325 excavator to navigate elevation changes and protect native trees.
“I honestly couldn’t have done it without it,” he says. “Everywhere that bucket went, I could see exactly where I needed to be on the screen.”
Rodney Young, Founder of Youngs Earthmoving, has built his family business around Cat machinery for nearly five decades.
“Nothing else matches the performance, longevity, reliability and resale value of Cat machines,” he says.
Dave Kais of Kais Hire calls Cat “the Rolls Royce of the machinery industry”, citing unmatched operator preference and dependable service.
“No one wanted to operate anything that wasn’t Cat when I was younger, because it’s the best,” he says.
Queensland: digging deep with confidence
At a hard rock quarry in Yatala, Crushing Dynamics relies on Cat excavators, loaders and trucks to handle tough terrain.
“They’ve got the power to move that rock, which is great,” quarry manager Bob Campbell says.
Kompliance Founder Tory Ogden has transformed Cat 301.5 mini excavators into mobile monitoring systems, using remote controls and VisionLink for safe, efficient operation.
“Caterpillar’s Next Gen range has a lot of useful technology we utilise for controlling the system,” he says.
New South Wales: innovation on the road and trail
From a single Cat RM-250C to a fleet of 200 machines, Stabilcorp has grown into a major player in NSW road rehabilitation. Its Cat RM500Bs and PM310 cold planers are key to time-efficient operations.
“When you’re on a square metre rate, it’s all about time efficiency – and Caterpillar is second to none,” owner Brendan Pinson says.
Former bike racer Josh Green uses a Cat 301.7 mini excavator to carve trails into steep terrain.
“With other brands, I couldn’t dig through tough soil. With the Cat excavator, it’s been no problem,” he says.
Victoria: family businesses fuelled by Cat
For nearly 50 years, Pengelly’s Earthmoving has relied on Cat machinery from local Cat dealer William Adams.
Third-generation operator Jack Pengelly recalls the company’s first major job – cleaning up after the West Gate Bridge collapse using a Cat 955K traxcavator.
“The business snowballed from there,” Jack says. “They started doing estate and road projects all through Werribee.”
With a 1974 Cat 130G grader still in operation, Pengelly’s fleet is a testament to durability.
“To have something that old still running – and still able to get parts – shows how tough Cat machines are.”
Hutchings Plant Hire Director Mark Hutchings has been a lifelong fan of Cat bulldozers. His enthusiasm has now been passed on to his two sons, creating a multi-generational connection to the brand.
“We’ve got more than 20 vintage Cat machines, including D2s and D4s,” Mark says. “Some restored, some for parts – but the collection keeps growing.”
Mark also showcases his vintage fleet at events run by the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club, keeping history alive for future generations.
South Australia: from one bulldozer to a fleet of 100
Based in Stanley Flat, SC Heinrich has grown from a single Cat RD4 bulldozer to a fleet of over 100 machines.
Managing director Malcolm Heinrich fondly remembers the company’s first new Cat purchase – a 922B wheel loader in 1968.
“We always called it the big loader – until the 936E came along,” Malcolm says. “We still have the 922 and plan to restore it one day.”
Even in community projects, Cat machines are front and centre.
“There’s nothing better than rolling up to a working bee with a Cat machine – usually bigger than the job needs,” he laughs. “We’ve got Cat hats, Cat clothes, Cat socks – even a Cat shovel.”
Tasmania: mining success in rugged terrain
For more than 55 years, Grange Resources has operated the Savage River mine in Tasmania’s rugged West Coast.
With more than 50 Cat machines on site – including 20-year-old mining trucks – the operation depends on the reliability of Cat equipment and support from Cat dealer William Adams.
“Rain, hail, snow, shine – those machines have delivered,” COO Ben Maynard says. “We’ve used the full suite: diggers, dozers, graders, trucks and excavators.”
The harsh conditions haven’t slowed the fleet down, proving the durability and performance of Cat machinery in even the toughest environments.
A century of impact, a future of possibility
From vintage restorations to large-scale mining operations, these stories reflect the deep connection between Australian businesses and Cat machinery.
As the brand celebrates 100 years, it’s clear that the legacy lives on – not just in machines but in the people who operate them.
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