Our History
In the late 1950s a couple of adventurous truck drivers visited Kenworth’s factory in America and before long, fully built Kenworths were being imported to Australia. In 1970 a Kenworth manufacturing plant opened in Bayswater, Melbourne and in March 1971 the first Australian-made Kenworth came off the line.
Today we continue to celebrate the milestones, product releases, customer handovers and events that make up the proud history we have of Australian manufacturing.
Adventurous Australians George Blomfield and Ed Cameron imported the first, fully-built Kenworth from the United States.
Kenworth’s 56,000 square foot factory and office complex opened in the outer eastern suburb of Bayswater in Melbourne, Victoria.
The first Australian-made Kenworth – a cabover K125CR – rolled off the production line. We used locally manufactured parts wherever possible. Kenworth’s W900AR and W900SR were introduced.
We introduced a computerised inventory management system, making customising our trucks easier, and began exporting fully-built Kenworths overseas
The W900SAR was introduced marking a turning point for local design and engineering. It was the first fully Australian-designed Kenworth.
Each Kenworth ever built tells the unique story of our customers’ hard work and determination.
From the dusty outback to the bustling city streets, Kenworth’s legacy in Australia is etched into the hearts of countless drivers.
