Town saved from flooding 70 years ago sets vintage tractor record

Crowds admired 110 "little grey Fergie" tractors during the King's Birthday long weekend in Wentworth. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)

The south-west New South Wales town of Wentworth was saved from flooding in 1956.

Farmers used Ferguson TEA20 tractors to create levee banks to protect the town from the rapidly rising Murray and Darling rivers.

Wentworth has set a record for the most "little grey" Ferguson tractors in the same location.

The south-west New South Wales town of Wentworth is celebrating the ingenuity of a revolutionary tractor 70 years on from a flood that almost wiped it out.

The Ferguson TEA20 tractor, affectionately known as the "little grey", reshaped farming in many Australian communities in the 1940s and 1950s.

Ferguson tractors played an integral role in saving the town of Wentworth from flooding in 1956. (ABC News: Sarah Buchecker)

Small and lightweight, the little grey Fergie had a three-point rear linkage system, allowing farmers to place a variety of implements on the back.

Among the accessories was an earth scoop which could be lifted, tilted and dumped using the tractor's hydraulic system.

It was the system that would prove crucial in saving a town rapidly taking on water.

Wentworth was once considered a potential location for Australia's capital.It was where the Murray River peaked at 9.75 metres in 1956 during the second-largest flood in Australia's history.

Farmers were encouraged by authorities to abandon the area, but they had an ace up their sleeve.

Ferguson TEA20 tractors had an innovative rear linkage system. (ABC News: Sarah Buchecker)

Wentworth became a town fortified by the resolve of residents who refused to let it be swallowed by the rising Murray and Darling rivers.

An army of little grey tractors sprung into action, quickly establishing clay levee banks to fight back against the unprecedented water levels.

Climbing, scooping and shifting the earth, the tractors were used around the clock to patch and strengthen the town-saving infrastructure.

Crowds marvel at the tractors that are still in working order. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)

Wentworth was ultimately saved from inundation, and the TEA20 Ferguson tractor earned its place in local folklore.

A memorial cairn stands proudly on the corner of the town's Adelaide and Adams streets, in tribute to the rallying cry "by God and by Fergie, we beat the flood".

Wentworth residents wanted to make history while marking 70 years since the victory.

During the town's flood rally on the 2026 King's Birthday weekend, it set a record for the largest gathering of littl