Site History

A proud heritage.

The proving ground was originally owned by International Harvester, a manufacturing company of trucks, tractors, agricultural machinery and construction equipment, founded in the United States. The company established itself in Australia in the early 1900’s as a distributor, however only began manufacturing agricultural equipment in Geelong in 1939 and trucks in Dandenong in 1952.  After production started it became clear to company engineers that a test site was needed to develop their products specifically for the Australian market. In 1961 International Harvester bought a 1000-hectare site in Anglesea, and construction of the proving ground began.  

Linfox purchased the proving ground from International Harvester in 1991 and originally used the site for driver training for its employees. Establishment of the Australian Automotive Research Centre soon followed, with foundations laid by International Harvester built upon and expanded to create what is today the largest privately owned and independently operated automotive testing facility in Australia.

AARC are very proud of their heritage and the history the site holds. Click play to hear the story of AARC from someone who has seen it all!