OpenTube

What's left of Ford Australia now?

Fogarty Avenue

29,508 views

It was yet another cold spring morning in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
By now most people had made their way to work, the kids were in class and the morning rush was dying down. But unknowingly to a lot of Australians that morning, the Australia they woke up to wouldn’t be the same Australia by bed time. The dominos had finally fallen.
In the unassuming northern suburbs of Melbourne an event was taking place that would not only change the face of Australian motoring forever but the nation as a whole.
At approximately 9:30am on the 7th of October 2016 the last ever Australian made Ford rolled off the assembly line in Broadmeadows.
The lonely Falcon slowly rolled past a group of production line workers, executives and journalists who looked on with a sense of pride and also despair.

Hundreds of thousands of people over almost a century had a part in making that final car.
Dreams formed it, Generations built it, but now the joy ride was finally over.

With 91 years of local production now in the rear view mirror, what was next for Ford Australia?
Was this the end? Or just the beginning of a new chapter of Australian innovation?
What would happen to the multiple sprawling manufacturing facilities and the countless third party part suppliers that were dependent on ford?
What would happen to communities that were built around Ford?
As the last falcon left the line no one really knew.

“Hello my name is Les from Fogarty Avenue”
And I love Australian automotive history so I hit the road in a trusty old Falcon to document what is left of Ford Australia’s once Mighty Australian manufacturing presence 10 years after it came to a close. We will visit Geelong and Broadmeadows to survey the damage and to see what exciting work is still happening there today.
We will also see the now silent buildings that once housed fords absolutely ferrous performance and racing divisions including one that was once so secret it even Henry wasn’t told about it.
There are so many places around Victoria that once had a connection to Ford.
There's even a French connection.
But I’m not just interested in empty buildings, along the way we will discover the fascinating stories of the people that made ford, built there lives around ford and how their ongoing legacy still lives on today beyond ford.
This is what remains of Ford Australia in 2026… 10 years after Australian manufacturing ceased.

FOGARTY AVENUE
Railway history channel: @fogartyavenuetrains
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fogartyaven...
Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.com.au/fogar...
Patreon: Patreon: FogartyAvenue
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/1344351...
Facebook: Facebook: fogartyavenue

DISCLAMER
WARNING:
Exploring abandoned buildings, drains and railway property is dangerous and most-times ILLEGAL. Fogarty Avenue do not endorse these activities.
FOGARTY AVENUE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

Fogarty Avenue takes only pictures and leaves only footprints and breaks nothing but silence. So should you!!!

EGG-JOY!

20 Comments

@dsrowan 8 hours ago Pinned

The Godfrey Hirst building was knows as ‘plant 5’ where cast iron items were machined to final spec. Then delivered to the ‘plant 2’ engine plant up the path, or straight to Broadmeadows for the suspension/brake type components.

@SS-yw7vo 13 hours ago

They had the best 6 cylinder engine in the world and just walked away from it.

@davidshanahan5134 12 hours ago

I'm a Holden guy, and the demise of Ford production, and Toyota.....and Mitsubishi.....and Nissan.....and so on, hits me just about as hard as the loss of Holden. I just can't get excited by a Kia or a BYD 😮‍💨

@yorakhunt69 12 hours ago

great video mate

@TheBanditUte 12 hours ago

The amount of effort you made for this video is amazing, hope you get big one day.

@jeffreywhitehead9386 9 hours ago

That was seriously well put together. Thank you so much.

@avieckers5512 15 hours ago

This is genuinely your best video ever

@garrylallan 9 hours ago

excellent video at many levels.. I am pleased that you have recorded this element of Australian industrial heritage

@munrojumpers 15 hours ago

Brilliant research, well done Les

@avieckers5512 14 hours ago

The Ford video that you posted today is genuinely your best one like the way he was edited the shots. Everything the voice it was incredible.. Like the historic photos . It's was amazing

@jimquinn6684 7 hours ago

Yeah, my neighbor bought a 2013 fg6 sedan brand new when he retired. It was his pride and joy. Apparently top of the line for the Barra i6 model. He'd occasionally take his wife to the local market or to the tavern for a beer before supper, and it truly meant a lot to him. Sadly, his wife passed in 2019 and it left a hole in the old bloke's heart. He started driving his falcon less and less until one day he was rear ended by a Landcruiser and bent the rear end in. Me and the old man helped fix the damage and source a good painter to match the paint for him, but he didn't feel like he wanted to drive it anymore. Until last year, his health was on the decline and he had a bad fall. Luckily he's still kicking, but a lot less mobile now-a-days. And since his accident(s) he had neglected to maintain his pride and joy falcon and really just left it rot in his shed. We couldn't see him without a falcon, it was part of his identity to be honest. So me and the old man started looking around for a second hand falcon for a decent price. We ended up finding a 2001 AU falcon ute which was unmolested and very tidy. I even drove it home (with the mandatory 2nd gear burnout on "private property" which old mate was pretty impressed by). So he kept on driving that up until present day when he reckons he would like Dad to take ownership of his 2013 fg6 sedan when he passes. As morbid as that is, Old mate is pretty happy for us to keep his pride and joy (as no other relative is very interested, nor knowledgeable in motor vehicles to care for it, they'd be more interested in selling it for quick cash) so me and the old man would be a perfect new home for the weapon. Anyway, very sad to see Ford go, even a decade later it still is weird knowing that these Aussie made cars are never going to be made here again. Cheers for the video Fog, and Cheers for the read.

@trevorjohnston9504 12 hours ago (edited)

I worked for ford’s in Geelong from 1983 -2016 in the press shop/toolroom and shipping and can answer most of your questions the aluminium casting plant is where the window place is now they cast transfer cases and cylinder head up until ford’s started importing them from Mexico the road between the chassis plant and the main plant was for maintenance access and ford’s used to run a internal bus service between the plants the road from the lower car park to Melbourne road was closed because of the condition of the bridge and for safety of cars exiting the plant the new building on Melbourne road was built on the site the main canteen/locker room and technical inspection used to be I have videos on here and pictures and videos on google maps under my name my father worked at the casting plant for a year before moving to Alcoa a point Henry in 1964,my younger brother worked there for about 10 years and now works in the maintenance department at the Newport rail work shop you also forgot to mention Henderson spring works which made springs and seats for ford’s, Holden and Toyota it was next to the glass manufacture which was also the former class weave site

@josh-q3p 7 hours ago (edited)

Ok after watching this now I am definitely never letting my 2 falcons go.... I felt a bit gloomy on this day marking 10 years... This was a brilliant presentation. Hell did we lose something great or what 😢

@AlbanyHermes 13 hours ago

Such an amazing video. I’m holding my FG Falcon close today for the 10 year anniversary

@gonkfrog 8 hours ago

Great editing. Its good to see someone covering these Australian topics with such passion

@RichardPhillips-c1u 10 hours ago

Awesome and emotionally charged. This video is a credit to you. I was employed with Ford (indirectly at the customer service centre) through the AU to FG days. Still feel the lose of our local car manufacturing. Looking forward to your next video. I didn't realise the depth and history of Ford in Geelong. Thanks.

@kate_lloyd 15 hours ago

Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for all the effort in putting this together.

@BlairKelly-t7i 5 hours ago

Wow! What a great video thank you! Keep up the great work.

@MrTarrZZann 9 hours ago

Fantastic video mate. With regard to the aluminium casting plant, my brother used to work there. I have a vague memory of him giving me a tour of his workplace one night and I’m sure it was located somewhere within the rear of the Northern section of the main building in Norlane. He worked for Ford for some 24 years in many locations including Product Engineering, and the You Yangs proving ground.
RIP big brother Pete 🫶