Some things get better with age, like cheese, whiskey and wine, but a fire tanker, maybe not so much.

However, members of the Muckatah Fire Brigade can now finally breathe a sigh of relief, with their 37-year-old Isuzu 3.2D two-wheel-drive tanker set to be replaced early next year.

District 22 assistant chief fire officer Rod Railton said the CFA replaced vehicles as, and when, it could within the budget it had available.

“Muckatah is first in line to receive a new appliance, which is expected to be delivered in February 2027,” he said.

“Muckatah’s tanker had some recent upgrades, including lighting, livery and a new pump, which will ensure the truck remains fit for purpose until the arrival of their new appliance.”

For Muckatah volunteers, however, the wait for a new tanker has been much longer than anyone would have liked.

The tanker first hit the road in 1989 — the same year The Simpsons premiered and Nintendo launched the iconic Game Boy.

That year Madonna released Like a Prayer, The B-52s released Love Shack, Bob Hawke was prime minister and the internet was still several years away from going public.

Tungamah CFA group officer Graeme Dickie said the Muckatah brigade had been trying to get a new tanker for years, and the lack of a clear replacement date had become increasingly frustrating.

“It’s absolutely fantastic news for the brigade, it’s been a long time coming,” he said.

“It's chalk and cheese between something that's nearly 40 years old to one of the modern tankers.

“With those old tankers, parts are getting harder to get and when it breaks down, it can be offline for a couple of weeks, which is very frustrating for the brigade.

“The brigades tend to have a lot of pride in their tankers, and they look after them the best they can.

“So when it breaks down, and especially if they’ve got a local fire, the brigades feel like they’re letting their community down, and that’s the last thing they want to do.”

The inquiry into the 2026 summer fires across Victoria found that, as of January 16, 2026, the CFA’s firefighting fleet consisted of 1961 tankers.

Of those, 297 were more than 30 years old, including 66 that had been in service for more than 36 years.

CFA chief executive Greg Leach told the inquiry that the age of the fleet was not an ideal situation.

“We over a long period of time have had a management principle of wanting to turn our fleet over at 20 years of age for tankers,” he said.

“But as you can see, our fleet is beyond that, and we continue to advocate with government to ensure that we put forward our whole-of-life asset plan so that we can work with government to secure an ongoing funding stream to replace those trucks.”

For the Muckatah brigade, the wait for a newer and more reliable tanker is finally nearing its end.

Yarrawonga Chronicle Google News Panels

Sunday, 31st January 2027

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