Kurt Johannsen

Kurt Gerhardt Johannsen (11 January 1915 – 23 January 2002) was an Australian bush mechanic and inventor who developed the world's first commercial road train. He was also an aviator, fencing contractor, labourer, mailman and miner and known a "true son of the Red Centre", referring to the southern desert region of the Northern Territory in Australia.

Early life

Johannsen was born at Deep Well Station, 80 km south of Alice Springs, to Gerhardt and Ottilie Johannsen. Gerhardt had emigrated from Denmark and Ottilie was of German descent and the family often experienced discrimination throughout Kurt's childhood, the period in between the two world wars, and Gerhardt was often referred to as "The German" or "The Hun".

In 1922, when Johannsen was 7, the family moved to Hermannsburg Mission Station where Gerhardt worked as the station manager; this was following the sudden death of Pastor Carl Strehlow in October 1922. The family remained there until 1924 before returning to Deep Well.

Over the following years Johannsen had many roles and was involved in many exploits before, in 1936, starting on his most remembered innovation, the 'Bitzer' Mulga Express which was designed to be able to haul more as well as handle the bad roads around Central Australia; and, in the early years, was quite an unexpected sight. Over the following years the 'Bitzer' Mulga Express was followed by the 'Bitzer' Mulga Express II and III, the 'Bitzer' Mulga Express III was able to haul an unheard of 22 tonnes. These trucks were then used for all kinds of freight but were especially useful for cattle transport which changed the way farming was done as truck transport was better for stock then droving and the cattle arrived in the yards in better condition and therefore fetched higher prices; this also meant that younger cattle could be sold.

Of his invention Johannsen said it was a long held dream:

Johannsen also made a series of other inventions and the details of some of these are available through Library & Archives NT.

Later life

Johannsen retired from mining and transporting in 1980 and purchased a small hobby farm in Yankalilla, South Australia. In 1992 he published his autobiography: "A son of 'the red centre': memoirs and anecdotes of the life of a road train pioneer and bush inventor of the Northern Territory of Australia".

Johannsen was inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2000.

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