Gascoyne Trading Company (GTC) was a transport company in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. It was established in 1924 by Keith Anderson and
Charles Kingsford-Smith
Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand.
Kingsford Smith was b ...
in
Carnarvon. One of its early contracts was the mail run through the
Gascoyne
The Gascoyne region is one of the nine administrative regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Gasc ...
to
Meekatharra. It expanded to serve industries between
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
and the
Pilbara
The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...
.
GTC was a significant banana deliverer to markets in Perth. In 1950 it was purchased by
Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian conglomerate, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It has interests predominantly in Australia and New Zealand, operating in retail, chemical, fertiliser, industrial and safety products. With revenue o ...
growing to become the largest transport operator in Western Australia. Until 1971 it held the sole rights for direct road transport between Carnarvon and Perth. In 1973 a joint venture was formed with
Downard to enter the interstate freight forwarding market between Western Australia and
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
.
In 1985, GTC purchased a 50% shareholding in
Total West
Total West was a transport company in Western Australia.
History
In 1981, Westrail sough expression of interest to handle small freight traffic. Total West commenced operating on 1 July 1982 as a joint venture between Mayne Nickless and Westra ...
from
Mayne Nickless. In 1996, after taking full ownership of Total West, Wesfarmers merged it with GTC to form Wesfarmers Transport. In 2001 the business was sold to
Toll Holdings
The Toll Group is an Australian-based subsidiary of Japan Post Holdings with operations in transportation, warehousing and logistics in road, rail, sea and air. It has two divisions; Global Forwarding, Global Logistics.
History
In 1888, Al ...
.
Sale of WA road freight transport business
Wesfarmers 2 November 2001
Notes
{{reflist
Companies based in Western Australia
Gascoyne
Defunct transport companies of Australia
Transport companies established in 1924
Transport companies disestablished in 1996
Trucking companies in Australia
Wesfarmers
Australian companies established in 1924
Australian companies disestablished in 1996