A LIFELONG love of bikes, antiques, parts and the joy of sharing this with others is all part of a museum hidden within a home in Leeton.
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Leeton's Brian Fullgrabe has quite the collection at his home and it is known as one of the shire's many museums, titled Antiques with Oil Leaks.
Brian's late father Roy was the person who sparked his interest in old bikes, described by Brian as an "old biker from way bike".
Roy courted Brian's mother on a 1951 AJS motorbike. When Brian was 15, he and his father built and restored a 1951 AJS again.
"That was about 45 years ago, it's still in the museum, that was our passion and hobby and that's how it all started," Brian said.
"Twenty years ago we probably had 70 bikes and I just thought 'there has to be a way we can let other people enjoy them' and I decided to build the museum (located within his property).
"Over the years we started collecting some older bits and pieces, not just bikes. I think a lot of people do know it's here, but there would be plenty who don't."
It's most recent opening on a large scale was in 2019 as part of the Australian Art Deco Festival where many long hours were put into making it visitor ready after having been closed down.
Brian said the majority of pieces in the museum have their own personal story attached.
He hopes to open the museum more regularly in the future, but is currently deciding what format this will take.
"We had four or five hundred people come through over that art deco weekend, which was amazing," Brian said.
"But now we might look at downsizing it a bit as there's probably too many bikes in there and not enough time.
"I've just got to decide what to do. Do you open one weekend a month? It's something to think about."
Further plans to expand the site are in the works, with Brian hoping it will one day become a bike and caravan rest stop for people on the road as the area outside the museum already has plenty of space, an outdoor cooking area and amenities area.
"That's the plan I have in mind, we're just trying to go through all of the processes with that one," Brian said.
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A lot of time, passion and energy has gone into the museum.
Brian is also a regular on the swap meet scene, which is where some of the items are collected from.
The museum really is a testament of love and labour over the years, with many pieces picked up, collected and even restored from when Brian was only around 17.
It was then he would drive around old farms and seeing if the owners had anything they wanted to hand off.
"It's something I love doing," he said.
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