McLeans Automotive Wreckers

McLeans Auto Wreckers received their first vehicle on the lot sometime around 1958 and since then, they have taken literally thousands of broken down vehicles.

Wandering the property is like walking a maze, some vehicles have been there so long that you almost can’t even see them between the rust and the overgrowth

McLeans Auto Wreckers received their first vehicle on the lot sometime around 1958 and since then, they have taken literally thousands of broken down vehicles.

Wandering the property is like walking a maze, some vehicles have been there so long that you almost can’t even see them between the rust and the overgrowth.

For many years, this old automotive graveyard has not only been a popular place for car enthusiasts to find parts for their projects, it has also been a must see stop for photographers and explorers of all types!

“If we had as many customers buying parts as we have people taking pictures, we’d have nothing left to sell,” laughs 70-year-old John McLean, who co-owns the business with his younger brother, Doug. “If there were as many paying customers as camera buffs we’d be all set.”

Walking around the McLean’s Auto Wrecking yard, it’s difficult to believe any vehicle has ever found its way back off the property. Trees, some of them more than 10 metres in height, grow up through engine compartments long ago robbed of their contents. One 1950s panel van even has a small tree that has forced its way through the rusty roof and continued to grow

During my visit I quickly realized that it would take several visits to cover the whole property, there are at least 4 large fields full of old cars, rows upon rows of old cars, vans, trucks, school busses and more. Step off the path and into the evergreen forest and you are welcomed by the site of some of the oldest cars on the lot, entirely overgrown and slowly being buried by years of fallen needles and leaves from over 50 years of changing seasons.

The best parts of the McLeans Auto wrecking yard, in my opinion, are deep in the trees and off of the blazed paths.

Take a walk down a row of cars and peek through the the trees and you’ll discover a whole other row hidden from site. This is where some of the oldest cars are laid to rest.

The ground is soft from 5 decades of evergreen needles and leaves falling, the thick tree cover provides a silence from outside noise and in the Fall season the smell of the changing seasons is thick in the air.

The direct sunlight from the sky above is filtered by the tree canopy, providing a perfect amount of light within this hidden and secluded part of the property.