THE STICK SHED, MURTOA, VICTORIA
The Stick Shed
The small town of Murtoa, in Victoria’s Wimmera Mallee grain growing region, 282km north west of Melbourne, might not at first glance seem to be a must-go-to destination, until you hear about The Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store – aka The Stick Shed.
Listed on the Australian National Heritage List in 2014, the unassuming corrugated iron exterior does not prepare you for your experience entering the vast cathedral like shed. Walking along the central aisle, lit only by skylights, your eyes are drawn upwards to the 20 metre high corrugated roof, as you are dwarfed by a forest of 580 mountain ash poles. It is a breathtaking sight. This incredible engineering achievement, built as an emergency grain store in just over 4 months in 1941-1942, during World War 2, was filled with grain within six months of construction.
By the 1930s the Australian wheat industry was producing between 150-160 million bushels of grain per year, with 100 million being exported. Australia’s main market was Asia and the Pacific, which abruptly halted when Pearl Harbour was bombed in 1941.
Grain storage was overflowing due to bumper crops in Western Australia and Victoria, and it was decided that emergency grain storage sheds needed to be built to store upcoming harvests.
With the 1941-2 Victorian crop looming, The Victorian Grain Elevators Board decided to construct the first shed at Murtoa as it was within a major grain growing area and adjacent to the Melbourne to Adelaide railway line.
Twenty-two emergency grain sheds were built across Australia. Two were built at Murtoa and a bigger shed at Dunolly. In use until 1989, The Murtoa No 1 Grain Store is the only one still surviving.
Designed by Harold Glowrey and RW McCall, and constructed by Green Bros Contractors of Bendigo, the Murtoa Shed covers 16,000 square metres, 265 metres long, 60 metres wide and almost 20 metres high at its apex. It could hold 3.5 million bushels, about 92,500 tonnes, of wheat. Much of the building was constructed by a limited manual labour force, due to the war, using handsaws and shovels, with little mechanical aid. Wartime restrictions necessitated adapting Australian traditional building materials and techniques, and use of raw, local and recycled materials.
Due to a steel shortage, the shed was built from readily available timber. 580 unmilled mountain ash poles were used for the uprights. To reduce the use of nails, galvanised hoop-iron was used in most of its structural joints. Repetitive bays and a stable pole-in-ground system enabled a small crew to work without additional scaffolding. The end posts were braced in fencing, a common bush technique, enabling the structure to move in high winds without collapsing. New South Wales black butt poles are being used for replacement poles today.
16,000 square metres of concrete was manually barrowed in and poured four inches thick. There is over 150 tonnes of corrugated iron on the roof.
Bulk deliveries of grain by train were distributed through the shed via an elevator and a central conveyor.
The construction’s design and use of war-time ingenuity is an impressive example of rural architecture to solve a large scale engineering problem.
In 1945 the Horsham Times reported that the grain stored at Murtoa was of excellent quality and showed no deterioration after being stored for three years.
Today Murtoa’s grain receival centre is the largest in Australia, holding up to 400,000 tonnes of grain.
Our visit to the Stick Shed became one of the highlights of our exploration of the Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail which included a visit to nearby Minyip, filming location for the 1980’s Australian TV series, the Flying Drs, the 2015 movie The Dressmaker, and the 2021 crime thriller The Dry.
Planning on Heading to the Mallee Region?
The Mallee’s long country drives and stretches of gravel road make it worth keeping an eye on your tyres as you travel. The Oricom TPS10 lets you monitor tyre pressure and temperature in real time, helping you stay informed about your tow vehicle and caravan while you’re on the road. Its solar-powered display can monitor up to 10 tyres, making it a handy addition for a touring setup.
FAST FACTS
Murtoa is a small town of around 1000 people on the Wimmera Highway, 282 km north-west of Melbourne.
Usual opening hours are 10am to 3pm daily. Fees apply. Wheelchair accessible. The Stick Shed can be booked for private functions.
Accommodation suited to any budget can be found at towns along the Silo Art Trail.
More information:
https://www.thestickshed.com.au/
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage/heritage/places/national/murtoa-grain-store
The Mallee’s open country can leave campsites exposed to sudden gusts, so securing your awning is an important part of setting up. TieGear awning tie-downs help anchor your awning and provide extra support when the wind picks up, giving you greater peace of mind while you relax at camp. They’re a simple piece of touring gear worth packing before you head off.
