October 6th, 2021
Yesterday, we took a lovely scenic 2.5 hour drive to Murtoa, via Inglewood and St Arnaud, to view the famous “Stick Shed”. This small town is near Horsham, in the heart of the Wimmera. The “Stick Shed” is listed as number 101 on the Australian Heritage List, which is the highest heritage listing in our country.
What a fabulous sight this building was! Awesome! More on this shortly……
We had seen this amazing building featured on the ABC “Back Roads” programme a couple of months earlier. As well, it had been mentioned ecstatically by a punter in “The Age” Saturday travel supplement about a month ago, so we reckoned we should treat ourselves to a trip to see this national cultural icon.
The purpose of “The Stick Shed” was to solve the problem of storing excess grain during World War 2, when previous exports to other countries were severely restricted. Also, who knew when the war would end, and what our country’s food needs would be.…..
Murtoa’s central location in a big wheat growing region was deemed suitable for a large storage facility. It was one of 22 such storages built around Australia at this time, for this purpose, and is the only one still in existence.
In September, 1941, building commenced, and in only 4 months, in January, 1942, this mammoth structure was ready to start to receive wheat for storage.
How’s this for a few facts: it was built from 560 unmilled poles (sticks) to support the corrugated iron roof. (56 poles long x 10 poles wide). The “poles” are Mountain Ash trees, sourced from the Dandenongs, Gippsland and the Otways. The floor area is around 1.6 hectares, all hand-mixed concrete, 4’’ thick. It’s around 270 metres long, 60 metres wide, and about 19 metres high along the central ridge. When we walked in, after our initial shock, we reckoned it was probably about the size of the playing area of the MCG. It’s enormous, and mind-boggling in its scale. (It is in fact about 80% of the MCG playing area, which is around 20,000 sqm, fence to fence).
To quote from the visitors brochure: ”It resembles a giant, serene cathedral of tall, unmilled timber poles. From certain spaces within, the wooden support poles resemble a forest of trees… This sense of wonder and awe makes this interior space one of the most impressive in Australia”.
This magnificent building, the only one still surviving in Australia, was intended to be demolished by the Grain Elevators Board as early as 1989, as it was by then deemed to be uneconomic, but the Heritage Buildings Council managed to save it, and it was added to the Victorian Heritage register in 1990. It sat untouched for 20 years, when finally, restoration and preservation works commenced.
It has been identified as “the largest timber frame structure and the only one of its type still standing in Victoria, indeed Australia”. The “Murtoa Stick Shed” has undergone an extensive conservation programme by Heritage Victoria, using repair methods which have been used in the past, for authenticity.
A short summary – if you haven’t been there yet – seriously consider a visit. It’s the only one left in the country. It won’t disappoint you - a superb example of “bush carpentry” that will take your breath away. As well, a very warm welcome awaits from the friendly volunteer staff, who will gladly show off their local treasure.
If you want a preview, and more information, go to thestickshed.com.au
We have attached a few photos we took to try to give you an impression of this magnificent building.
Ray and Toni Carrington
