Gilgandra Grain Shed

Item details


Name of item:	Gilgandra Grain Shed
Other name/s:	Gilgandra Railway Wheat Shed
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Granary/Grain Shed
Location:	Lat: S31° 42.788’ Long: E148° 39.235’
Primary address:	Railway Street, Gilgandra, NSW 2827
Local govt. area:	Gilgandra

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Railway Street	Gilgandra	Gilgandra			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The Gilgandra wheat shed is one of the earliest surviving items of railway goods handling infrastructure in the Gilgandra Shire and is closely associated with the expansion of agricultural activity the shire. It is representative of the infrastructure of wheat growing which was developed in the region prior to the 1920s following construction of the Dubbo to Coonamble railway line. It is a visual icon of the importance of rail and grain handling in the story of towns such as Gilgandra. The shed is relatively intact and represents the presentation of these structures as built. It has local historical, aesthetic and technical/research significance, rarity and representativeness. It also has a high degree of integrity.
	Date significance updated: 17 Sep 08
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Unknown
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Construction years:	1905-1905
Physical description:	The Gilgandra railway wheat shed is a long gable-roofed structure comprising a concrete floor and light wooden roof trusses supported by posts made from recycled lengths of railway line. The structure is braced with steel braces bolted between the posts and roof trusses. It is located within the former Gilgandra railway yards. The roof is clad in Redcliffe brand corrugated galvanised iron. Redcliffe was a second quality corrugated iron marketed by John Lysaght in Australia from 1897 until well into the 20th century. The wheat shed could have been constructed any time between 1902 and 1920.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The structure is generally in sound condition. Roofing iron sheets are becoming dislodged and represent a danger to the building and the public. The roof has been patched in places.
	Date condition updated:17 Sep 08
Further information:	The ongoing management of the structure should focus on maintenance of the existing fabric to ensure that the hall is weatherproof and free of destructive pests. Replacement of building fabric, if required, should be undertaken with items of the same materials and profiles as items being replaced.


Current use:	Vacant
Former use:	Wheat Shed for bagged wheat storage

History

Historical notes:

The construction of new railways across New South Wales was generally followed by an expansion of wheat farming as this type of agriculture relied on the availability of efficient bulk transportation systems. Construction of the railway from Dubbo commenced in 1901 and the first passenger train ran from Dubbo to Coonamble on 29 July 1902. Goods operations commenced in August 1902. (Back to Gilgandra Committee 1937:44) As the railway opened up the district to broad scale agriculture roads were constructed to the new railheads to allow for the transport of crops and other commodities. Dramatic increases in traffic on the railway occurred between 1903 and 1936. (Back to Gilgandra Committee 1937:44-45) These developments were also accompanied by the break-up of many of the old pastoral properties and helped to create the current rural landscape of the Gilgandra Shire.

Wheat was bagged after harvest and the bags transported to the nearest rail loading facility. Bags of wheat were loaded directly into rail wagons if these were available. If not they were stacked in the rail yard on floors made from used railway sleepers. (Ryan 1990:54) These stacks could be 20 or more bags high and if left for some time could be covered in tarpaulins or sheets of corrugated iron.

Grain sheds were a later innovation that allowed more secure storage. They had concrete floors and roofs clad with corrugated iron. When filled with bags of grain hessian was hung from the sides to protect the contents. It was found that mice could get into these structures and many were upgraded with galvanised iron sides.

The NSW Government passed the Grain Elevators Act in 1916 to provide more secure and economical storage and transport options fro the state’s cereal crops. This act provided for the establishment of a bulk grain handling system. The first bulk load of wheat was transported out of Ariah Park in the Riverina in 1917. It was loaded into a tarpaulin-lined rail wagon from bags. The first bulk grain elevator of Metcalfe design was constructed at Peak Hill in 1918. (Ryan 1990:55)

Grain elevators were constructed along the railway lines of New South Wales from 1920 . These structures facilitated the storage and transport of bulk quantities of cereals, gradually replacing the tedious and labour intensive processes of bagging wheat and other crops for transport. Despite this some farmers continued to bag wheat well into the 1960s .

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	(none)-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Gilgandra wheat shed is one of the earliest surviving items of railway goods handling infrastructure in the Gilgandra Shire and is closely associated with the expansion of agricultural activity the shire. It has local historical significance.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The Gilgandra wheat shed has local aesthetic significance. It is a visual icon of the importance of rail and grain handling in the story of towns such as Gilgandra.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The Gilgandra wheat shed is relatively intact and represents the presentation of these structures as built. It has some technical/research significance.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Gilgandra wheat shed is a rare surviving example of an early 20th century grain shed.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Gilgandra wheat shed is representative of the infrastructure of wheat growing which was developed in the region prior to the 1920s following construction of the Dubbo to Coonamble railway line. It has local significance in this regard.
Integrity/Intactness:	The Gilgandra wheat shed has a high level of integrity.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Gilgandra Local Environmental Plan 2011	I40	09 Dec 11
Heritage study

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Gilgandra Shire Community Based Heritage Study	2008		Ray Christison	Ray Christison	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Back to Gilgandra Committee	1937	Back to Gilgandra Souvenir Booklet
Written	Ryan, K	1990	Storing the Golden Grain

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1590042

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