Disused Grain Silos Australia – Marinna
Disused grain silos Australia is a really interesting subject and a favourite of mine. I had a look through the now disused grain silo at Marinna in February 2023.
On the wall inside the weighbridge hut there was a blackboard that still had writing on it. There were dates marked on the blackboard that indicated the last time grain was received at the Marinna grain silos was in 1998. There was also an old “Yellow Pages” telephone book inside the weighbridge hut with the year 1991 on the cover.
Grain Silos Australia – Why Do we have Them?
An Australian Wheat Board was formed under the War Precautions Act 1914. After formation of the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) the federal government began building grain silos across the wheat-producing regions. A concrete silo type S014 Metcalf [1400 tonnes capacity] was built at Marinna in 1925 on the Main South railway line.
The Grain Silo Weighbridge At Marinna
The grain silo weighbridge at Marinna appears to be fully intact. I’m no expert on old weighbridges but this one looks as if with a bit of a clean-up and a service it’d be good to go. It has a maximum weight capacity of only 20 tonnes which is low by todays standards but it would have been plenty big enough back in 1925 when I am guessing it was installed at Marinna grain silos. Trucks by the later part of the twentieth century were a lot heavier than in 1925 so I am guessing they must have weighed the individual axle groups for the heavier, more modern trucks then in use.
The platform of the weighbridge is clearly marked as having been made by W&T Avery LD London & Birmingham. The inside part of the grain silo weighbridge scales is similarly marked AVERY B’HAM. I was really tempted to see if I could remove the padlock on the inside part of the weighbridge scales and roll the ute on to the bridge and check it’s accuracy. I didn’t do it but I was really tempted to.
About Marinna NSW
Marinna is a locality in Junee Shire in southern New South Wales, Australia on the Olympic Highway. It’s main feature is a grain silo on the Main Southern railway line. A station was opened in the locality between 1897 and 1975. Marinna Post Office opened on 7 December 1925 and closed in 1968.