Murtoa Progress Association
Murtoa is a proud lakeside town, located on the main rail line from Melbourne to Adelaide.
The town is a hub for the local agricultural industry, home to some major employers, two
excellent schools and kindergarten, local based health services and pharmacy, a healthy
retail sector and quality key trades available locally. The diverse community and sporting
facilities and gardens are managed and maintained to a high standard by volunteers.
Connectivity to NBN along with Telstra and Optus towers enhances business and social
opportunities
OUR STRENGTHS
Our People & Community Spirit
Forward thinking, driven, community that gets things done
Rural Lifestyle and Location
Local Businesses & Shopping has all the essentials you need
OUR ASSETS
Local Businesses, Local Services & Local Employers
Lake Marma
The Stick Shed
Tourism & Public facilities
Community Events
Strong farming culture & Agriculture Industry
OUR CURRENT CHALLENGES
Small businesses able to continue & expand
Accommodation for sale, rent, for elderly and for visitors
Local access to healthcare, Doctors and Childcare
Centre of town needs a boost. Revive the main street.
Build population - Attract new people and keep people here
Employment opportunities
Infrastructure upgrades and maintenance
Inclusion, cohesion, engaging young people & supporting ideas
Access to community funding
Volunteer fatigue
Development opportunities
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OUR FUTURE CHALLENGES
Frequent future challenges the Murtoa community raised in 2019:
Growing Our Community: Keep people in Murtoa & attract new people to Murtoa
Support local businesses and attract new businesses
Retain & build services (health & child care)
Maintaining & improving current infrastructure
Space for furthering development, industrial and tourism opportunities
OUR OPPORTUNITIES
Ideas raised in the community survey that we, with our Murtoa Progress Association, can explore:
Indicates completed or in process since raised in 2019 through the community survey
Basic Services
Child Care Centre built for community. There is a huge demand for local daycare. There is a huge
demand and wait list for take a break. Sufficient resources locally.
Access to health services locally, including access to Doctor supported
Invest in quality housing development for all demographics (including rentals). Accommodation
desperately needed (housing & rentals)
Minimise the drugs boom and the effects it has on small communities.
Manage feral pigeons
Community & Connectivity
More community Events Sponsored to promote social inclusion – Like the Big Weekend Family
Fun Night and Look over the Farm Gate events. Perhaps 3 per year.
Young people engagement improved, including develop meaningful activities and spaces
Sustain community groups and maintain and support volunteers, including more easily
accessible funding for community groups
Town strategic plan developed that is holistic
Have coordinated group with representatives for all groups work together to support each other,
share skills, resources and promote develop Murtoa.
Public gym to encourage fitness
Promote Murtoa - great place to live for young families, elderly and commuter base for Horsham
Infrastructure Opportunities
Footpaths improved. Pedestrian, gopher and pram safe footpaths e.g. Lake, Degenhardt and
Comyn Streets. With the recent dry conditions, it appears there has been more movement in
surfaces (cracking, lifting and dropping) and further action is required for public safety.
Street Scape improvements. Paint the shop facades of McDonald St (all private, public benefit)
street trees in areas where this is practicable and needed. Appropriate selections to avoid
causing hazards. E.g. McClintock St. from the highway to Breen St. is one area for consideration.
Review town entrances from North, South, East and West and consider ways to enhance further.
Perhaps drought tolerant garden with a few striking specimens, may help create a lived-in feel.
Murtoa Industrial area expanded and promoted to encourage investment and employment.
Maintaining current infrastructure - a lot of buildings in town will need work in the future,
where does this money come from?
Flooding at pool entry: Water unable to drain away from Swimming Pool entry area.
Maintaining clean and regular lake supply
Get free Wi-Fi
Install a toddler playground
Improve public transport (including rail)
Maximise use of limited resources by seeking creative ways of sharing resources rather than
replicating facilities: costs of maintaining and developing local infrastructure can be a problem.
Bus shelter in Marma St built as a second shelter
Economic Development Opportunities
Local business supported through initiatives developed to support and boost local businesses.
Promote shopping local ("look local first"). Business thrives, they employ more people, more
people come and spend in town, community thrives. It's simple but hardly ever acknowledged
Business investment encouraged, use recent case studies.
Attract new employment to Murtoa
Become a tourist destination. Murtoa as a lifestyle location promoted for commute and quality
of lifestyle. Enhance tourism and do more to promote the town and maximise impact of tourism
for benefit of local economy. Set up a tourist information centre
External perspectives. Interesting to get perspectives from non-locals or former locals. They can
often see things that we don’t. E.g. great features that we take for granted. Comments left on
social media, visitor books or in passing, may give useful insights.
Specific locations for truck parking in town centre to encourage shop locally, economic benefit.
Promote an agribusiness that value adds to local produce and would provide employment and
boost economy via flow on effects. Farms getting bigger - losing families from district
Make the caravan park bigger
Lake development potential: café/bar
Free camping options. Travelers have several options for ‘free camping’ in this region and
elsewhere. This would make Murtoa another option for some travelers who have self-sufficient
rigs. Some have already found spots around Murtoa to stop overnight for free.
Meal Access. Coordination of business hours to ensure access on long weekends and holidays.
OUR MURTOA PROGRESS ASSOCIATION
The Murtoa Progress Association has represented the Murtoa Community since 1888.
The purpose of Progress is to promote and support Murtoa and district in the enhancement of:
Community connectivity, consultation and local representation
Local businesses, services, ag-culture and economic development opportunities
Tourism and livability
Shared leadership and enable community leaders
Specific tasks include to manage:
Promotion of local business and community events
Representation of community issues, concerns and interests
Community Units and Cabins on Lake Marma
The Murtoa website and social media
The Murtoa Community Action Plan as a consultative process
The fortnightly newspaper the “Murtoa and District Advertiser
Murtoa Lakeside Town Moving Forward
Murtoa residents were surveyed through letter box and online surveys. A summary of the
59 responses received portray Murtoa’s strength, assets, challenges and vision in this
Community Action Plan 2019-2023.
The Murtoa community has achieved many great things in the past five years when
reflecting on the last community action plan, including successful completion of listed
projects such as the Lake Marma redevelopment, the new Neighborhood House building,
refurbished Murtoa Railway Station, and multiple upgrades to sporting facilities.
Our vibrant community benefits from being located close to the Wimmera’s regional
centre, Horsham.
On the Silo Art Trail, our impressive tourist attractions include the Stick
Shed (National Heritage listed Murtoa No.1 Grain Shed), the museum precinct (Water
Tower Museum, Railway Station & Concordia College [first Lutheran college in Australia]),
Dunmunkle Sumpoiler Engines, and the stunning Lake Marma managed by a local
Committee of Management, complete with the Caravan Park [operated by Yarriambiack
Shire Council] and community-owned Cabins on Lake Marma.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Email:murtoaprogress@gmail.com
Website www.murtoa.net Facebook www.facebook.com/murtoa
April 21, 2022
Stick shed upgrade to boost Murtoa tourism
The Stick Shed Reopens!
September 16, 2021
The Stick Shed Committee of Management have been able to reschedule our road and car park works away from opening hours,
which now allows The Stick Shed to open for visitors. Normal hours of operation will apply: Daily 10.00am to 2.00pm
June 23, 2022
Projects in the Murtoa Community Action Plan are now open for annual review. What do you think we need to improve upon or add as a project to make this town better and who will lead the project? It’s up to you.
Email murtoaprogress@gmail.com
Murtoa Community Action Plan 2022 June2022 Project Update
Murtoa Community Action Plan Review 2022
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September 16, 2021
The Stick Shed Reopens!
The Stick Shed Committee of Management have been able to reschedule our road and car park works away from opening hours, which now allows The Stick Shed to open for visitors.
Normal hours of operation will apply: Daily 10.00am to 2.00pm.
September 14, 2021
TEMPORARY STICK SHED CLOSURE:
The Stick Shed will be closed until 24/09/2021 due to works being done on the access driveway and carpark.
Details of reopening can be found on our website:
www.thestickshed.com.au
We thank you for your understanding.
The Stick Shed Committee of Management and Staff
March 26, 2021
Murtoa Community Action Plan Review
Projects in the Murtoa Community Action Plan are now open for annual review.
What do you think we need to improve upon or add as a project to make this town better and who will lead the project? It’s up to you.
Email murtoaprogress@gmail.com
Murtoa Community Action Plan 2020 Feb 2021 Update
March 22, 2021
OPENING TIMES FOR THE STICK SHED OVER EASTER
Good Friday Closed
Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 10:00am to 2:00pm.
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April 26, 2018
Stick Shed Open Day – Sunday May 6th 10.00am to 4.00pm
poster
May 5, 2018
Murtoa Stick Shed – A unique venue for your Wedding Ceremony
Poster
June 4, 2018
Expression of Interest – Thrive not Survive
Please find this invitation for an Expression of Interest – Thrive not Survive… great opportunities for free training for young people.
Please fill out and return this form to Yarriambiack Shire Council, 34 Lyle st Warracknabeal or email to mmckenzie@yarriambiack.gov.au or text to Murray 0407 585 097.
Please note there is a course at Murtoa on Wednesday 13 June at Murtoa & District Neighbourhood House for Food Handling (limited spots) and the Barista course will be June 27 at Warracknabeal (limited spots) – register your interest please!
Poster
June 15, 2018
Murtoa Community Engagement meeting coming in July
Yarriambiack Shire Council will conduct the community engagement meeting in Murtoa on Wednesday, July 4.
This is an ideal opportunity to present to the Shire how amazing our community is.
Looking around town, the achievements that have been made in Murtoa recently no doubt make all Murtoa residents feel proud of what we can do together. Our lake is full, the grounds are great and continuous improvements are being made. The Tennis Club barbecue area looks fantastic. Our Pool has secured funding for new change rooms to be built after next season. The new Neighbourhood House is open and providing great services to the community, as well as delicious coffee. Property is moving, it is rare to see a house on the market for long. bringing lots of new arrivals to town, both new residents and newborns. Our schools continue to thrive.
A cabin working group was formed and will bring needed quality short-term accommodation to town. The RSL garden and grounds are revamped and our new Police Station is state of the art.
The Stick Shed is regularly open and attracts many visitors to town and the Railway Station is being fully refurbished to the original design. Concordia College’s original bell tower has been returned and installed. The Show Yards Committee of Management is working on a master plan, which includes upgraded female change room facilities.
These are just a few of the things, as there is always so much going on around town.
These achievements were reached by you, the community making them happen. It would be terrific to have you attend the Shire Community Engagement meeting to further promote our activities and show how proud we are of our town and hopefully this will encourage Council to continue supporting our happening little town now and into the future.
I hope to see you on July 4 at the Community Engagement meeting between 5 and 7..00 pm.
Cr. Tom Hamilton
July 5, 2018
Six very good reasons to visit Murtoa – and there are more as well
Poster
July 30, 2018
Murtoa Community Market This Saturday August 5th
Poster
July 18, 2018
MURTOA”S BIG WEEKEND ONLY 9 WEEKS AWAY
Planning for this year’s Big Weekend is well underway with the committee now finalising the program for this year’s events.
The committee is extremely pleased to announce that the Murra Warra Wind Farm has agreed to be a Major Sponsor of this year’s Big Weekend and they will be supporting the Family Fun and Film Night with a Fireworks Display at Lake Marma on Friday evening. This event was very successful last year, and we trust that it will be again this year.
This year the Art Exhibition and Sale has been reintroduced under a slightly different format and will display not only paintings, but other works of art including Sculpture and Quilting. Many of the works on display will be available for sale
Another new attraction being introduced this year is The Scarecrow Competition which promises to add a whole lot of colour to Marma and Duncan Streets during and over the period leading up to the Big Weekend.
After a slight hitch the organisation of the Annual Show on Friday is steaming ahead under the guidance of new President Tom McGrath.
Saturday morning’s Street Market and Show’n’Shine promises to be another outstanding event with financial support for the Show’n’Shine coming from the RACV. The Murtoa Cup Race Meeting on Saturday afternoon is shaping up to be a great day out.
Saturday afternoon will offer something special for the youth as the Secondary College will be offering a Gaming competition between 2.00pm and 5.00pm. Gaming, that is Computer Gaming is becoming very popular with our younger generation and the committee hope this event will fill a bit of a void which has existed for our youth in past years.
The Stick Shed will again feature a community choirs program culminating in a massed choir presentation on Saturday afternoon. The shed will open for public viewing on each of the three days of the Big Weekend.
The Water Tower Museum and Sumpoilers will open on Saturday and Sunday with both offering plenty to see and do when visiting.
This year’s Ecumenical Service on Sunday morning will feature as guest speaker former Murtoaite, Glen Mills, Executive Trustee and Program Manager for Asia and Africa for the Delivering Better Lives Foundation.
The Colour Run introduced last year is another event aimed at the younger generation and proved to be extremely popular. This will take place around Lake Marma commencing at 9.00am Sunday morning.
As mentioned earlier the committee is very pleased to have the Murra Warra Wind Farm as a Major sponsor for this year’s Big Weekend. Over most of the past 21 years that the festival has been conducted our major sponsor has been GrainCorp, unfortunately due to drought conditions existing in Northern Australia , GrainCorp are unable to continue their most generous support for the Big Weekend.
While the Murra Warra sponsorship has filled a gap the committee is facing a shortfall in funding for this years events. We are therefore encouraging all local businesses to continue with their past support and if any member of our community who may wish to offer support in the form of a small donation it would be greatly appreciated.
July 20, 2018
BIG SING IN A BIG SHED UNDER A BIG SKY PUTS MURTOA ON THE COMMUNITY MUSIC MAP… AND IT’S HAPPENING ALL OVER AGAIN
James Rigby spent years driving past the mighty Murtoa Stick Shed in awe of its size and wondering how on earth the monolithic structure looming up out of the landscape could still be standing. He never imagined that one Spring day in 2017 together with Jane Thompson, he would lead around 300 community singers in a Big Sing under its cathedral-like roof of bush poles and corrugated iron.
The idea for a Stick Shed Sing was conceived by Judith Welsh, Chair of the Committee of Management which took over the running of the shed when it was gifted back to the community in 2016. The vision was to create an event to reflect the ambience and glory of the Heritage listed building and bring singing into the shed for the first time as part of Murtoa’s Big Weekend celebrations.
“We wanted an event that anyone could join in on but which gave local choirs, the singers from the Wimmera, an opportunity to perform as part of a massed choir, as well.”
As highly experienced community singing leaders, Jane Thompson and James Rigby expressed their interest in coordinating the event, working with Judith to decide a shape for the day, which included a massed singing workshop open to anyone keen to sing in the shed and a concert by any community choirs attending, who were happy to perform.
The first Stick Shed Sing was held in October last year, attracting a huge amount of interest from within the local community and further afield with around 6 full choirs performing at the concert and individual singers from many other choirs attending too.
“We had the signing choir from Horsham Primary School where AUSLAN is taught as a second language, which was lovely as it meant there was lots of children’s energy in the building too.”
The Signing Choir sign what they sing, culminating in a dance-like blend of a song’s rhythm and the natural gestures of the signs. This theatrical style of delivery is well suited to the vast, 270 metre-long Stick Shed where you can occupy as much space as physically possible and still feel incredibly small.
James and Jane found that facilitating singing of any sort in a space the size of the Stick Shed is not without challenge – all part of the excitement of being there. For a start, there is the all-important issue of acoustics.
“The shed is like a tent with an incredibly long, high pitched roof so the acoustics vary dramatically, whether you go in near the edges close to the roof, or whether you stand in the middle of it underneath the ridge, at which point the acoustics disappear. What we found was that about two-thirds out from the edge you hit this magic sweet spot where the natural reverb of the shed is really flattering to the singing and meant we could hear ourselves and, when singing as a group, what the group was sounding like.”
As luck would have it, this particular area of the shed is well lit by a line of skylights set into the roof enabling the singers to see all that is necessary whilst feeling a part of that beautiful big space, and with the added option of gazing at the clouds moving above them over the Wimmera.
For the workshop, James and Jane used ‘Here in the Stick Shed’ a short warm-up song written for the occasion by Jane, and a song about trees by Scott Wise called ‘Hold up the Sky’.
“We sang a beauty about trees and how they hold up the ground in mines, and on the land they hold up the road, and then when you get to the forest they hold up the sky. It’s a beautiful song about how trees prop up everything all around us and of course we’re standing in a shed where there’re these ridiculously tall little skinny mountain ash poles holding the whole thing up…”
For everyone involved in the Stick Shed Sing, James believes the first show stopper of the day was probably the magnificence and scale of the shed itself:
“You approach this massive looming building through the Wimmera wheat lands, it’s bright, it’s flat and then you go into the shed through this administrative area and suddenly you’re inside this dark and immense space… I can only say that it’s like walking into the most amazing, ancient cathedral in Europe, that’s the sense of scale and the sense of awe it inspires when you first walk in, you can’t quite believe it.”
The venue is too big to simply whip a vacuum or broom over, so a day before the community choirs and singers arrived armed with picnics and BYO seating, a street sweeper from the neighbouring shire was brought in and driven up and down to prepare the space. Pieces of conveyor machinery still hang from the ceilings in some spots, evidence of the shed’s industrial heritage.
On a personal and professional level, James and Jane were delighted to have assembled another group of community singers in such a unique setting.
“Jane and I have worked quite a bit in the North and the West of the state and had probably connected with a lot of the individuals who sang with us on that day at some point previously, but we hadn’t worked with any of the choirs before and had no idea of their skill levels, we were assembling a really diverse bunch of singers. In finding a song by an Australian songwriter which spoke about trees and then feeling like we were standing in a forest was a very powerful thing and it connected the people and the place and the music. On an emotional level it worked really well.”
“The trick of running an event with multiple choirs is to really balance the effort that choirs are making to get there with the opportunity to showcase what they do and what they’ve learned. You can’t ask a highly rehearsed hardworking choir to drive 3 hours to Murtoa and then only give them time for one song. Neither do you want to force a smaller choir, meeting less frequently, to get up and sing five songs. It’s a challenge to make sure we respect the capabilities and the ambitions of all of the choirs.”
The mighty Murtoa Stick Shed is a monument to an older time, built during the second world war to stockpile grain at a point when no steel was available, it is the world’s largest remaining timber-built shed and its iconic void is filled with echoes of its industrial past where the dust motes carry history as they drift in the shafts of light. It’s an evocative place with the capacity to emotionally move anyone stepping into it.
If you missed the opportunity to make the sticks ring last year, there’s an opportunity for community choirs and singers to do it all over again and make music together in this amazing space on Saturday October 6. With Jane overseas, James will be going in on his own this year but, as he says, he knows what the challenges are and is already genuinely excited and looking forward to stepping back into the Stick Shed’s phenomenal space:
“…there will be the need for some big moments. You have a big crowd in a big space and it’s very satisfying to have a go at filling that mighty venue with sound.”
Join James Rigby for the second Stick Shed Sing on Saturday October 6th, 2018. For more information and to express an interest in participating in the workshop and/or afternoon concert with your choir (or as an individual!) contact office@makingmusic.com.au
July 20, 2018
BIG SING IN A BIG SHED UNDER A BIG SKY PUTS MURTOA ON THE COMMUNITY MUSIC MAP… AND IT’S HAPPENING ALL OVER AGAIN
James Rigby spent years driving past the mighty Murtoa Stick Shed in awe of its size and wondering how on earth the monolithic structure looming up out of the landscape could still be standing. He never imagined that one Spring day in 2017 together with Jane Thompson, he would lead around 300 community singers in a Big Sing under its cathedral-like roof of bush poles and corrugated iron.
The idea for a Stick Shed Sing was conceived by Judith Welsh, Chair of the Committee of Management which took over the running of the shed when it was gifted back to the community in 2016. The vision was to create an event to reflect the ambience and glory of the Heritage listed building and bring singing into the shed for the first time as part of Murtoa’s Big Weekend celebrations.
“We wanted an event that anyone could join in on but which gave local choirs, the singers from the Wimmera, an opportunity to perform as part of a massed choir, as well.”
As highly experienced community singing leaders, Jane Thompson and James Rigby expressed their interest in coordinating the event, working with Judith to decide a shape for the day, which included a massed singing workshop open to anyone keen to sing in the shed and a concert by any community choirs attending, who were happy to perform.
The first Stick Shed Sing was held in October last year, attracting a huge amount of interest from within the local community and further afield with around 6 full choirs performing at the concert and individual singers from many other choirs attending too.
“We had the signing choir from Horsham Primary School where AUSLAN is taught as a second language, which was lovely as it meant there was lots of children’s energy in the building too.”
The Signing Choir sign what they sing, culminating in a dance-like blend of a song’s rhythm and the natural gestures of the signs. This theatrical style of delivery is well suited to the vast, 270 metre-long Stick Shed where you can occupy as much space as physically possible and still feel incredibly small.
James and Jane found that facilitating singing of any sort in a space the size of the Stick Shed is not without challenge – all part of the excitement of being there. For a start, there is the all-important issue of acoustics.
“The shed is like a tent with an incredibly long, high pitched roof so the acoustics vary dramatically, whether you go in near the edges close to the roof, or whether you stand in the middle of it underneath the ridge, at which point the acoustics disappear. What we found was that about two-thirds out from the edge you hit this magic sweet spot where the natural reverb of the shed is really flattering to the singing and meant we could hear ourselves and, when singing as a group, what the group was sounding like.”
As luck would have it, this particular area of the shed is well lit by a line of skylights set into the roof enabling the singers to see all that is necessary whilst feeling a part of that beautiful big space, and with the added option of gazing at the clouds moving above them over the Wimmera.
For the workshop, James and Jane used ‘Here in the Stick Shed’ a short warm-up song written for the occasion by Jane, and a song about trees by Scott Wise called ‘Hold up the Sky’.
“We sang a beauty about trees and how they hold up the ground in mines, and on the land they hold up the road, and then when you get to the forest they hold up the sky. It’s a beautiful song about how trees prop up everything all around us and of course we’re standing in a shed where there’re these ridiculously tall little skinny mountain ash poles holding the whole thing up…”
For everyone involved in the Stick Shed Sing, James believes the first show stopper of the day was probably the magnificence and scale of the shed itself:
“You approach this massive looming building through the Wimmera wheat lands, it’s bright, it’s flat and then you go into the shed through this administrative area and suddenly you’re inside this dark and immense space… I can only say that it’s like walking into the most amazing, ancient cathedral in Europe, that’s the sense of scale and the sense of awe it inspires when you first walk in, you can’t quite believe it.”
The venue is too big to simply whip a vacuum or broom over, so a day before the community choirs and singers arrived armed with picnics and BYO seating, a street sweeper from the neighbouring shire was brought in and driven up and down to prepare the space. Pieces of conveyor machinery still hang from the ceilings in some spots, evidence of the shed’s industrial heritage.
On a personal and professional level, James and Jane were delighted to have assembled another group of community singers in such a unique setting.
“Jane and I have worked quite a bit in the North and the West of the state and had probably connected with a lot of the individuals who sang with us on that day at some point previously, but we hadn’t worked with any of the choirs before and had no idea of their skill levels, we were assembling a really diverse bunch of singers. In finding a song by an Australian songwriter which spoke about trees and then feeling like we were standing in a forest was a very powerful thing and it connected the people and the place and the music. On an emotional level it worked really well.”
“The trick of running an event with multiple choirs is to really balance the effort that choirs are making to get there with the opportunity to showcase what they do and what they’ve learned. You can’t ask a highly rehearsed hardworking choir to drive 3 hours to Murtoa and then only give them time for one song. Neither do you want to force a smaller choir, meeting less frequently, to get up and sing five songs. It’s a challenge to make sure we respect the capabilities and the ambitions of all of the choirs.”
The mighty Murtoa Stick Shed is a monument to an older time, built during the second world war to stockpile grain at a point when no steel was available, it is the world’s largest remaining timber-built shed and its iconic void is filled with echoes of its industrial past where the dust motes carry history as they drift in the shafts of light. It’s an evocative place with the capacity to emotionally move anyone stepping into it.
If you missed the opportunity to make the sticks ring last year, there’s an opportunity for community choirs and singers to do it all over again and make music together in this amazing space on Saturday October 6. With Jane overseas, James will be going in on his own this year but, as he says, he knows what the challenges are and is already genuinely excited and looking forward to stepping back into the Stick Shed’s phenomenal space:
“…there will be the need for some big moments. You have a big crowd in a big space and it’s very satisfying to have a go at filling that mighty venue with sound.”
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2016
This year’s Big Weekend in Murtoa provided many highlights to the numerous visitors and locals who attended this year’s event. New attractions as well as the usual events attracted excellent crowds.
Big Weekend Committee Chairman David Grigg said “Despite the threatening weather, attendances at all events held over the weekend attracted excellent crowds with many of the visitors coming from outside the district.”
Friday’s A & P Society’s Annual Show was extremely well attended despite the weather. The show continues to attract many locals and expats who use the opportunity to meet and socialise in a very relaxing atmosphere. Pavilion entries were again of a very high standard and activities provided for the younger generation were very popular.
The Grand Opening of Murtoa’s Big Weekend on Friday night provided Rock and Rollers with great entertainment courtesy of rock band Robyn and the Rancheros who played until late into the night.
The Big Weekend was officially opened by local member of Parliament Ms Emma Kealy at the GrainCorp Art Exhibition. She congratulated the community on facilitating the festival for twenty years and acknowledged the corporate and community based businesses which support the event.
The Art Exhibition was well supported by local and regional artists with sales over the weekend well within expectations as the standard of art was again of a high standard. The new attraction of the sale of Pre-loved art attracted a lot of interest.
A Rock and Roll dress up competition held in support of the evening provided the opportunity for Rock’n’Roll groups from around the area to present themselves in dress according to the genre and demonstrate Rock’n’Roll dancing to others attending.
Saturday morning’s Monster Street Market and Show’n’Shine attracted a huge crowd. There were approximately 50 markets stalls in the street and over 60 classic and antique cars and motorcycles on display. The decision to relocate the Show’n’Shine from Rabl Park proved to be very successful.
Celebrity Chef Danni Venn demonstrated the art of cooking with pulses to a very appreciative crowd and was followed by a performance by Robyn and the Rancheros and the dancers from Wimmera Rockers Danceworld.
A good crowd was in attendance at the Railway Hotel during Saturday afternoon to watch the Western Bulldogs take out the Grand Final from the Swans. This crowd was joined in the evening by another group of Rock’n’Roll fans who turned up to see Robyn and the Rancheros perform for their third gig of the weekend.
While the weather on Sunday morning was not promising, a small band of cycling enthusiasts turned out for the “Tour de Marma”, the bicycle relay conducted by the Triangle Titans.
Later in the morning again a good crowd was in attendance to see the Regional Final of the Battle of the Bands, a FREEZA Push Start event. The Regional Winner was Mildura band ‘Overwound’ with runner up being Horsham’s Kessia Peterson. Australia’s Got Talent finalists Sister’s Doll also performed at the final.
The Ecumenical Service conducted at the Mechanics Hall attracted an excellent crowd. Based upon the theme of the International Year of Pulses, Rupanyup’s Jenny Moore spoke on the benefits of growing pulses in developing countries as well as the economic benefits to the local region. Rupanyup’s a Cappella group The Decibelles sang during the service which was lead by Fr. Peter Hudson.
The historical attractions of the town; the Water Tower Museum, the Sumpoilers and Stick Shed all attracted many visitors. Visitors to the Stick Shed were offered a Pulse Farm Tour and seventy-five people took the opportunity to take the tour showing modern farming practices, crop rotation and crop varieties. Tour leader Mr Tom Hamilton said “We had a very good response and questions from guests who came from a broad range of backgrounds and locations, to most of whom farming was completely new.”
In summing up the weekend Committee Chairman David Grigg said “Again the community has conducted a very successful event which has attracted many people from outside the town and district. I thank those people and organisations involved in running events over the weekend for their efforts in making sure the weekend was the success that it was.”
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March 19, 2015
Murtoa Farmers Market and Car Boot Sale – April 11
Poster
March 19, 2015
Planning for the 2015 Big Weekend will commence with the first meeting of the committee scheduled for next Wednesday evening 25th March.
The committee is seeking additional volunteers to help plan for this year’s Big Weekend and interested persons are invited to attend the meeting at SLAAM in McDonald Street commencing at 7.30pm.
Persons wishing to submit ideas for the weekend and are unable to do so should make contact with Trish Adler at SLAAM who will be very happy to discuss new ideas.
Last year’s Big Weekend Committee President Mr David Grigg said “New ideas are essential to keeping the Big Weekend vibrant and interesting and new people coming onto the committee will be welcomed with open arms”
March 19, 2015
Murtoa Farmers Market and Car Boot Sale – April 11
Poster
Big Weekend planning begins
March 19, 2015
Planning for the 2015 Big Weekend will commence with the first meeting of the committee scheduled for next Wednesday evening 25th March.
The committee is seeking additional volunteers to help plan for this year’s Big Weekend and interested persons are invited to attend the meeting at SLAAM in McDonald Street commencing at 7.30pm.
Persons wishing to submit ideas for the weekend and are unable to do so should make contact with Trish Adler at SLAAM who will be very happy to discuss new ideas.
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December 11, 2015
Small towns to undertake creative transformations
Dookie transformed a quarry into an open-air arts venue, Natimuk turned a nature strip into a community arts space and Neerim South created a giant new sculpture to mark the town entrance – and now, six new towns will be transformed by creativity following the return of the Small Town Transformations program.
Managed by Regional Arts Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government, the Small Town Transformations program invites small towns across the state to embark on an ambitious creative project that will bring the community together with professional artists and create a lasting legacy.
Expressions of interest from towns opened on Monday, 9 November, 2015 and close on Friday 5 February 2016. Regional Arts Victoria will host information sessions and workshops across the state for communities interested in taking part.
The program offers $350,000 for the six strongest creative proposals that will deliver cultural, social and economic benefits to their town. Projects can use a wide range of creative forms, from design to performance, game development, film-making and visual arts. The program is now open to towns with a population of 2,000 people or less, so more than 310 towns will be eligible.
The Small Town Transformations program is part of the Andrews Labor Government’s $20 million regional arts
Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said “The Andrews Labor Government is proud to bring back a bigger and better Small Town Transformations program, and we look forward to supporting six small towns to bring their big ideas to life.”
“Creativity and innovation are hallmarks of life across Victoria in communities of all sizes. Our creative industries can transform both people and places, and contribute immeasurable cultural, social and economic benefits to our towns and our state.”
Director of Regional Arts Victoria Esther Anatolitis added “This is a thrilling opportunity to embed creative practice into the fabric of your town. I can’t wait to see what the next Small Town Transformations towns come up with.”
The Murtoa Progress Association wishes to engage the public of Murtoa and submit an Expression of Interest for a project that will transform Murtoa. An information session and brainstorming wll be held in the Mechanics Hall Supper Room commencing at 8.00pm on Tuesday 15th December. Everyone is welcome to attend.
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January 11, 2014
Dunmunkle Standard on TROVE
The State Library of Victoria have advised that the 125 editions of the Dunmunkle Standard from 1914 -1918 have been digitised and uploaded to TROVE.
TROVE is an national repository of digitised content run by the National Library of Australia. Trove focuses on Australia and Australians. It supplements what search engines provide. It is a terrific site that is used by people researching in the fields of the social sciences, literature, local or family history, and by school students undertaking assignments.
The inclusion of the Dunmunkle Standard is part of a push by the State Library to get as many local newspapers digitized as possible for the centenary of the first World War.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=Dunmunkle+Standard+1914&sortby=dateAsc
January 11, 2014
PROGRESS ASSOCIATION PLANS IMPROVEMENTS AT RABL PARK
The committee of the Murtoa Progress Association recently inspected Rabl Park and identified a number of issues which require attention.Some issues of concern are;
Walking track :- Current walking track unidentifiable in places and has not been completed
BBQ area:- – Lights not working – Area where previous BBQ installed needs cleaning up – General Appearance
Signage:- – Signage out of date and in disrepair
Toilets:- – Toilets shabby and in need of maintenance
Bridges and Crossings:- – North and South bridges require service – Crossing at North/East corner of park
Playground:- Safety (soft fall)
Watering Systems:-Operation and maintenance
Park Surrounds:- General maintenance and appearance
The Progress Association is quite keen to work with the Yarriambiack Shire Council (the Committee of Management) to improve the overall presentation of the park and is also willing to incur some expenditure to achieve this.
The Action Planwhich has been developed, identifies a number of issues requiring attention and Progress has taken the liberty of identifying which organisation we think should be responsible for rectifying the issues identified.
The Progress Association would appreciate feedback from the community regarding the park and improvements required. These can be provided by commenting on the Murtoa Facebook page, emailing “murtoaprogress@gmail.com” or by writing to PO Box 1 Murtoa.
All comments will be considered at the next meeting of the committee scheduled for Tuesday February 17th.
Photo: PROGRESS ASSOCIATION PLANS IMPROVEMENTS AT RABL PARK
The committee of the Murtoa Progress Association recently inspected Rabl Park and identified a number of issues which require attention.
Some issues of concern are;
Walking track :- Current walking track unidentifiable in places and has not been completed
BBQ area:- - Lights not working - Area where previous BBQ installed needs cleaning up - General Appearance
Signage:- - Signage out of date and in disrepair
Toilets:- - Toilets shabby and in need of maintenance
Bridges and Crossings:- - North and South bridges require service - Crossing at North/East corner of park
Playground:- Safety (soft fall)
Watering Systems:-Operation and maintenance
Park Surrounds:- General maintenance and appearance
The Progress Association is quite keen to work with the Yarriambiack Shire Council (the Committee of Management) to improve the overall presentation of the park and is also willing to incur some expenditure to achieve this.
The Action Planwhich has been developed, identifies a number of issues requiring attention and Progress has taken the liberty of identifying which organisation we think should be responsible for rectifying the issues identified.
The Progress Association would appreciate feedback from the community regarding the park and improvements required. These can be provided by commenting on the Murtoa Facebook page, emailing "murtoaprogress@gmail.com" or by writing to PO Box 1 Murtoa.
All comments will be considered at the next meeting of the committee scheduled for Tuesday February 17th.
February 3, 2014
Lake Marma to Get Major Revitalisation
February 7, 2014
Launch of unique Murtoa poetry collection
A collection of poems written by former Murtoa resident Noel Hays was officially launched by Yarriambiack Shire Councilor Cr Ray Kingston on Wednesday, February 5, in the Mechanics Hall Supper Rooms.
The poems, some of which feature regularly in the Murtoa and District Advertiser, capture the spirit of the Murtoa community where Noel lived as a boy. They tell of the legends, the characters and the events within a rural community of the mid 20th century.
Sometimes humorous, always sincere, the poems have an immediate appeal for those who have lived in Murtoa and know the people and places about which Noel writes. But as an entertaining folk history they have a much broader appeal.
The book, titled “Murtoa – In the eyes of Noel Hayes” will be on sale for $20.
Noel will donate $10 of each book sold to the Murtoa Swimming Pool Committee as a mark of the happy times spent as a boy at the old Murtoa swimming pool.
Copies of the book can be obtained from Mrs Mary Haby, 49 Munro Street, Murtoa. Phone 53852214 for $20.00 plus $1.40 postage. Cheques to be made out to the Murtoa Swimming Pool Inc.
March 19, 2014
New Showyards footy lights erected
Last Thursday a crew from Horsham electrical contractors and three cranes converged on the Murtoa showyards and erected the new lights which will enable night football games as well as other evening activities to take place in the future.
The four 25 metre light poles(over 80 foot imperial) with a bank of five lamps atop each will illuminate the ground to above AFL minimum lighting standards. The AFL requirement is 100 lux and Murtoa’s output is a little over that.
When entering the north end of Lake Street from either the highway or Comyn Street, the light adjacent to the scoreboard can be clearly seen in daytime so it should prove spectacular when lit up after dark.
Speaking to Minyip Murtoa president Andy Delahunty on Monday evening, he told the Advertiser that two crews worked all day Friday and he hoped that another two crews would be working on Tuesday as it takes a crew a day to test and connect each pole.
If that happened, the plan was to use the lights for Tuesday evening’s practice match against Taylors Lake.
There is another practice match scheduled at Murtoa for Friday, March 21 next week to start around 6.15; then another at Minyip against Birchip-Watchem on March 29 on the Saturday afternoon
The lights will definitely be used in the Burras’ third round match for premiership points against Horsham on May 3.
Andy was saying the club was happy with numbers turning up to training and they are hoping they can improve their journey up the ladder again this year.
Footy Lights
March 19, 2014
Trees to be removed at Lake
Last year the National Trust of Victoria engaged John Fordham to write an arborist report about the trees at Lake Marma for the Heritage Victoria hearing. Contained in that report was a recommendation to remove the trees to the north of the Scout Hall in what is known as Rabl Avenue ‘as they pose a hazard’ to public safety. A separate arborist’s report prepared for the Department of Sustainability and Environment in 2008 also recommends the removal of thirteen trees in the same area.
As a safety measure the committee plans to progressively remove the trees as recommended in the reports and replant the area with a similar species. Also, to allow the construction of a new entry and exit to the swimming pool carpark, the committee also propose to remove one tree near the standpipe in Breen Street. This is a safety initiative given that vision to the west of the current exit from the pool car park is obscured by the water treatment equipment. As part of its revegetation and public gardens program, the committee plans to replace the three unhealthy-looking trees directly north of the pier with new trees
(Murtoa and District Advertiser 13/3/2014)
April 1, 2014
Murtoa to host Open Weekend
The Murtoa Progress Association jointly with Yarriambiack Shire Council will host an Open Weekend in Murtoa over the weekend of Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May.
The Open Weekend will follow the Regional Victoria Living Expo which is a key initiative in the Victorian Government’s strategy to drive population and investment to regional and rural Victoria. The 2014 event is the third year of the Expo and will run on 11-13 April 2014.
The Regional Victoria Living Expo provides Melbourne residents and businesses with all the information they need when considering relocating to regional and rural Victoria, including promotion of specific job and career opportunities.
It will bring all Victorian regions under one roof allowing Melburnians the chance to better understand the range of opportunities in regional and rural Victoria in one visit and will provide all 48 regional and rural councils with an opportunity to promote the benefits and opportunities available in their area in order to attract residents, skilled workers, business and investment.
The Yarriambiack Shire will again be represented at the Expo and this year will highlight and specifically promote the township of Murtoa.
As an aftermath to this promotion the Open Weekend will provide interested persons with the opportunity to visit Murtoa over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of May and see for themselves what our town has to offer.
The Steering Committee formed to coordinate and run this weekend consists of representatives from the Progress Association, the Council, Minyip/Murtoa Football and Netball Club, local business and community.
Persons interested in coming up to Murtoa for the Open Weekend can register their interest at the Regional Victoria Living Expo following which they will be contacted by a member of the Steering Committee and provided with an itinerary of their visit.
Depending upon their particular interest they may be shown housing or business opportunities, education and recreational facilities or a range of attractions that Murtoa has to offer a potential resident or investor.
Those taking part in the weekend will be provided with accommodation on the Saturday night in a variety of locations including the Railway Hotel, Caravan Park, Guest House and private billets.
The Minyip/Murtoa Football and Netball Club have agreed to host the visitors at the opening night game between Minyip/Murtoa and Horsham – this should be a highlight of their visit.
If any resident would like further information regarding this weekend, has a house or business for sale which they would like promoted at the Regional Victoria Living Expo or would like to volunteer to accommodate a visiting couple or family over the weekend please contact David Grigg, Secretary of the Murtoa Progress Association on 53852591.
Download a copy of the Brochure and Registration Form at by clicking the link on the home page.
July 20, 2014
Extra Murtoa race meeting in August
The news that Murtoa Racing has picked up a meeting from Warrnambool was well received by the hard working committee of the club. The meeting, originally scheduled for Ballarat but transferred to Warrnambool due to the ongoing issues with the Ballarat track surface, is now to be held at Murtoa on Saturday August9th.Warrnambool’s track surface is also feeling the effects of a wet winter and is unable to run the meeting.
Over the past four years, Murtoa has acquired at least one extra meeting each year due to an inability of other Victorian tracks to handle wet weather.
The club has decided to offer free admission to the seven race card.
The newly refurbished bar areas offers a warm, comfortable setting to view the races live or on the oversized plasma screen. A TAB outlet will also operate from the lounge for the comfort of punters.
Race goers will be treated to the traditional fare of Our Lady Help of Christians Parents and Friends with the barbecue sure to be very popular.
The meeting will be a curtain raiser for the usual hugely successful Murtoa Cup meeting on October 4th.
The club has decided to offer race names for the August meeting to those businesses who commit to race naming sponsorship for the Cup meeting. This is an excellent opportunity to give businesses national and international exposure. At this stage there are only three races remaining available for naming rights. The bonus to sponsors of having a race name at both meetings is one of the many benefits the club achieves for its loyal sponsors by picking up this extra race meeting.
For more information on sponsorship or packages for the Murtoa Cup meeting please phone Phil Childs on 0428 570 057 or go to murtoa@countryracing.com.au.
July 27, 2014
Big Weekend plans almost finalised
Murtoa’s Big Weekend is on again this Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October. Planning for the Big Weekend commenced in March and the committee have been working hard to ensure that this year’s festival will be even better than those of previous years.
The Big Weekend will commence with the Friday A & P Society’s 130th Agricultural Show. This is a great family day with attractions and displays to suit all tastes. The “GrainCorp” Photographic and Metal Sculpture competitions offering over $1800 in prize money are sure to attract many quality entries.
Friday night will see the Official Opening of the weekend at the “GrainCorp” Art Show at the Mechanics Hall. This year’s opening has been restructured with entertainment reintroduced and will feature the sensational “Ginger and Tonic”, a female a Capella group specialising in fun and original arrangements of well-known pop songs. The group represented Australia at the International A Capella Competitions in Germany last year.
The “GrainCorp” Art Competition offers $2200 in prizemoney across a range of sections including oils and watercolours. Entry details for the Art, Photographic and Sculpture competitions are available on Murtoa’s website – murtoa.net or from SLAAM- Murtoa
The Monster Street Market conducted in McDonald Street on Saturday morning will be bigger and better. This year’s market will be bolstered with additional attractions including a Jumping Castle, coffee cart, buskers and kids entertainer TIMTIM. TimTim puts on an unforgettable, high-energy and no-holds-barred show with magic and comedy for kids and parents. Stilt walking, huge never-experienced-before giant bubbles, fire breathing and general round-the-house and chook shed clowning make up TimTim’s performance.
The Saturday “Tradies and Ladies” TAB Race day, including the running of the K & J Baker Murtoa Cup will be a highlight of the day with a quality program of thoroughbred racing supported by, Fashions on the Field offering over $1000 in prizes, free kids activities and DJ Bobby. A daiquiri bar will operate from newly refurbished lounge bar.
On Saturday night the entertainment continues at the Railway Hotel with former Murtoa identity Lyn Challands (nee Blay) and Acousticas Stomp performing.
Sunday morning will again feature an Ecumenical Service at the Supper Rooms. This year’s theme is based upon the “International Year of Family Farming” and will feature a guest speaker relating to the theme. Following the service the Murtoa Lions Club will serve a barbeque lunch.
In addition the Water Tower Museum, Stick Shed and Sumpoilers will all be open over the weekend enticing many visitors to these unique attractions. These attractions entice many visitors to the town over the Big Weekend. Last year over 1800 people inspected the Stick Shed and as “Ginger and Tonic” will be performing in the shed on both Saturday and Sunday this year the committee are confident of attracting many more.
For further information regarding Murtoa’s BIG weekend phone SLAAM – Murtoa on 03-53852591 or email slaamurt@ bigpond.net.au
Harpist Elsbeth Ampt plays to the crowd in the Stick Shed
Harpist Elsbeth Ampt plays to the crowd in the Stick Shed – Photo courtesy Leigh Hammerton
August 11, 2014
Plan to restore railway station
Richard Parker who is originally from Murtoa, and a railway buff, has put a suggestion to the Murtoa Historical Society, to restore the Murtoa railway station into a railway museum.
A recent meeting of members of the Historical Society and a number of former railway employees and railway enthusiasts heard Mr Parker outline his proposals.
Mr Parker’s idea is to create a railway precinct around the station, Water Tower Museum, and The Railway Hotel.
While still very much in the planning stages, the Historical Society are seeking expressions of interest from community groups interested in being involved in the project.
The Historical Society will write to all community organisations which may have an interest in preserving the station for community use requesting support for the proposed project.
Mr Parker has done some research into his proposal and with the information gained he can help the committee’s progress with the project. In consultation with VicTrack he has been able to identify a number of issues which will require resolution prior to any works being commenced. He also advised that works are in progress at the Beaufort and Donald Railway Stations at present which are being funded by grants from funds allocated by VicTrack for the restoration of railways buildings for community use.
Together community groups may be able to discover what other grants maybe available to preserve this great icon.
The Historical Society think it’s a wonderful idea because for not only is it of historical significance to the town as its former railway station, but many of the town’s World War 1 soldiers departed from this station with some never to return, and as this year is the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the Great War, this may be an appropriate project for the town to commemorate the event.
August 13, 2014
Murtoa’s Sunday Funday – August 24
August 26, 2014
Monster Street Market – part of Murtoa’s Big weekend
poster
August 26, 2014
GrainCorp Art Exhibition – part of Murtoa’s Big Weekend
Poster
September 8, 2014
Big Weekend 2014 – be there!
Poster
September 29, 2014
Leading a cappella group Ginger and Tonic to perform at Murtoa’s Big Weekend
A cappella girl group Ginger and Tonic enrapture audiences with their playful and original brand of cabaret/pop. In a single show, Emma, Jane, Carena and Laura will have their audience in hysterics during cheeky comedy numbers, and leave them breath taken with impeccable close-harmony ballads.
In their four years together, Ginger and Tonic have performed as a headline act at the Festival of Voices in Hobart, toured to Germany to perform at the International A Cappella Festival in Leipzig, and in 2012 won first place at SingFest – Australia’s leading a cappella festival and competition.
The buzz around Ginger and Tonic continues to grow, with an awarding winning performance at Short and Sweet Cabaret Festival (2013), a stand out show 50 Shades of Gay at the 2014 Adelaide Fringe, where they were named ‘Best Music’ of the festival in The Advertiser, and a record-breaking sell-out season of the show at The Butterfly Club for Midsumma festival in Melbourne.
Their repertoire is varied and includes clever covers, musical parodies and original songs, all woven together into a seamless cabaret-style show – no instruments required!
The group will perform over the Big Weekend on Friday night at the Murtoa Mechanics Hall during the official opening of the weekend, at the Stick Shed on both Saturday and Sunday at 1.30pm and a guest performance at the Railway Hotel on Saturday evening.
“Their great feel, inventive arrangements and wonderful voices make Ginger and Tonic one of the most exciting prospects in Australiana cappella for quite some time.”
– Nick Begbie (The Idea of North)
Absolutely superb… smooth harmonies, sexy moves, and sequins and feathers to spare”
– The Advertiser (Adelaide)
“I would like to describe Ginger and Tonic as Pitch Perfect meets the Spice Girls, but the comparison just isn’t fair. Ginger and Tonic are definitely in a league of their own.”
– Narelle Wood, Theatre Press
“Each of the four girls are undeniably talented performers, and their ability to harmonise together set them apart.”
– Heckler
“With consistently flawless harmonies and spot on arrangements, Ginger and Tonic take Pitch Perfect to a whole new level.”
– Nikki Mott, Rip It Up
October 1, 2014
National Heritage Listing for Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store No1 (Stick Shed)
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store, originally the No.1 Murtoa Shed, is located within the Murtoa Grain Terminal, adjacent to the grain elevator tower and railway line. The shed is 280m long, 60m wide and 19m high at the ridge with a capacity of 3.4 million bushels. The hipped corrugated iron roof of the shed is supported on approximately 600 unmilled hardwood poles set in a concrete slab floor and braced with iron tie rods. These poles are the reason for use of the term “stick shed”. With its vast gabled interior and the long rows of poles the space has been likened to the nave of a cathedral. An elevator at one end took wheat from railway trucks to ridge level where it was distributed by conveyor along the length of the shed, creating a huge single mound of grain. Braced internal timber bulkheads on either side took the lateral thrust of the wheat, and conveyors at ground level outside the bulkheads took wheat back to the elevator for transport elsewhere.
Wheat had been handled in jute bags from the start of the Victorian wheat industry in the mid nineteenth century. Bulk storage had been developed in North America from the early 1900s. NSW began building substantial concrete silos from 1920-21. In Western Australia, farmers’ co-operatives, who had to supply their own bulk storage from 1934-5, pioneered the use of low-cost horizontal sheds of timber and corrugated iron for bulk storage. Following its establishment in 1935 the Victorian Grain Elevators Board (GEB) planned a network of 160 concrete silos in country locations, connected by rail to the shipping terminal at Geelong. By the outbreak of the Second World War there was a worldwide glut of wheat, and Australia soon had a massive surplus which it was unable to export. Only 48 silos had been established under the Victorian Silo Scheme so far, and wartime material and labour restrictions prevented progress with this scheme. The storage deficit had become an emergency by 1941 as Britain obtained its imports from North America, rather than over the lengthy and difficult shipping route from Australia.
In 1941 the GEB, under chairman and general manager Harold Glowrey, proposed large temporary versions of the horizontal bulk storage sheds already in use in Western Australia. The proposal was approved by the Victorian Wheat and Woolgrowers Association, who considered the use of shed storages as a longer term proposition. After initial resistance from the Australian Wheat Board, some of whose members represented wheat bagging interests, the Commonwealth and Victorian governments agreed to split the costs, and Murtoa was chosen as a suitable site for the first emergency storage. The main contractor, Green Bros, commenced work on the No.1 Murtoa Shed in September 1941, deliveries of bulk wheat began in January 1942, and the store was full by June of the same year.
In the following years the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (later CSIRO) conducted valuable research and experiment on the impacts and control of insect pests at the Murtoa No.1 shed. With these discoveries, and the development of more effective pesticides, use of the No.1 shed and the larger No.2 shed, erected in 1942/43, continued for many years. The No.2 shed was demolished in 1975. By the 1990s, pest resistance to pesticides and requirements for both pest free and insecticide free grain rendered open storage of this type unviable. The No. 1 store was also becoming increasingly expensive to maintain, and its use was phased out from 1989.
How is it significant?
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of historical, architectural, scientific (technical) and social significance to the State of Victoria
Why is it significant?
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is architectural significance as a rare surviving example of the ‘stick shed’ building type, a long horizontal bulk wheat storage shed constructed of timber and corrugated iron. The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is the earliest and only remaining of three large sheds of this type built in Victoria during the early 1940s.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of historical and scientific (technical) significance for its association with an important change in the mid twentieth century from storage and transport of grain in bags to the storage and transport of loose grain in bulk.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of historical significance for its associations with the massive expansion in Australia’s wheat growing capacity in the post-Federation years, which created major handling and marketing challenges.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of historical significance for its association with the development and influence of organisations involved in the Victorian grain industry, including the Victorian Grain Elevators Board, the Victorian Wheat and Woolgrowers Association and the Australian Wheat Board. The construction of the Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store was the subject of lengthy negotiations by and between these bodies.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of historical significance for its associations with the combined impact of the Second World War and Australia’s remote geographic location on Victoria’s wheat trade, and particularly the resulting requirement for emergency bulk storage.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of scientific (technical) significance as an example of a unique building type deployed in Victoria during the Second World War to cope with a deficit in bulk storage of wheat. The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store employed an ingenious form of construction using low cost vernacular materials including corrugated iron and long hardwood poles from Victorian forests to create a very large structure in a time of material shortages.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of technological/scientific significance as the site of early and important scientific research into the effects of pests and the efficacy of pest control in grain stored in large open bulk storage facilities.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of architectural significance as an expression on an unusually grand scale of the Australian rural vernacular corrugated-iron tradition.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of aesthetic and architectural significance as a building which stimulates poetic responses, and which is valued for its impressive external presence in the surrounding plain and for the aesthetic qualities of its vast internal space which has been compared to both cathedrals and forests.
The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store is of social significance for its associations with the economic life of the Wimmera and southern Mallee as a longstanding feature of the single major wheat storage/collection facility in this major Victorian wheat growing region.
For a video presntation go to;
http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/murtoa-grain-shed
December 5, 2014
“The Dressmaker” shoots in Murtoa
A scene from the film The Dressmaker is scheduled to be filmed in McDonald Street outside Murtoa’s Furniture Store (Arthur Parish’s) between 3.00 pm and 7.00 pm next Friday 12th December with the Art Department dressing the street from 12.00 midday and all activity should be complete by 8.00 pm
“The Dressmaker” is an Australian feature film starring Kate Winslet (Tilly), Judy Davis (Molly) and Liam Hemsworth (Teddy). Set in the early 1950s, the film is a bittersweet comedy about a glamorous young woman who returns to her small wheat-belt town in rural Australia in order to right some wrongs from the past. When Tilly comes home, she not only reconciles with her ailing mother, but with her sewing machine and haute couture style, transforms the women of the town. She also falls unexpectedly in love, in turn leading to her greatest loss and her most destructive deed
The film is being Produced by Sue Maslin (Japanese Story, Road to Nhill) and Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (Proof, How to Make an American Quilt),
The scene to be filmed involves a 1950’s bus pulling up to a stop in the main street of a fictitious town (Winyerp) and characters alight from the bus arguing with each other while they enter a hall.
While several parking spaces will be reserved from early in the day in McDonald Street, mainly outside Murtoa’s Furniture Store and across the street to clear the street of non-period cars. Access to all businesses will be maintained throughout the day.. The Art Department will also temporarily paint out the white parking bay lines on the road surface and spread some gravel and sand on the footpath outside number 28 to dress the street to a 1950’s look.
The filmmakers will be conducting a ‘hold and release’ of traffic in McDonald Street during the filming period to ensure safety around the filming area.
The film crew will number around 30 people, and while access to all premises will be maintained at all times, you will notice increased activity in the area during filming. On-Set Location Manager, Julian Duggan will oversee the filming and liaise with locals as required.
December 5, 2014
Murtoa’s Christmas Shopping Day – Sunday 12 December
Everything is falling into place for a busy, bargain-filled Christmas shopping day in Murtoa on Sunday, December 14.
Through the generosity of sponsors, the children will enjoy free rides on a merry-go-round and jumping castle as well as free face-painting, fairy floss and icy poles and a lucky shopper will also go home with a $250 Murtoa Shopping Voucher.
Murtoa Community Pharmacy is also offering lucky shopper prizes with Pharmacy customers going into a draw for one of two hampers featuring either skin care or cosmetics.
The shops will be open from 10a.m. to 3 p.m. and although the Pharmacy will only be open from11 a.m. to 1 p.m., it is greatly appreciated that Stuart and the staff have agreed to support the concept by opening and being part of this Sunday trading.
Santa and some elf helpers will be visiting during the day to add to the occasion. It is hoped that regardless of the weather forecast, Murtoa will come out in force to do some shopping and see what the shops around town have to offer.
The Historical Society will be manning the street stall with the usual offerings on sale as well as raffling a wheelbarrow full of goodies donated by the local traders. (See Ad)
The shopping day has become a ‘whole-of-town’ project with support from all the traders and many trades people. Support from the community is now all that is needed to make the day a success.
Join James Rigby for the second Stick Shed Sing on Saturday October 6th, 2018. For more information and to express an interest in participating in the workshop and/or afternoon concert with your choir (or as an individual!) contact office@makingmusic.com.au
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December 6, 2013
At the November Murtoa Progress meeting it was reported that: Funding is still being sought to enable the installation of a disabled ramp at the post office; the caravan park dump point unit has arrived and Progress will now organise its installation; V-Line has agreed to the relocation of the bus stop from outside the chemist shop to Marma Street; and the Murtoa Angling Club clubhouse and Uhe track have been officially opened.
Yarriambiack Council is currently inspecting Murtoa properties prior to the forthcoming fire season to check that all landholders have cleaned up their blocks. Fire clean-up notices will be issued where action is required with a 14 day deadline for the work to be undertaken. If this is not done Council will move in and do the job while the owners who failed to act will face a fine of up to $1400.
Progress, which already raised the issue of Murtoa police station building, noted comments by Cr Terry Grange, the issue had been discussed in council. While there have been no positive undertakings at this stage it is hoped that keeping the issue “front of mind” may lead to a speedier resolution.
Cr Grange advised Progress that work is being planned for a footpath upgrade in Lloyd Street. The job will involve work on the kerb and channel and the removal of the trees to enable the work to be done. A report, prepared by Bernie Naylor, was circulated outlining council’s actions on the matter. The report revealed council’s environmental officer has inspected the trees and found some are causing problems with the existing footpath while others are impacting on drainage. Overall, his recommendation, based on limited space to work in and almost certain damage to new infrastructure, was that the trees be removed.
Council wrote to all residents on the west side of Lloyd Street in October nominating the proposed works and advising the removal of the trees and requested concerned residents contact Council. No concerns have been received. Council now plans to write to all residents on the east side of Lloyd Street to ascertain whether they have any objections to the trees being removed and seek comments from Progress regarding the removal of the trees. Cr Grange is keen to get feedback from the community. He was questioned on whether the trees would be replaced when the upgrade was complete and replied that there are no plans to replace the trees. He questioned whether the nature strip would be wide enough.
A suggestion was made that trees and their benefits are critical in Murtoa’s climate and that the option of suitable replacement trees should be seriously considered. At this stage Progress has not taken a position on the issue. Residents concerned with the Lloyd Street streetscape should make their views known to Cr Grange, act on Council’s request for feedback or take the matter up with members of Progress.
Given the pivotal role that Progress plays in the affairs of the town and alerting the shire of the town’s priorities and needs it is essential
that the Association adequately represents the wishes and desires of the residents and businesses in the town. Anyone is welcome to join Progress
following the payment of the $5 membership. Progress resolved to undertake a membership drive to encourage more of the town’s residents to join and
participate in its deliberations. A decision was taken to conduct this drive on the morning of December 7 outside the IGA store.
October 22, 2013
Vale George Caris
Murtoa was saddened last week to learn of the sudden death of a former resident for over sixty years, George Caris.
George and his wife Ellinor came to the town in the 1950s, when he was appointed coach of the Murtoa Football Club. He had played league football with South Melbourne.As well as being a football talent George was one of stalwarts of Murtoa cricket, both as a impenetrable wicketkeeper and prolific batsman.
He and Ellinor ran a successful electrical and whitegoods shop from the front of their large home in Duncan Street for most of their time in the town.
George also gave back to the community and was a founding (charter) member of both the Apex Club and Lions Club. He and Ellinor recently moved into a smaller unit at Sunnyside Lutheran Retirement Village.
He is survived by Ellinor and children Sharon, Haydn, Rob, Phil and Katrina. He was farewelled by a large contingent of mourners in St John’s Lutheran Church last Thursday and interred at Murtoa Cemetery
October 9, 2013
Murtoa’s Big Weekend Survey
Murtoa’s Big Weekend – Survey
Did you attend this years Big weekend – if so take this easy 10 question survey and let us know what you think.
Click on the link below and complete the survey now;
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3JWJV78
October 8, 2013
Murtoa’s Rose and Flower Show – Tuesday 22nd October – 2.00pm
October 8, 2013
Big Weekend Pictures from the Stick Shed
Cars blocked the access road all weekend
Cars blocked the access road all weekend
Crazy Daniel hams it up in the Stick Shed
Crazy Daniel hams it up in the Stick Shed
Harpist Elsbeth Ampt plays to the crowd in the Stick Shed
Harpist Elsbeth Ampt plays to the crowd in the Stick Shed
Well known Academic Marcia Langdon with Leigh Hammerton
Well known Academic Marcia Langdon with Leigh Hammerton
September 15, 2013
DUNMUNKLE SUMPOILER’S MASSIVE ENGINES RUN in MURTOA
As part of Murtoa’s BIG Weekend on October 4, 5 & 6th, the Dunmunkle Sumpoiler’s Annual Rally will be run for 2 days, with their 4 famous BIG engines being run several times on both days.
These massive Hornsby Engines are a sight to see as they slowly fire up and begin rotating their huge flywheels at a breathtaking 300rpm. These single cylinder monsters weigh up to 20 tonnes and, when seen in full flight, they are something never forgotten – truly awesome. They are also very likely to be the only engines of this size and type still on their original 1911 foundations in the Southern hemisphere, where they originally powered the compressors and lighting equipment at the Wimmera Inland Freezing Works in Murtoa.
There are also many other displays including a wide range of vehicles and engines, which includes tractors, stationary engines and all related items.
This is great family event with wonderful sights and sounds of the past – just one more fantastic attraction in Murtoa.
Country Culture is alive here!!
September 14, 2013
Metal Art/Sculpture Competition at the Show
In similar fashion to the GrainCorp photo competition, the Big Weekend Committee will sponsor a Metal Art/ Sculpture competition at Murtoa Show.
This will once again offer the chance for some new major prizes at the show this year.Locals are encouraged to enter the new competition.
There will be both junior (up to 18 years) and Senior sections, with a total of $375 in prize money on offer. There are a couple of restrictions, the art must represent a ‘Living Thing’ and be within the size specifications of 60 cm by 60 cm by 100 cm .Entry is free for this inaugural event, and can be made with other show entries, when details of the show office are advertised ( These time will be published on the Murtoa Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/murtoa when known) .
Make your dreams a reality in tin and steel, joined together with wire, rivets, welds or screws and you could convert it into some cold cash.
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