National Heritage Listed Cultural Icon. The Stick Shed is the 101st place in the National Heritage List. An enduring testament to iconic Australian bush ingenuity, and a symbol of the growth and strength of the Australian wheat industry. Completed in 1942, the unique and dramatic structure of The Stick Shed has captured the imagination of everyone who has seen its serene and evocative cathedral-like interior. Referred to by some as the ‘Cathedral of the Wimmera’. The Murtoa Stick Shed’s ghostly unmilled tall timber poles and central aisle draw the eye upward towards the roof as light spills into the space through skylights as if through a stained-glass window. The Stick Shed (previously known as the Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store) is the only remaining emergency grain store built during World War Two. This structure is an enduring testament to iconic Australian bush ingenuity and a symbol of the growth and strength of the Australian wheat industry. The Stick Shed is the 101st place included in the National Heritage List. Completed in 1942, the unique and dramatic structure of The Stick Shed has captured the imagination of everyone who has seen its serene and evocative cathedral-like interior. Referred to by some as the ‘Cathedral of the Wimmera’. The Murtoa Stick Shed’s ghostly unmilled tall timber poles and central aisle draw the eye upward towards the roof as light spills into the space through skylights as if through a stained-glass window. Grain is central to the story of Murtoa and The Stick Shed. Stickshed depicts both the impact of World War II on Australia’s trade and export industry, and transformation of grain haulage in Australia. Murtoa is a proud wheatbelt town that was settled in 1872 with Lake Marma as the centre piece and the railways central to trade and employment. The Stick Shed is a grain storage facility known as Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store. It was the first emergency bulk wheat storage shed built in Victoria, and the only remaining shed of this type in Australia. Stick Shed covers 16,000m2 under roof , 265 metres long, 60 metres wide and almost 20 metres high. Built over four (4) months, between September 1941 and January 1942 Was filled with grain within six months of construction. The size and scale of The Stick Shed reflects the massive growth of the wheat industry and the need for mass distribution, bulk grain handling and storage facilities for Australia’s oldest agricultural crop. Murtoa was selected as the site for The Stick Shed as it was located within a major wheat cropping area, and adjacent to the main railway line between Melbourne and Adelaide. It was also at the confluence of an additional branch line connecting the Northern wheat areas of the Mallee via Hopetoun. The working section of the present day GrainCorp Murtoa Grain Receival Centre can hold up to 400,000 tonnes of grain and is the largest inland receival centre in Australia. THIS LOCATION ONCE ACTED AS one of the many emergency grain stores constructed in the region during World War II. Though it is now known as the Stick Shed, the grain storage facility was previously known as Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store. With the onset of World War II leading to trade restrictions, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Australia had a lot of grain and nowhere to put it. The grain glut prompted the Australian Wheat Board to design and build a series of bulk storage facilities. These structures once spanned the state and served as an essential source of ingredients for food. Locals tell stories of playing in them as children, however fewer fun stories about regular issues with mouse and bug infestations. The Stick Shed measures 265 meters (869 feet) long, 60 meters (197 feet) wide, and nearly 20 meters (65 feet) high at its tallest point. The inside of the structure covers approximately 16,000 square meters (17,200 square feet). Because steel was in high demand when these grain sheds were built, it is made largely from timber: 56 rows of mountain ash poles buried in the ground, with concrete poured around the footings to help stabilize the poles. Visitors are treated to a dramatically expansive interior, which feels more like a cathedral than an industrial store, with light beams spilling in through small holes in the wall. OpeningTimes & pricing: