During the last school holidays, I found myself in the Grampians with a few hours to spare. Having read about The Stick Shed some months earlier, I was determined to see it and set off for Murtoa. First, some facts for the curious and factually minded…
The Stick Shed (previously known as the Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store) is the only remaining emergency grain store built during World War II. Designed in mid-1941, it was completed early in 1942 after an impressively quick five-month build. The structure is 265 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 20 meters high, constructed from 560 unmilled Victorian Mountain Ash poles, four acres of concrete, and approximately 10,000 sheets of roofing iron.
I was not disappointed to have made the effort. I spent several hours wandering, framing, making images and completely lost time, as I do. Much to my dismay on returning to the main shed door, it was locked shut! I had unknowingly overstayed my welcome and was locked inside. Fortunately, after a brief panic, I remembered that I had a mobile phone and weak but sufficient internet coverage to find a phone number for the office, who were horrified to hear they’d locked me in and were still 5 minutes out from departing for the day! Yikes.
Anyway, I lived to tell the tale and highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area.
