Cathedral of the Wimmera

Well, this is the reason I took off for a few days! This is the wonderful Murtoa Stick Shed in the wheat belt of north western Victoria. I was fortunate to be given access to the site to photograph it and had it all to myself for a few hours. A bit of history - the shed was built in 1941 when a glut of wheat and a shortage of fabric to bag wheat, meant that a method for storage was urgently needed. Thus the construction of numerous stick sheds. Over 250 metres in length, close to 19 metres in height and 60 metres wide, held up by 560 poles, many of which must have come from hundreds of kilometres away. Incredibly the shed was nearly filled with wheat after completion close to 100,000 tonnes. This is the last remaining stick shed, now in the care of Heritage Victoria. It is currently surrounded by private land so access is difficult, though open days are sometimes held.
I am so glad to have had the opportunity to explore it and I have to say that the beauty for me was photographing the details rather than the big picture. I wish I could post more shots because this one is not my favourite but best gives you folk an idea of what it is like!!!! I might have to create a montage of images to really convey some of the beauty. I truly felt like a kid in a candy store!
When I finished I spent a bit of time touring the flat wheat country, stopping for shots here and there of silos and trains and fields. It was fun!!!