MELTON STATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT
Location
MOUNT COTTRELL ROAD MELTON SOUTH, MELTON CITY
Level
Heritage Inventory Site
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The site of the Melton Station Weighbridge is significant because of its essential role in the commercial and agricultural operation of Melton Station, the township, and the region more broadly, during the twentieth century. The establishment of Melton Station and improvements to rail networks across the state of Victoria brought new economic opportunity to Melton. The need for a weighbridge grew from the expanded opportunities which the railway provided.
Whilst operational, the weighbridge site was associated with the commercial operation of Melton Station precinct and the north-western railway line. It would have functioned as an essential mechanism of day-to-day operations at the station’s commercial precinct, facilitating the accurate and safe measurement of goods for distribution across Victoria’s rail network.
How is it significant?
The weighbridge site represents both a direct link to commercial activity at Melton Station, and a link to the economic history of Melton and its surrounding districts. Longstanding emphasis on logistical operations at the weighbridge site, chronicled in council meeting minutes and local papers, demonstrates the essential commercial service which the facility provided. Melton’s agricultural industry was reliant on weighbridge technology to ensure the successful and economically viable distribution of goods from the region.
Furthermore, Molony (2007: 120) notes that the weighbridge on Brooklyn Road in Melton South is one of the few “railway heritage places remaining” in the local region. The significance of early 20th century weighbridge sites in rural areas has been noted across Victoria, at sites such as the Maryborough Railway Weighbridge (Place ID 67680) and the Yarrawonga Road Weighbridge (Place ID 71573).
Why is it significant?
In consideration of the place’s historical significance, the function of the weighbridge should be considered. The function was two-fold; firstly, as a commercial mechanism to establish the weight of goods such as grain being transported or distributed using the rail network. Secondly, the weighbridge was used as a safety mechanism to determine that goods were evenly distributed across carriages, avoiding imbalances to loads and associated risk to individuals or damage to the rail network. These functions address two categories in Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes:
Theme 3: Connecting Victorians by transport and communications:
Sub-theme 3.3, Linking Victorians by rail - Associated Objects:
The weighbridge represents equipment directly associated with the operation of the railway network in the 1900’s. During this period a total of 42 weighbridges under the ownership of the Victorian Rail functioned across the Victorian rail network, in addition to an unknown quantity of privately owned units. These structures served a significant function in the history of the Victorian rail network.
Theme 5: Building Victoria’s industries and workforce:
Sub-theme 5.1, The processing of raw materials:
The weighbridge is significant for its role in the process of large-scale goods distribution, such as grain and other agricultural products, during the time of its operation. The ability to transport goods and raw materials on the rail network was vital to the function of Victoria’s industries and associated workforce during this period.
The use of the Melton weighbridge spanned much of the twentieth century. During this time, the site functioned as an essential service supporting industry and connection across the Melton region, and across the state more broadly. The weighbridges specific function as a means of efficiently tracking the transportation of goods across rail services, was an important component of the Melton region economic expansion, as evidenced across numerous council documents and newspaper articles. Therefore, the Melton Weighbridge has historical local significance due to its direct link to commercial and economic activity at Melton Station. The weighbridge is also archaeologically scientifically significant, as the weighbridge was one of 42 weighbridges constructed under the ownership of the Victorian Rail network. If present, the extant features would have remained the same as when it was first installed.
SiteCard data copied on 12/12/2024:
What is significant?
The Melton Station archaeological precinct is significant.
This includes the location of 8 former structures within the station grounds, and surrounding surfaces, including former approaches to the railway line to the north, now characterised by a car park and vacant land, and a narrow section of rail reserve to the south of the rail corridor. The precinct also includes a portion of Exford Road at the location of the current rail crossing.
How is it significant?
The Melton Station archaeological precinct is significant for the role it played in the development of the Shire of Melton’s economy, especially in the development of its agricultural industry. Comprehensive demolition efforts and recent land development within Melton Station precinct are likely to have removed historical features associated with former buildings and equipment, however, remnant features are significant, as they form components of structures which supported the processing, storage and export of agricultural products (especially chaff and dairy products) from Melton across Victoria.
The structures/infrastructure built at Melton Station between the late 19th and the mid-20th centuries also reflect several different phases in the development and use of Melton Station, with structures built in the area between Melton Station and Brooklyn Road playing a particularly important role in the export of chaff, a key component of Melton’s economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Additionally, these former structures have a direct association with heritage items that are listed on both the Victorian Heritage Inventory and the Shire of Melton Local Planning Scheme Heritage Overlay for their association with the development of agricultural industries and rail transport as an important means of exporting goods produced in Melton.
Archaeological investigation of former structures within the precinct could provide new insights into their function, layout and the materials used to build them.
Why is it significant?
The station area contained a rage of structures during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that were utilized in the operation of the railway station, and particularly for the movement of goods through the railway network. This included a silo, goods sheds, stock yards, loading platforms and crane, equipment. These features are at least 75 years old.
It cannot be demonstrated at this stage that the site retains archaeological deposits associated with the features detailed in this Site Card. However, based on the number of former structures, their distribution across the site, and the varied level of later site development, there is a potential that remnant archaeological deposits of structural components are present in association with some of the features detailed.
Archaeological deposits such as building materials, objects or artefacts provide information of past activities relating to the operation of the Melton Station in relation to the processing, storage, and shipment of goods. Archaeological methods of excavation and recording will be required to appropriately investigate and document these features.
Structures/Infrastructure within the Melton Station archaeological precinct address the following categories in Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes:
Theme 3: Connecting Victorians by transport and communications:
Sub-theme 3.3, Linking Victorians by rail - Associated Objects:
The structures within Melton Station precinct all played a supporting role in the operation of Melton Station. Most of these structures are linked to the precinct’s use for storing and exporting agricultural goods produced in the Melton Shire, while others (such as the stables) would have supported passenger travel along the north-western (Ararat) railway line. The location and phase of use for each structure also reflects the evolution of how the Melton Station precinct was used, with two distinct phases of development during the early and mid-20th centuries in the section of Melton Station precinct between the rail line and Brooklyn Road.
Theme 5: Building Victoria’s industries and workforce:
Sub-theme 5.1, The processing of raw materials:
Many of the former structures within Melton Station precinct are significant for their role in the processing of goods for distribution, such as grain and other agricultural products, during the time of its operation. The ability to transport goods and raw materials on the rail network was vital to the function of Victoria’s industries and associated workforce during this period.
The use of Melton Station to export agricultural produce spanned much of the twentieth century. During this time, the precinct was used to store, process and load goods onto railcars for export, all of which were essential services supporting industry and connection across the Melton region, and across the state more broadly.
Theme 6: Building Towns, Cities, and the Garden State:
Sub-theme 6.4, Making regional centres:
Melton Station was the primary method for exporting agricultural goods produced in the Melton region throughout the first half of the 20th century. The importance of the railway station for goods export is indicated by the decision to construct chaff mills within the precinct which were directly connected to the rail line via privately built and owned rail sidings. Chaff was important not only for the development of Melton’s economy, but also in developing the region’s identity, with Melton chaff having a reputation for being high-quality across Australia. Melton Station precinct continued to play a key role in Melton’s economy until its decline in use for agricultural export in the later 20th century.
Group
Transport - Rail
Category
Other - Transport - Rail
