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Yarrawonga Road Weighbridge

Location

Yarrawonga Road,, YARRAWONGA VIC 3730 - Property No B7274

File Number

B7274

Level

State

Statement of Significance

What is significant? Manufactured by the Victorian Railways at the Newport Workshops and installed at Yarrowonga in 1916, the 35 ton capacity road weighbridge features a non-loose-weight steelyard with a ticket printer and protection bar. Designed and installed in a era when horse drawn carts dominated the transport of most goods by road, the road approaches to the weighbridge were re-aligned and partially concreted in 1944 to permit long wheel-based trucks and semi-trailers to be weighed 'end to end'. The steelyard was converted to metric units in 1974. The weighbridge was sold to the Yarrowonga Shire in 1981, and was still in use in 2002.
How is it significant? The weighbridge is historically, scientifically and socially significant at the state level.
Why is it significant? The weighbridge is scientifically significant because when manufactured and installed by the Victorian Railways in 1916, it demonstrated 'state of the art' technology for a mechanical steelyard weighbridge. The non-loose weight steelyard has a protection bar and a mechanical ticket printer on the traveling poise to increase accuracy and efficiency. The concrete approach strips placed on each side of the platform in 1944 demonstrate how the weighbridge initially designed primarily for the weighing of horse drawn vehicles was adapted to enable long motor trucks and semi-trailers to be weighed 'end-to-end'. Apart from a modification made to the traveling poise during conversion to metric units in 1974, the mechanism of the weighbridge has remained essentially the same as when it was first installed.
The weighbridge is historically significant as the first road weighbridge and the only road weighbridge with a capacity of 35 tons manufactured by the Victorian Railways. Installed in 1916 and still in use in 2003, the weighbridge holds the record as the oldest weighbridge once operated by the Victorian Railways still in commercial use. Today it continues to weigh wheat delivered to Yarrawonga station, although the bulk wheat semi-trailers of today are much larger than the horse drawn carts originally used to convey bagged wheat in 1916. Of the 12 road weighbridges originally constructed by the Victorian Railways, the only other to survive intact is the 20 ton weighbridge now preserved out of service at Bendigo.
The weighbridge is socially significant because for over 80 years the weighbridge has played an important part in the social and commercial activities of local farmers and merchants. During the busy grain harvesting season in particular, the social interaction between farmers and merchants waiting for loads of wheat to be weighed played an important part in the daily social life of local communities.
Classified: 29/11/2004

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