Murtoa No 1 Grain Store, National heritage site and grain storage in Murtoa, Australia
The Murtoa No 1 Grain Store is a large timber warehouse in Murtoa, a small town in western Victoria, built as an emergency grain storage facility. The building stretches for a considerable length and is supported inside by rows of wooden poles that hold up its curved roof.
The warehouse was built between 1940 and 1941 to store wheat surpluses that could not be exported because of the disruptions caused by World War II. It continued to be used for grain storage for decades after the war before eventually receiving heritage protection.
Locals in Murtoa often refer to the grain store simply as "the Stick Shed," a name that comes from the thousands of wooden poles holding up the roof inside. Stepping into the interior, visitors find a forest of timber columns stretching into the dark, giving the space a feeling unlike any other building in the region.
The site sits on the edge of Murtoa and is easy to reach by car. Information panels are available on site, and the interior of the building can be visited at certain times, so it is worth checking in advance before making the trip.
The building was put together using timber gathered from many different sources across Australia because imported materials were hard to obtain during the war. This means the structure contains wood of very different origins, assembled quickly and without the standardized supplies that a project of this size would normally require.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
