FREMANTLE GRAIN TERMINAL (site only)

Statement of Significance

The Hospital Silos were built in 1943 by the Australian Wheat Board to fumigate stockpiles of wheat prior to shipment. Constructed was funded by the Federal Government and formed part of that government's emergency measures during World War Two. The Hospital Silos played an important role in Western Australia’s coastal defence network during World War Two. A Signal Station was established on top of the Hospital Silos by the Department of the Interior for shipping surveillance purposes. The Station was operated by personnel from the Women’s’ Royal Australian Navy Services and the Australian and United States Navies from June 1944 to December 1945. The Hospital Silos were taken over by Co-operative Bulk Handling Limited in 1947 and operations in the area were expanded with the construction of three horizontal grain storage sheds. The horizontal sheds were replaced with a bank of 48 vertical silos in 1964. CBH has been Western Australia’s sole handler of wheat since 1933. The silos complex has social value due to the memories associated with the landmark qualites of the place which were associated with its scale, location and architectural sytle. The silos also contribute to the social history of the Port and the intangible valued derived from the people who managed and operated the silos from the 1940s until closure in 1998.

Physical Description

Demolished Refer to the Heritage Council of Western Australia's assessment documentation for further information.

History

Demolished in 2000, the site comprised the Hospital Silos, constructed in 1943 by the Australian Wheat Board, and CBH Silos, constructed by Co-Operative Bulk Handling in 1964. World War Two seriously hindered shipping schedules to and from Australia, and while wheat production continued throughout the war, emergency bulkheads had to be constructed to hold the huge grain surplus. In 1943, the Australian Wheat Board, which had recently been established under the Emergency Services Act (Cwth) 1939, raised major concerns that the emergency depots at Fremantle, Bunbury and Geraldton would be a breeding ground for weevils. Financed by the Federal Government, the Board constructed a hospital silo at Fremantle. The silo held 8,500 tons and its purpose was to fumigate grain prior to shipment. In the same year, the Australian Navy moved its Port War Signal Station from Cantonment Hill to the top of the Hospital Silo, where facilities had been provided in construction. The silo provided commanding views of Gage Roads, Cockburn Sound and Fremantle Harbour. Accommodation included a large lookout area, teleprinter, wireless and telephone rooms, toilets and rest rooms for both male and female personnel, as well as a small kitchen. The secret Station was manned by the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Services and operated from June 1944 to the end of 1945. Personnel worked in 24 hour shifts, monitoring shipping movements and sending signals to coastal defence ports. Two United States Navy personnel shared the station, with either man on duty at all times. In 1994 and again in 1999, former WRANS and RAN personnel celebrated the anniversary of the opening of the Signal Station by returning to the site to share memories. After World War Two, the State Government and the Australian Wheat Board constructed a four loader shipping gallery to connect the hospital silo to the wharf, making the shipping of grain more efficient. Changes in the wheat industry in the 1920s led to the establishment of Cooperative Bulk Handling Limited (CBH Ltd) in 1933. CBH took over the existing leases and plants for bulk handling wheat operated by Western Australian Farmers Ltd and the Trustees of the Wheat Pool of Western Australia. Following a Royal Commission into the operation of the wheat industry in 1935, CBH’s monopoly on the handling of wheat in Western Australian was formalised under the Bulk Handling Act (WA). The number of bulk handling railway sidings doubled the following year. It soon became obvious that the storage facilities at the three major ports of Fremantle, Bunbury and Geraldton were inadequate to handle the amount of wheat. At Fremantle, a former wool shed at Leighton Beach was converted for use as a grain terminal after the Fremantle Harbour Trust refused CBH’s plans for a £200,000 wheat shipping terminal. The shed was extended the following year. The company was successful in building the first vertical grain silos at Bunbury the following year. In May 1947 CBH took over the State-owned shipping gallery at North Fremantle and was also given control of the Australian Wheat Board’s silos and conveyor system. In 1951, the company prepared plans for a bulk handling system at North Quay to handle the storage and shipping of oats for the West Australian State Voluntary Oats Pool and barley for the West Australian Barley Marketing Board. The following year, three horizontal grain sheds were built to feed the hospital silo. Due to the rapid increase in wheat production in the 1950s, CBH decided to modernise the Fremantle facility and in 1957, entered extended negotiations with the Fremantle Harbour Trust for expanded facilities at North Fremantle. Work on a new grain terminal at North Quay commenced in 1961, but heavy winter rains delayed construction during 1962 and 1963. Comprising 48 vertical cells, the new terminal commenced operation on 18 May 1964 and was officially opened by Premier, David Brand MLA, on 14 September 1964. Designed by Consulting Engineers MacDonald Wagner & Priddle of Sydney, the Fremantle grain terminal was constructed at a cost of £3,250,000 and had the capacity to store 4,000,000 bushels of grain. The new facility also included provisions for cleaning, fumigating, aerating, weighing and bagging wheat as well as dust control measures. Grain was delivered by road or rail to the north west side of the terminal. It was then put into hoppers and tipped into the underground conveyor system, where it was transported to the Elevator Tower and treated with malathion for insect infestation. The grain was then transported through a system of elevators to the roof level of the two banks of silos and was stored in the vertical cells. Blending, cleaning and weighing were carried out in the Elevator Tower prior to transfer by conveyor to ships. The entire operation was monitored and controlled by personnel in the Control Room. The Fremantle Grain Terminal remained the centre of CBH’s export of wheat up to 1976, when work was completed on the company's huge new grain terminal at Kwinana. Following completion of a new Metropolitan Grain Centre in the Forrestfield Marshalling Yards in 1997/98, the silos at North Fremantle became obsolete. The last grain was delivered to the terminal in June 1998. CHB transferred the buildings to the Fremantle Port Authority the following the month and the Transfer Galleries were demolished to make way for container cargo. As part of rationalisation of North Quay to cater for the expanding container trade, the 1964 Silos and Hospital Silos were demolished in 2000 despite community lobbing to save them. The Minister for Heritage did not accept the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s recommendation to enter the entire complex in the Register of Heritage Places. A subsequent recommendation to enter the Hospital Silos alone was also rejected. This place was included in the 'North Fremantle Heritage Study' (1994) as a place contributing to the development and heritage of North Fremantle. Refer to the Heritage Council of Western Australia's assessment documentation for further information.

Condition

Demolished

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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