Moora District Office, Department of Agriculture

Statement of Significance

The place demonstrates the importance of wheat and wool production in the district of Moora; The place is associated with both the innovations and experiments undertaken by the Department of Agriculture staff, and the provision of advice and education by the Department in the Moora district, and demonstrates the expansion of the Department of Agriculture into new districts in the mid-twentieth century.

Values

• The place demonstrates the importance of wheat and wool production in the district of Moora.
• The place is associated with both the innovations and experiments undertaken by the Department of Agriculture staff, and the provision of advice and education by the Department in the Moora district and demonstrates the expansion of the Department of Agriculture into new districts in the mid-twentieth century.

Physical Description

Moora District Office, Department of Agriculture is located in the southern section of the Moora townsite, on the corner of Roberts Street and King Street. The site incorporates two lots, with the corner Lot 401 comprising the main office building (Moora District Office), the garage and the morgue, and two sheds located within the southern Lot 443 fronting Roberts Road. Lot 443 is fenced, preventing public access, while Lot 401 can be accessed from the Roberts Street main driveway, or the King Street visitors’ parking and entrance.
The main office building (Moora District Office) is located in the northeast corner of the lot, and fronts King Street. The two storey red brick building is constructed in the Late Twentieth-Century Stripped Classical style, and comprises a series of offices and administration spaces and a central paved courtyard, beyond which comprises the single storey laboratories to the rear.
The single storey red brick Morgue building is located to the west of the laboratories. Both the Morgue and Garage, located on the western boundary of Lot 401, have been constructed in a complementary architectural style, with red brick and green trim.

History

In 1939, G.T. Throssell, the district agricultural advisor became Moora’s first resident Agricultural Officer, as the Department continued to support local farmers in investigating new farming techniques and providing education to the farming community. Throssell’s office was originally a rented office in Moora.
In 1957 purpose built offices were constructed on the corner of Charles Street and Roberts Street in Moora. Additions, including the construction of a garage, store, post-mortem room and single men’s quarters, were made in 1961 and 1962.
In the early 1970s, the Department of Public Works was commissioned to design a larger administrative building for the expanded Moora office at a new location on the corner of Roberts Street and King Street, which is now known as the Moora District Office, Department of Agriculture. The main office was completed in 1974, and it is likely that the Morgue and Garage located to the west of the main office building and built in a similar complementary architectural style, were completed around the same time. The modern sheds located in the southern Lot 443, are of more modern construction, and it appears that the lot may not have been acquired by the Department until the 1990s.
Lot 433 and Lot 401 do not appear to have been used prior to their acquisition by the Department of Agriculture in the 1970s/1990s.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.