Rail Geelong

Oriental Timber Company Siding

The Oriental Timber Company's mill was located at North Geelong, near Corio Quay, on the site of the current Ford engine plant. During construction of the mill in April 1909 a gale hit, resulting in the buildings being flattened. Two workers suffered fractured skulls and later died at the Geelong Hospital. A further 10 were treated for injuries. The mill was rebuilt by 1911, using equipment imported from America, Norway, and Sweden. A log pond was located on Corio Bay, with a channel dug to allow logs to be floated in. There were also lath and box factories located on the site. Between 150 and 300 logs were sawn per day, with a record set of 335 logs. A rail siding was provided to the mill in 1909, probably for the despatch of finished products.

Logs were sourced from overseas, with a concession being granted by the Russian Government to buy Siberian logs. Other sources of timber included pine, oak and kauri from Japan and other South East Asian regions.

The outbreak of World War One spelt the end of the mill, with shipping difficulties making the sourcing of the raw material difficult. The mill closed in 1916, and the plant and equipment auctioned off three years later.

After the closure of the mill, the use of the siding is unknown, but it remained until 1956 as the 'Sims Cooper’s' Siding.

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Sources

• Andrew Waugh - http://www.vrhistory.com/
• Geelong - The First 150 Years