Oriental Timber Company Siding
The Oriental Timber Company's mill was located at North Geelong, near Corio Quay and south of Cowies Creek, on the site of the former Ford chassis 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. A rail siding was provided to the mill in 1909, presumably for the despatch of finished products.
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. 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 on signal diagrams until 1956 as the 'Sims Cooper's' Siding.
Events
| May 3, 1909 | Siding for Oriental Timber Corporation provided |
| October 18, 1911 | Timber Coy Siding connected to frame at North Geelong 'A' |
| May 28, 1956 | Siding E and Timber Coy’s (Sims Cooper’s) Siding abolished. |
| May 28, 1956 | Closed |
Line Opened
| November 1, 1856 | Line opened Lara to Geelong |
| June 25, 1857 | Line officially opened between Geelong and at temporary terminus at Greenwich. A ferry was used the complete the journey to Melbourne |
| October 3, 1857 | Temporary Greenwich terminal and stub line closed. Geelong line now connected to the partially completed Williamstown line. A ferry complete the journey from Williamstown to Melbourne |
| January 17, 1859 | Williamstown line finally completed to Melbourne. Geelong trains can now operate direct to Spencer Street Station |
Track Amplified
| February 8, 1959 | Line duplicated Corio to North Geelong A |