Farm history

"A century of farmyard relics in Australia : 1840-1940" is the latest production by Ken Arnold.

Famous for his earlier books on old bottles, Australian tools, Victorian demijohns and more, Ken has out-done himself with this huge 5 volume epic (over 3,000 pages in total).

Volume 1 covers windmills and water related, grubbers, fencing and strainers, manures, sprays, poisons and bait, rabbit traps, skins, buggies, buggy plates, wagons, carts, blacksmith and wheelwrights. Volume 2: dips and drenches, shearing machines and handpieces, wool presses, caring for animals, saddles, harnesses, collars, cans, milking machines, separators and churns. Volume 3: old stationary portable and traction engines, old tractors, saws and saw benches, chain saws, for the smithy, old tools and spanners, old makers plates and plaques. Volume 4: the machinery manufacturers. Volume 5: machinery manufacturers and machinery agents.

The machinery book mentions many of the local agricultural machinery manufacturers : Beard & Sisson, Ackland, May & Millar, Petschel & Brothers, Promnitz, Petschel, Arthur Wallis, James Elsden, E.F. Gersch, Rawling & Co, Braybook & Dimboola Implement Works, etc.

It is also complemented with advertising bills, and photographs some historic and some taken by Ken at agricultural museums, so photos taken at Patchewollock, Jeparit, Rupanyup and Warracknabeal are dotted through it.

Undisputed heritage

At its June meeting the West Wimmera Shire announced it is currently negotiating a new five-year lease with VicTrack for the Serviceton Railway Station.
VicTrack owns the heritage listed railway station building, which has been managed by the Shire and the Serviceton community. Previously the Shire has employed people on different Works Schemes to assist the local community in maintaining the iconic building.


The town of Serviceton (named after former Victorian Premier - Sir James Service) was gazetted on 1st January 1887. In the early years in had general stores, bakery, butcher, blacksmith, boarding houses and livery stables, temperance hotel, coffee palace and wine bar. It became a major border crossing and an important customs station for goods passing between the colonies of South Australia and Victoria.

A Late Victorian railway station was built in 1887 of red bricks transported from Horsham. The building opened in 1889.
From the front, it had a central two storey symmetrical neo-Classical polychromatic brick station building accommodating former residential functions with flanking office wings.

The ground floor level consists of 15 main rooms, and accommodated toilets, waiting rooms, dining and sitting room, bar and kitchen, offices, lobby and customs office.
The Refreshment Room is 52 feet long with high ceilings, it is still used today for functions.



The extensive underground storage and service area was equipped with a mortuary for bodies being shipped across the border and there is a dungeon lock-up furnished with iron rings fastened to the walls, which was used for criminals captured in the Disputed Area or being held over until the next train, and prisoners who were being transported interstate.

The enormous 70-metre platform with its cast iron posted verandah of standard-design faces the running lines and is the largest example of its type, the platform was the longest in the State, until a portion was removed in the late 1980s.

The outbuilding/staff hostel, van goods shed, lamp room signal box goods shed and platform have all been removed. There were two engine sheds but, with the lack of local water, the original water reservoir for the trains was constructed astride the boundary line.

The Customs Office set up shop in the railway station to ensure duty was paid for goods being taken interstate, but the law was difficult to enforce as the town was in the 'Disputed Territory', a strip of land 4.5 km in width which stretched along the length of the state border between Victoria and South Australia. Serviceton was legally in Victoria in 1913.

The station was closed in 1986, but the Melbourne to Adelaide trains still speed past this unique station each day.