Summary
Description of the Quarry which operated at Sunshine Harvester Works from 1951.
The Sunshine Harvester Works quarry was located on the corner of Service and George Streets, Sunshine. This site was originally a commercially-operated basalt quarry which extracted blue metal to construct roads, railways and concrete. The size of the quarry was 1.5 acres and approximately 100 ft. deep.
The company purchased the quarry from Mr. W.T Roberts in 1951. The Sunshine Harvester Works used the quarry to dump waste from the factory. Councillors were initially concerned about the proposal due to the amount of sulphuric acid contained in the disposed material. The City Engineer and Health Inspector argued that the amount of acid was small compared with the amount of water in the quarry. Both recommended that the company fence the quarry. In 1953, the Sunshine Council eventually permitted the company to dispose its waste into the quarry over a five year trial period.
An exhaust system was installed in the factory Woodmill to allow sawdust and wood shavings to be carried into the water-filled tip. The exhaust blew waste into the quarry at over 50 miles per hour.
- References
- 'Caution on Disposal of Factory Waste into Quarry', 1953, Sunshine Advocate, 9 January 1953, p.4.
- 'Quarry Hole to be Filled', 1951, Sunshine Advocate, 10 August, p.3.
- 'Waste Disposal into Old Quarry', 1953, Sunshine Advocate, 13 February, p.9.
- Plan - H.V. McKay, Subdivision of Robert's Quarry, Jul 1951, registration no. HT 9151. Held in the H.V McKay Sunshine Collection, Museum Victoria.
- Ray Browne and Ken Porter (former Sunshine Harvester Works employees), personal recollections held at Musuem Victoria, May 2000.
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Authors
Ms Snjez Cosic, Mr Raymond (Ray) Cyril Browne, Mr Ken Porter
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