Importing grain

During the disastrous 1982-83 drought, Victoria was forced to import wheat for the first time since 1945. Victoria's elevators system only  received 333,318 tonnes of wheat, barley and oats well down on the 1981-82 state harvest of 3.29 million tonnes. To maintain supply to Victoria's mills, grain was railed east from Western Australia in Victorian and Australian National hoppers wagons and in heavily tarped ANR AOOX open wagons.

Y152 shunts the AHGX hoppers over the weigh bridge in Ballarat yard. 

The March 1983 issue of Newsrail noted 5 AOOX of grain from Western Australia being unloaded at Echuca yard on 4th February 1983. On the 4th January 1983, three Australian National AHGX hopper wagons with barley were in Stawell yard. The April issue notes that 4 AOOX of imported grain were in Echuca yard on Wednesday 9th February 1983. During trips to St Albans in early 1983 I remember seeing Australian National open wagons being unloaded at Grain Elevators Board terminal at Sunshine.

AHGX's awaiting unloading at the Garden City Flour Mill.

On the layout grain from the west is being forwarded to mills in Ballarat as part of operating sessions.  These hoppers are worked to Ballarat on Adelaide - Melbourne express goods and detached in Ballarat yard.  After being weighed on the Ballarat weigh bridge, the grain hoppers are then transferred to Garden City or White's Mill at Ballarat North by one of Ballarat's pilots.  Once unloaded, the empty hoppers are transferred back to Ballarat yard by the pilot and then attached to one the westbound express goods.

C501 accelerates past the Garden City Flour Mill at Ballarat North with an Melbourne - Adelaide Express Goods.  Two empty AHGX wagons are included in the train.

In addition to these rail workings from Western Australia and South Australia, grain was also shipped to Appleton Dock and railed to Grain Elevator Boards silos at Sunshine.  These workings were covered in article in January - February 1983 issue of VicRail News.

In a similar operation, barley was imported into Victoria though the port of Geelong, Barley was noted being loaded into VHGY wagons with the assistance of Y132 on the 22nd January 1983.