Five incredible Aussie sheds to visit around the country
There's the garden shed, the man cave shed, the tool shed and then there are these incredible sheds to visit.From historic shearing sheds to transformed old silos and even an old cider shed - we've got some great Aussie sheds to visit that are worth the drive. Check the area’s potential bushfire threat status, stay COVID safe, jump in the car and head for one of these five incredible Aussie sheds from around the country
Stick Shed, Murtoa, Victoria
Never heard of Murtoa? It’s just outside Horsham in Victoria’s west, and it boasts a shed big enough to rival most European cathedrals. The Stick Shed was built in 1941 to store grain so it needed to be big. It has some four acres under the roof, is 275 metres long and 60 metres wide. But it’s the construction technique that makes it special. The roof is supported by 560 very tall mountain ash poles, giving it its name but also a very special feeling of rustic grandeur. Entry is $10 and the atmosphere is amazing so if you’re heading to the Grampians check it out.
Kinchega Woolshed, Menindie, NSW
Back in 1883 Kinchega Station, about 130km east of Broken Hill, was running 160,000 sheep. That meant the farm needed a very big shearing shed so it was built out of local materials and still stands today. Located in the Kinchega National Park just outside Menindee, the woolshed is beautifully preserved with its 26 shearing stands, old steam engine, slatted timber floors and the ineffable smell of lanolin from the six million sheep shorn there over the years. You’ll hardly find a better place to experience old-style rural outback life.
Cordillo Downs, Innamincka, South Australia
You’ll want to be an adventurer to find this one. Cordillo Downs is in the north-east corner of South Australia, maybe on the way from Birdsville and definitely 4WD territory. The shearing shed is unusual in that it’s built from stone (no trees out here!) and also it’s very big. It has a claim to being the world’s largest, and in the 1880s some 85,000 sheep were shorn in its 126 stands. Cordillo runs cattle these days, but the shed still stands and is worth a look.
Jondaryan Woolshed, Queensland
Another huge shearing shed, Jondaryan is among the world’s biggest at 90 metres long and was built an incredible 140 years ago at the Darling Downs station of the same name, just west of Toowoomba. It’s been transformed into a lively museum, encompassing a score of outbuildings, a cheese factory, mini railway, the Damper Hut cafe and heaps of stuff to do and see for the family. It’s even a wedding venue, plus there’s cottages, shearers’ quarters and camping facilities for accommodation.
Willie Smith’s Apple Shed, Grove, Tasmania
Tassie is known as the Apple Isle and there’s no better place to discover everything about apples than at Willie Smith’s, just south of Hobart in the Huon Valley. This huge old barn is part of a working orchard and includes a museum of local history and apple growing, a bar, restaurant and distillery. There are regular music gigs to go with a Willie Smith’s cider and it’s safe to say there’s always something happening in this stylishly rustic spot.
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