July 9, 2018
A shed being built next to the South Burnett Rail Trail in Wooroolin will soon house one of the district’s historic peanut threshers.
A concrete slab for the shed was laid several weeks ago and the metal frame is now being erected.
Once completed, a 1920s Stolzenberg peanut thresher will be moved to the site to help visitors gain a better insight into one of Wooroolin’s iconic agricultural industries.
The shed is part of a project being undertaken by the Wooroolin Lions Club with permission from the South Burnett Regional Council.
Last August the Lions club received a $32,784 grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund to pay most of the costs, with club members chipping in their own funds to pay for any over-runs.
The project will also see the former Wooroolin Railway Station moved from its current home at the Wooroolin Sports Grounds back to Dalton Park, minus its former asbestos lining and sporting a new coat of paint.
Wooroolin’s railway station was located close to the town’s Grand Hotel from around 1900 until the Kingaroy-Theebine Railway Line closed.
It was then bought by the Wooroolin community and moved to the sports grounds, where it was used by local sports clubs for many years.
The Lions Club’s project ran into some resistance last December when several councillors expressed concerns that if the club closed down, Council could be left “holding the baby” for future maintenance costs.
Others believed the project should be delayed two years until the Council created a Master Plan for the Rail Trail to ensure the facility was developed in a uniform way.
However, with only a 12-month window for Lions to complete the project or return the grant funds, Council gave permission for the project to proceed at its January meeting.
Work on the machinery display shed and railway station is expected to be completed in the next few months.
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