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Home » Themes » Technology » Industry
Wheat LumperPrint Page 
The sculpture "Wheat Lumper" commemorates the pioneers of the grain industry in the Eyre Peninsula.
Location
| Address: | Tod Highway & Umlauf Street, Cummins, 5631 |
|---|---|
| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.266002 Long: 135.725721 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
Dedication
A TRIBUTE TO THE PIONEERS
OF THE GRAIN INDUSTRY
Receiving Grain from Growers
Bulk handling started on Eyre Peninsula in the late 1950`s.
Prior to this all grain and fertiliser was handled in bags.
Ove the next decade silos were built all over Eyre Peninsula
and bagged grain handling was gradually phased out.
Grain bags were all hand sewn.
Wheat bags weighed 80 - 85 kgs,
and were stacked 22 bags high
at the highest point.
It was very hard, manual labour and
also required a huge amount of skill.
Out - loading Grain for Export
When stacks were loaded on to rail trucks, up to 26 per minute were taken
on the lumper`s shoulder and dropped into place in the rail trucks.
Cummins lumpers developed the use of wooden slides to achieve
the quickest and most efficient method of pulling a stack down.
Once bags were placed in rail trucks, they were railed to the port of Port Lincoln. All grain had to be re-handled before being loaded on to ships for export
Further detailed information about grain handling methods involved bag sewing, building bag stacks and loading rail trucks in available from Cummins Newsagency and Cummins Post Office.
