An often overlooked piece of history has been transformed into a feature in the main street of Birdwood with thanks to the local community and Adelaide Hills Council.
Members of the local community approached Council with concerns about the safety of the historical Birdwood Weighbridge, which lies along the footpath of the main street, just in front of the National Motor Museum. In response, Council used the opportunity to create something unique for the town, and sought a local artisan to help bring the project to fruition.
Birdwood blacksmith Will Sexton, of Stag Fox Forge, was commissioned to produce a one-of-a-kind steel barrier that would ensure public safety at the weighbridge site while also adding a unique art piece to the landscape. The result is an aesthetically appropriate barrier featuring 118 hand-forged wheat stalks that are a nod to the weighbridge’s history alongside the flour mill.
In addition to the barrier, which took approximately 200m of steel and five months to produce, the scale house adjacent was restored and the original sign reproduced to show its opening year, circa 1880.
To celebrate this restoration project, Council has produced a short video that explains the history of the weighbridge, and how the project came about.
You can see the Birdwood Weighbridge and its unique wheat stalk barrier in front of the National Motor Museum, adjacent to Top of the Torrens, 9 Shannon Street Birdwood.
