A previous article in both the Chronicle and Free Press noted the Australian inventions of the horse-drawn stripper and winnower, which generated more inventions and changed the history of Australia.

The Pioneer Museum also houses two significant pioneer harvesters. A third one is displayed in the outdoor machinery yard, another is the last header manufactured by Sunshine Harvester Works in Melbourne, 1989 has been offered to the collection. These local machines cover 145 years of inventions and developments.

H V McKay’s improved design harvester was first build in 1895 at his Ballarat Factory. This five-foot harvester was sent from Ballarat by rail to the Yarrawonga Show in 1904, being purchased by Sam Parker for £84.

The Hammon family have it on display in the Pioneer Museum, in complete and original condition. As one of the early McKay harvesters built in Ballarat, it is rarer than those built at McKay’s Sunshine factory, where many thousands were produced between 1907-1955. The factory was taken over by Massey Ferguson.

Braybrook Junction, the original name for the location, was renamed Sunshine in 1907, becoming the largest agricultural implements manufacturer in the southern hemisphere, the Sunshine Harvester works.

The harvester combined the actions of the stripper and winnower within the one machine. It was a great idea but took many years to become popular, one reason being the greater number of horses required to pull it.

It was a big expense, especially when most farmers were already familiar with the operation of their strippers. The harvester was more prone to breakdowns. One local farmer remarked, “Why tow a winnower around the paddock?”

The early 1900s saw an increase in popularity of the harvester.

In 1913, Headlie Taylor of Henty NSW invented the header. This machine cut the heads of the crop with a knife, instead of the beating actions of previous machines.

It proved ideal in down and tangled crops, especially if crop lifters were added. The header could be pulled by either a team of horses or tractor, as it was self-driving. Power take-offs (PTO) came later.

Yarrawonga residents include some keen collectors of early and rare harvesting equipment, some of which are being offered to the Museum’s displays.

This Museum collection demonstrates the major impact to the social and economic development of mechanized agriculture around the world.

The Museum also includes a Cinema, where local early pioneering agricultural films are screened.

One example is the photographic archive of Ian Sloane, who captured many types of harvesters on his 16mm movie camera. His footage includes Bert Cavanagh’s 12-foot auto-header which led the world in header design during the 1920s. These films were transferred to DVD then digital format, and have won awards in Europe and America.

Dr Jeff Brownrigg of the National Film and Sound Archives in Canberra stated, “Ian Sloane was one of Australia’s premier cinematographers. What he filmed is now a vanished way of doing things.” The images of Sloane’s films were taken just 25km north of Mulwala.

The Pioneer Museum can garner many more visiting groups, notably students at all levels of education.

The actual structural condition of the building is yet to be reviewed and ascertained by the Historical Society and its representatives.

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Saturday, 25th July 2026

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