Bucket Reclaimer Wheel

This giant rusted wheel was once part of a powerful bucket reclaimer that stood at Geraldton Wharf, a machine that helped change the course of Australian export history.

In 1966, this wheel helped load Australia’s very first export shipment of iron ore, setting the stage for one of the country’s most important industries. Mounted on a crawler, the wheel’s rotating buckets scooped up iron ore as the machine slewed back and forth. Once a section was cleared, the crawler moved forward to begin again.

Built in Germany by LMG (Lubecker Maschinenbau Gesellschaft) and assembled in Geraldton by Western Mining Corporation, the reclaimer worked hard from 1968 to 1975, loading over five million tonnes of iron ore bound for Japan’s steel mills. The ore came from Koolanooka, near Morawa, and travelled 160 km by rail to Geraldton Port.

After a second life loading talc from Three Springs in 1980, the machine was retired in 1993. Western Mining kindly donated this wheel to the Western Australian Museum, where it now rests as a proud monument to Geraldton’s industrial heritage and global connections.