Wheat Bag

When the first European settlers arrived in what was known as the Swan River Colony, they found much of the soil shallow and infertile, the rainfall seemingly erratic and the seasons the reverse of the northern hemisphere. One of the first things the early farmers tried was growing wheat. Plots were planted everywhere from the streets of Fremantle and Perth to the scrubby hills of Point Walter. From 1834 to 1837, wheat cultivation increased, yet yielded low profits, especially when compared to the wool industry, which could be 10 to 20 times more profitable for the same weight of wheat. Nonetheless, in a few short years, between 1837 and 1840, the acreage of wheat under cultivation increased by about one third, helped along by improved farming techniques and more suitable types of grain. 

By the 1900s, wheat and flour had become major export commodities. Wheat production in Western Australia actually surpassed other states, facilitated by soil improvement and the extension of the railway network inland. By the 1930s, Australia, as a whole, had become the world’s third largest wheat exporter, after Canada and Argentina. Technology changed too with grain no longer being packed in hessian bags and moved by manual labour. Instead, it was handled by conveyor belt and lifts.  By 1961, wheat exports were hitting 635 000 tonnes. Just thirty years later, in 1990, it had climbed to almost five million tonnes - not bad for an industry that had a fairly inauspicious beginning. 

Postcard: Harvesting Coolgardie W.A. Hand-coloured photo showing three horses, a harvester and two men. Published by J.T. Stephens, Coolgardie. Credit: WA Museum Collection (H1988.24).