Concrete Grain Silos

At Mount Russell, approximately 25 kilometres north-west of Inverell in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, a cluster of concrete grain silo cells stands in open farming country. A corrugated metal roof caps the cells, a tall headhouse rises above, and rust streaks run down several panels. Broken openings mark the walls. A row of trees and low scrub screens the base of the structure from the surrounding paddocks.

The site holds two distinct structures. The first, a type S041 concrete silo with a capacity of 4,100 tonnes, was constructed in 1934 by a NSW Government grain authority, a predecessor body to the later Grain Elevators Board. The second, a type A285 scalloped concrete silo with a capacity of 28,500 tonnes, was built alongside it in 1955, bringing the combined capacity of the site to approximately 32,600 tonnes. The Grain Elevators Board, formally constituted in 1954, assumed responsibility for the country silo network that included Mount Russell.

The site's connection to the wider grain transport network ran through the Inverell branch line. Mount Russell station had opened on 10 March 1902, and for decades the branch carried grain outbound from the Northern Tablelands. Passenger services on the line ended in 1983. The last train on the Delungra-Inverell section ran on 22 June 1987, and the line was decommissioned on 2 December 1987. The railway sidings at the silo site fell out of use after that point.

In 1992 the NSW Grain Handling Authority, successor to the Grain Elevators Board, was privatised with a majority of shares transferred to grain growers, forming GrainCorp. GrainCorp listed on the ASX in March 1998, and Mount Russell remained within its receival network until 2007, when the company closed the facility.

The structure has remained standing since closure. Photographs taken between 2007 and 2023 show it in intact condition, the concrete cells and headhouse unchanged against the Northern Tablelands sky. This photograph, made in 2023, records the cluster as it now stands: weathered, disused, and visible from the road behind its screen of trees.