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Road Plough

Photographs by TSA & Tom Hogan

This road plough was placed beside the Flinders Highway to mark the sealing of the last stretch of highway between Talia and Streaky Bay, on Eyre Peninsula. The Transport Minister, Mr Geoff Virgo, opened the Highway in February 1978. Manufactured by the British Standard Machinery Co c1900. Dimensions 2.5 x 1.0 x 0.7 m.

This plough was pulled by two to four horses depending on the condition of the ground to be levelled and had a maximum speed of one mile per hour. The District Council of Streaky Bay used this small plough to construct the original Flinders Highway in the early 1900s with a method of road construction similar to the later ‘brattenising’ method.

Several passes were made by each piece of machinery over the section of road being worked. Road-making in this way was a very slow process, with only one or two miles being completed in a day.

BRITSTAND and model number 69 is stamped onto the side of the front ‘arm’ and identifies this plough. The plough can be seen at Eyre’s water hole approximately 3 km south of Streaky Bay on the Flinders Highway.

Taken from Nicol, Stuart, Bullock Tracks and Bitumen ( Royal Automobile Association of South Australia, Australia, 1978).

Minister for Transport Geoff Virgo opening the Flinders Highway in 1978 following the sealing of the final section between Talia and Streaky Bay. The road plough is in the foreground.

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