Minnivale Rail and Heritage Centre

A collection of rail carriages in a disused wheatbin

Have you ever wondered what was inside the large silver wheat bins which litter the Wheatbelt landscape? Wonder no more! Step inside a decommissioned wheatbin which houses a collection of rail carriages. The Minnivale Wheat Bin opened in 1964 as a bulk handling wheat facility. A railway line goes into the centre of the wheat bin. This is a new addition to the bin and was installed to get the locomotive and carriages into the museum. Rail carriages were once filled with grain, from a siding rail, which went alongside the wheatbin. Amongst the rolling stock on display, you can see a ‘bogie van,’ a type of rail wagon made in Western Australia for bulk handling grain and an original diesel locomotive used on the Wheatbelt railway lines. There is even a Kalamazoo, a hand motion pump cart, in the collection, which sits on train tracks.

Address:

Hewitt Street
Minnivale WA 6462
Australia

Opening Hours
Contact the Dowerin District Museum on the numbers provided
Do you smell rabbit?

This rail carriage was used for carrying rabbit carcasses to Perth. In the early 1900s rabbit populations had reached plague proportions and by the 1920s there was a large industry in trapping rabbits...

Split carriage

Passenger rail services did not operate to some small towns in WA. For locations which did not have the passenger rail service, customers travelled in a dual carriage such as this. This brake carriage...

Green engine

An important part of WA rail history sits quietly on the tracks in the Minnivale wheat bin. The AB 1535 diesel locomotive is a slight modification of the original A class built in the 1960s. There...

More Golden Outback collections

A charming museum in an old house built by a saddler.

This charming museum is built upon the legacy of one family: the O’Shaughnessy’s. It is housed in the original home built in 1915, for Eugene O’Shaughnessy the local boot maker and saddler. The...

A historical village started by a small group of people

Bringing visitors a slice of settler life from the late 1800s to mid 1900s, Wagin Historical Village has it all: A bakery, post office, local store, dairy, fire station, printer, bank, church...

A large museum for a small town

The Mt. Magnet Mining and Pastoral Museum celebrates its mining and pastoral history over several buildings. The sheer scale of the restored Hill 50 Winder in one of the sheds is impressive, whilst...

Petrol head pleasure at this motor palace

This Museum is a feast of everything vehicular, with over 70 cars and 15 motorbikes. There is a rotating display of vehicles and motor memorabilia over three main galleries. Don't forget to check out...

While you're in the area

Filter
Dowerin Short Stay Accommodation & Caravan Park
Accommodation
Dowerin Short Stay Accommodation & Caravan Park
Dowerin is a one stop shop for visitors and is only a 2 hour scenic drive...
Corner of Fraser Street and East Street, Dowerin, WA 6461
Wyalkatchem CBH Agricultural Museum
Attraction
Wyalkatchem CBH Agricultural Museum
The Wyalkatchem CBH Museum is a fine collection of agricultural history...
Lot 1500 Railway Terrace, Wyalkatchem, WA 6485
Dowerin Museum
Attraction
Dowerin Museum
The Dowerin Museum offers visitors an opportunity to see what life on the...
16 Cottrell Street, Dowerin, WA 6461