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Have a question? Contact Friends of Kurth Kiln
Kurth's kiln used creek water in a series of waterpipes to cool the charcoal below the flash point for extraction during the charing process
A cylinder of wood fitted on a 1" waterpipe, secured by an elbow and a 1" locknut. A 10cl long piece of pipe is fitted on the other side of the elbow. The assembly could be part of the kiln water-cooling system
Heavy Cast Steel Fitting for earth moving equipment. V shaped with sharpened edges, 2cm square holes for attachment to Machine. Red paint finish
Section of Narrow Gauge Railway Track. Two standard spaced section joining holes at one end of the Rail
Hand operated Water Pump on a wooden base. The pressure vessel is painted red. Handle is missing. This type of constant flow pump was known as a Billabong Pump
Winch Tool to pull tree stumps. Steel frame, two steel wheels, a cable drum and a large steel handle. Handle fits on square shaft of drum and ratchet arrangement
Heavy Duty Rope Pulley with a Ring Connection at the Top.
Inscription: TREVOR 14" BULLY
Special shape bracket,made from 100cm x 50cm x 6mm channel steel 59cm long, bent at 80* in middle and welded crossplate sections. 4 x 25mm holes one arm.
Steel Rope Winch with Ratchet wheel. Cable Drum contains ~6m of 10mm dia wire rope.
Lettering on Gear Wheel - DAWN MFG CO - 2 TON AUSTRALIA
Flat Belt Pulley, with 5cm bore, key slot and locating screw. 4 spokes to wheel, 1cm hole in rim of pulley and balancing weight inside of rim
Two 80cm sections of heavy 12 link steel chain joined in a heavy 15cm dia ring. Each link is 10cm long and 7cm wide, made from 2.2cm dia steel.
Rectangular Wooden Box made from 3plywood with reinforced corners and wire banding. Open at the top
Forest Comm. Victoria / Forest Officer T Wescott / Kallista / via / FernTree Gully / Rly Station
Heavy duty Trevalli type Ratchet Jack. Used in the Rural / Timber Industry for felling trees and handling large logs. Steel operating handle has 2.5cm square socket
Logging Chain Dog. Lever type latch for tightening large chains. It has two hooks and two links
Jack for changing wheels on light horse-drawn wagons. Contoured Lever Handle with holding Ratchet
In conversation with Mr Tibbett we found out that he obtained this particular unit at an auction in Sydney and brought it home with the intention of one day getting it going again. 'One day' never seemed to come, so he decided to let us have it for our display, rather than jjust collecting dust in his shed.
This unit is again of a different manufacturer and construction, highlighting the versatile nature of charcoal producer gas and its applications.
A commercially made cast iron unit with a solid round hopper/boiler on a steelframe base. It has a pressure-cooker lid and a car type radiator. Solid built, but rust affected in parts
Make: Tysons Cross Draught Model: Official 30hp Heavy Duty Serial: 1368
This Unit was donated to us by the Falla Family of Donald, and picked up from the farm on 22 February 2007.
The unit being in reasonable condition would almost lend itself to reconditioning for use.
This Gas Producer Unit is in reasonable condition, with apparently all doors and fittings intact. The central oval shaped hopper is flanged by round and regular containers, interconnected with a series of pipes. Obviously a professionally made item, with signs of the original paintwork still visible.
A brass nameplate states the make as Electrolux
Les Solomano tells us this unit was made by their cousin Frank Solomano and mounted on the passenger side running board of his A Model Ford, Spare bads of charcoal were tied to the rear door, so passengers had to get in and out through the driver side doors.
It is the smallest Gas Producer unit we have seen
This Gas Producer unit is obviously a home made construction for a specific application. Absence of any air-cooling facilities suggests these may have been fitted separately inside the engine compartment.
No specific marlings
According to Les Solomano this unitoriginally belonged to the Hendricks brothers of Talbot. It was mounted on the front bumper of their 6 ton truck used for general cartage.
The Unit shows the wide range of Gas Producers constructed during the war years to drive with charcoal fuel.
This Gas Producer unit appears to be home-made mild steel construction for a specific purpose. The assembly sits on a welded frame, the hopoper on one side, the filter drum on the other and the radiator in between.
there are no specific markings visible
The Gas Producer is fitted with hinged mountings for attachment to the rear of a vehicle. Its central oval hopper is flanged by two round containers interconnected with 50mm tubing
A faded brass nameplate identifies the unit as a Cheney - Pederick make
The Unit was picked up from a paddock on a farm in Bagshot, near Bendigo. It was donated to the Friends of Kurth Kiln Heritage Collection by the Family of Cyril H Peatling on 23 December 2006.
Gas Producer Units are of significance to Kurth Kiln because they demonstrate the enduse of the charcoal that was created at Kurth Kiln. Considerable documentation has been made available to us on its history, including a picture of the truck is was mounted on.
A Gas Producer Unit that converted charcoal into a gas suitable for the combustion engine. Used on motor vehicles during WWII petrol rationing restrictions. It consists of a hopper to hold the charcoal and a firebox to generate the gas
Nameplate missing
gas producer, bagshot, wilma
Although the Beenak Post Office officially closed on 31 August 1951, the Mail Box continued to be used until 1976.
The history of Beenak (the town that never was) is part of the Yarra Valley Ranges, and this picture tells the story of the historic Mailbox
Black and White Picture of the original Beenak Post Office Letter Box, used for collecting mail during the Beenak Sawmilling operations. The Friends of Kurth Kiln have errected a Commemorative Plaque on site next to the huge gum tree that still carries the scar where the the mail box had been mounted.
A full scale replica of the box has been fitted to the shed at Kurth Kiln, made and painted by Henk Bouck under the supervision of ex PMG officer John Waghorn
beenak, post office
The authors personal experiences visiting Kurth Kiln
Kurth Kiln at the time the Friends of Kurth Kiln were formed
Two Page Article in the publication "Victoria's Heritage" by Mary Ryllis Clark
Copy shaded pink
20cm dia Cast Iron Trolley Wheel with 4 ribbed spokes. The rim of the wheel is slightly rounded. Axle hole is 2cm dia.
Small Trolley Axle with centre pivot, 32cm long, 4cm wide and 1cm thick. Axle bearings are formed 1.5cm diameter. Captive centre pin 14cm long, 1.5cm diameter.
Stranger Stone (Concrete?) Column, cone shaped with hollow cavity in bottom7cmwide by 23cm deep. Two mounting holes in rim of base 2.5cm dia x 23cm deep. Undetermined use.
Ratchet Assembly on a flat surface cast bearing; one side broken off. 10cm dia ratchet wheel held in position by a locating pin. Captive handle 1.2cm round steel 35cm long. A 15cm piece of chain is attached to the shaft.
A 10cm round cylinder of wood on a 1.2cm round steel shaft, shaped into a 15 x 15cm crank handle. Both ends of the wood are banded with 2.5cm flat steel, fastened with bullet head nails
Heavy Steel Shackle made from 3cm round steel. 10cm internal depth and 3cm clearance. 3cm threaded bolt with square head. Short section of torn 1.5cm wire rope still attached
Heavy Duty Rake, with attachment to 2.5cm waterpipe fitting. 8 steel prongs are fitted with a flat steel scraper (50 x 8cm x 3mm) at the end, held in place with two steel clamps and two hex bolts and nut each
perhaps used to rake out chacoal from kiln
Formed Steel Rake or Scraper, a half-round steel plate rivetted to a short shaped steel arm. Rounded side of steel plate is ground to an edge
Dates to the charcoal making period in the 1940s
Blacksmith Tongs, 51cm long, jaws 8cm by 2cm. Diameter of handles 1.2cm. Handles badly bent and rusted.
Victorian Collections acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
