Historical information

The Washington Winch sits deep in the forest east of Swifts Creek and is the last one of its particular type left in Australia.
It was made by the Washington Iron Works company in Seattle.
This unique winch was one of two machines imported in 1920 to operate in the Karri forests of WA.
Both machines were later purchased by the Forests Commission after the 1939 bushfires for salvage logging at Toorongo to drive elaborate "high lead" cable systems.
This particular machine was later sold to Jack Ezard from Swifts Creek in 1959 where it operated on its current site until about 1961. The fate of the second machine is unknown. It was possibly cannibalised for parts.
The Ezards were innovative sawmillers who introduced high lead logging into Victoria. They had owned and operated sawmills in the Warburton area from 1907, before shifting to Erica in Gippsland in 1932.
Bulldozers and powerful logging trucks eventually made steam and the Washington Winch redundant.
The winch is listed on the State Heritage Register.

Significance

Only one of its kind

Physical description

Brass identification plate recovered from the Washington Winch near Swifts Creek
21 cm in diameter

Inscriptions & markings

11 x 14 refers to the double drums
The serial number is assumed to be 3832