Bowmans

The consolidation of grain handling and storage facilities within South Australia has created ‘super’ bunkers at various locations across that state. These ‘super’ bunkers have high grain storage capacity and have high-speed dumpers (700 tonnes per hour, against an average of 120–200 tonnes per hour at traditional silo facilities). Thus, a 50-wagon grain train can be loaded in about four hours. In 1999–2000 one of these ‘super’ bunkers was constructed at Bowmans by Ausbulk Pty Ltd, formerly South Australian Co-Operative Bulk Handling Limited (SACBH), now Viterra.

Bowmans is a crossing loop situated at 101.5 km on the Adelaide to Crystal Brook standard gauge line. This line was constructed/converted in 1982. Prior to that time, Bowmans was a broad gauge four-way junction, between the Adelaide–Port Pirie line and the cross-country Balaklava–Kadina line. With standardisation, the original station location was bypassed and a new ‘station’ was built south of this location, thus removing two curves from the mainline. The standard gauge Bowmans then consisted of a crossing loop, a goods loop, a concrete loading bank, a relay cabin and a repeater tower.

Sites such as Bowmans were considered ‘green field’ sites, where there is plenty of room for expansion and efficient loading and unloading, and storage of grain.

Four permanent bunkers are provided to feed the grain bins, along with four auxiliary bins, each being approximately 12 metres in diameter. Four overflow bunkers are also provided, to be used as needed.

Asphalt roads have been built to provide all-weather access, along with reception roads and weigh stations for vehicles using the facility. As the grain is stored in bunkers, the facility also has a