31/07/2026
THE NARMBOOL HAY PRESS
One of the more unusual items on display at the Ballarat Engine & Machinery Preservation Society Museum is the Narmbool one-man hay press.
Invented and patented by R. S. Witcher of Elaine. Who had previously worked and farmed at Narmbool, this clever lever-operated press allowed a single operator to compress and tie loose hay into dense bales. It was particularly suited to smaller farms, including the soldier settlement properties around Elaine and Morrison’s, where labour and large machinery were often in short supply.
Developed in the farm workshop, the Narmbool press proved successful and was eventually sold in Victoria by hardware and machinery dealers Welch Perrin. It’s a great example of the labour-saving agricultural ingenuity for which Ballarat and district became well known.
See the Narmbool hay press and many more pieces of our local industrial and agricultural history tomorrow, Saturday 1st August, at the museum.
📍 5 Boomerang Road, Mitchell Park, in the historic Ballarat Airport precinct — right beside the Rotary Club Book Sale.
Come along, have a chat with our members and discover a little local history!
