A saleyard of unprecedented size
The Muchea Saleyards replaced the Midlands Saleyards, which, after almost a century of use, had become dilapidated and hazardous for workers, unable to meet the needs of the 21st century stock trade.
Now Australia’s largest dual-species stock facility, this monumental project exemplifies best practice design and construction, all while meeting stringent animal welfare requirements and occupational health and safety standards.
Cooper & Oxley’s engagement included constructing the centre’s light steel frame, sawtooth roofing for the entire sales complex, cattle and sheep pens, cattle drafts, loading areas, an eight-bay truck wash, maintenance compound, canteen, internal office buildings, plus water and waste management areas.
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Engineering cost savings
$750k $0k
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Sheep handled annually
1 million 0 million
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Completion time
13 months 0 months
Efficiency at every level
The objective for the new saleyards was for it to be the most efficient facility of its kind in Australia. This was underscored at every level; in design, environmental impact, and sustainability.
Extensive modelling, initiatives, and testing were undertaken to guarantee that the facility’s operation had minimal impact on the surrounding environment. Through intelligent design and planning, the facility has become Australia’s first major stock sales centre which is fully self-sufficient for water – being collected from the roof, car park, and access roads.
Another way we worked with, rather than against the environment was mitigating wind tunnels created by the masses of sawtooth roofing. Collaborating closely with engineers to model the wind, we modified the structural solution to reduce total horizontal wind loads by 51%, while producing a cost saving to the client of over $750,000.
The project received numerous positive compliments from residents, traders and other stakeholders during the project.
Working at scale
Being the largest project of its kind, the sheer size and complexity of the facility posed unique challenges that required regular coordination with site engineers, the architect, specialist engineers, and department authorities.
Access for the public and auctioneers involved the construction of over 1,800 metres of raised webforge and Bondek® walkways with literally hectares of yards below which required over 8,500 gates.
The facility has been built to handle sales of up to 3,200 head of cattle, 30,000 head of sheep and up to 1,000 head of veal – a saleyard with no equal in Australia.
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Project value
$46 m $0 m
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Site pad
130,000m2 0m2
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Gates
8,500 0
Designed by Ferguson Architects
