Fundraising call as Linde machine moves to Geelong Showgrounds

The famous Linde machine’s transfer to a prominent site at the Geelong Showgrounds has been underway since mid-December, with a working bee at its storage site to assemble its moveable parts on pallets. A large excavation to receive 20 tons of concrete for the Linde’s plinth has been completed at the Showgrounds despite challenges posed by the weather.

After three years of planning and working towards Stephen Turner’s (PM Designs) engineering designs for the plinth to support the machine, Kerr’s Concreting completed the first pour on February 2, 2026. Some boxing was installed after the second pour, and after a third pour, more boxing is being put in place.

Meanwhile, the 18+ tons of machine parts have been transported with large crane and truck to Doug Carroll’s sandblasting yard, where they are cleaning up nicely. Paint for the project is being supplied gratis by PPG Industries. When painted, the parts will be delivered to the showgrounds – and hopefully the plinth, Linde machine and its 5.5m flywheel will steadily come together during 2026 to make a major statement about Geelong’s role in the meat export industry. It will be highly visible from adjoining roads and the railway line.

It’s a big job, but the Showgrounds Vintage Machinery Group likes a challenge. The end result will provide a focal point for Geelong as Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design.

The machine will also symbolise James Harrison’s talent and enterprise in inventing commercial-scale refrigeration in 1854, while also commemorating his 1873 attempt to be the first to export frozen meat in the clipper ship Norfolk. That failed when sea water penetrated the insulation; the shipping industry took another seven years to adapt ships to this new trade. Later inventors such as Karl von Linde improved on Harrison’s principles of refrigeration to enable larger, more efficient machines than Harrison’s 1857 model, which could make 3 tons of ice per day.

Accessibility

The Geelong Showgrounds Museum is now opening on the first Sundays of each month during a six-month trial. It opens at other times for group visits by appointment with the Showgrounds admin office (03 5221 1707); visitors will also be able to observe progress on the Linde machine.

There have been some over-runs on projected costs, and the fund-raising target will likely need to be increased above $120,000 – but committee members thank private and public donors (including LiquidAir), and professionals working on the job, for their goodwill and generosity so far. From this point there will also be a great deal of volunteer input on re-instating the machine.

We are still not near the original fund-raising target, so if any businesses benefiting from Harrison’s invention would like to help, we would still like to hear from you. All donations will be appropriately and publicly acknowledged on the site.

Thanks to AIRAH, and particularly Mark Vender for his encouragement!

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