Raising funds to honour James Harrison

The machine will be a tribute to James Harrison, inventor of the world’s first commercial ice-making machine in Geelong in 1854, and to later pastoral industry exports of thousands of tons of frozen meat from Geelong’s port. This was an entirely new industry expanded by machines such as the Linde; refrigeration contributed greatly to Geelong’s economic and industrial development.

Local engineer Steve Turner has kindly developed plans for the plinth to support the Linde machine, and its 20 tonnes of concrete and reinforcing will soon be installed. The machine’s parts, now lying in a paddock, will be sandblasted in situ before their 40 tonnes are transported to the site for the group’s keen volunteer workers to install and paint it. 

Refrigeration in Geelong: a storied history

When James Harrison first invented refrigeration in Geelong, his vision was to preserve Victoria’s surplus meat by freezing and exporting it to England. In 1873 he was the first to attempt this feat, but sea water affected his insulation and the meat spoiled.

Many other export attempts also failed. Regular trade with properly equipped ships was only established in the late 1880s and grew quickly. Harrison – he died in 1993 – would have been amazed to see the Linde machines installed in Geelong only 55 years after his breakthrough invention.

Harrison and many others including German engineer Carl von Linde improved upon his 1854 technology. The Corio Quay Freezing Works (later Jackson’s Meat Works) installed three huge Linde ammonia compressors in 1909.

Until 1967, these Linde machines froze hundreds of thousands of tons of meat for export. The surviving machine and its 5.5m flywheel, when erected on the chosen site, will be a landmark visible from the rail line and surrounding roads, and will become a marker for the Showgrounds.

Celebrating an icon

The Linde machine will show future generations a 20^th-century manufacturing achievement and symbolise Harrison’s legacy. The world’s access to fresh food increased this region’s wealth, as did enabling temperature control in beer and wine production.

While refrigeration technology has advanced far beyond the Linde machine, modern refrigerators and air conditioners still operate using the same principles Harrison pioneered. His legacy lives on; his invention contributed to Geelong’s 2017 designation as Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, and it is likely Australia’s only contribution to the industrial revolution.

Fundraising goals

The fundraising target for the Linde project is $120,000. Generous admirers of Harrison and of vintage machinery have already raised $74,000.

Modern industries that depend on world-changing refrigeration and heat exchangers – freezing works, cold chain food transport companies, refrigeration companies, and businesses that manufacture and sell air conditioner and heat pumps – are also encouraged to contribute to this ambitious community-led project showcasing Harrison’s work and the region’s ingenuity.

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