Needs + challenges

Wandin Valley Farms is one of the largest premium cherry growers in Australia, with
three orchard locations across Victoria and Tasmania. Their cherries are sold in Australia
and overseas. The farm in Rosegarland, Tasmania, covers 64 hectares, with 160 pickers
onsite during peak harvest season – plus 20 staff driving and loading trucks. Expansion
called for a larger and more efficient packing facility, including cool rooms, staff amenities
and truck loading area. After working with Bison on a smaller project in 2018, Farm
Manager James Clements didn’t hesitate in calling on the team to tackle this complex and
exciting task.

Success made simple

From the very first stages, James said Bison’s design team covered “finer points we would
never have thought of” to maximise the final result. The solution includes:

• Two self-levelling loading docks, for more efficient loading of B-Doubles –
  allowing forklifts to drive directly onto the back of trucks
• A cantilevered canopy over the loading area to keep trucks coolers in summer
  and keeping rain out of the building.
• A fully lockable plant room at the side of the building to house electrical switch
  boards and control gear – with a secure, custom-made mesh frame for
  ventilation.
• Construction of two cool rooms to fit 1,500 bins (previously 280).
• An economical, hard wearing and easy to clean staff ameniƟes area using
  insulated panels, staying significantly cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Needs + challenges
It was late November when property owner, Kevin Towns, was preparing for what looked
like a “bumper of a hay season” and thought: “wouldn’t it be good to be able to put them
in a shed?”. Timing was key, but he knew it would be unlikely to be a quick process. He
was wrong. A call to Bison and he couldn’t believe the speed, reliability and
responsiveness of the solution.

Success made simple
From the first phone call, the Bison team got to work designing and planning – and
ultimately delivered the final product in less than two months (with Christmas falling
within that period). Kevin “was blown away” by the timeline, with construction itself
taking only five days. He created his dream hay shed in no time – with clean spans,
minimal obstructions and fabricated steel trusses to prevent corrosion and rust. Best of
all, it has the flexibility of a multipurpose space, ready to house equipment and
machinery when needed.