If you get stuck behind a slow moving truck convoy between here and Geelong you will need to be patient.
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Motorists are being warned to expect delays tonight and over the rest of the week as four huge loads of locally made mining equipment leave Bendigo North.
VicRoads has advised that the moves will take place between Wednesday 8 August and Saturday 11 August, leaving at 10pm and arriving at the Port of Geelong by 2am.
The components were manufactured at Hofmann Engineering in North Bendigo and have been sold by a third party.
They are bound for a South American mine, where they will be part of a process to help crush ore into smaller sizes.
Each component to be transported weighs 90 tons.
This weeks’ big hauls come as Hofman Engineering operations manager Sam White detected a small uptake in demand in the mining sector.
“We actually made these pieces four or five years ago, but unfortunately the mine they were going to went belly up financially,” he said.
The componants have been sitting at Hofmann’s Bendigo site ever since.
“It’s nice to free up some space, and finally get paid for the work we did,” Mr White said.
He said not everyone in Bendigo realised how many Australian products were manufactured locally and exported globally.
“It’s great to see Australian manufactured goods going out of town and ending up overseas,” he said.
Of course, before these monolithic components can start crushing ore someone has to transport them to Geelong.
That will be a big job, with each component being six metres wide and 30 metres long.
Motorists can expect delays.
VicRoads is advising that there will not be many opportunities to overtake, unless motorists are guided by a transport safety services team.
This could take up to 15 minutes depending on the location of the load and whether it is safe to pull over.
VicRoads has asked motorists to be careful around the load and keep a safe distance.
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
