Wundowie Foundry Anvil

Post date: 30-Nov-2012 09:06:14

Little is known about Australian made anvils and less is known of trade marked anvils cast in Western Australia. In fact it was only in 1998 after extensive research by Richard Postman in America that the first book on anvils was published. Scant reference was made to Australian trade marked anvils with no mention of any anvils forged or cast in Western Australia.

 Anvil from Wundowie Foundry 

With a keen interest in anvils, attending the Wundowie Iron Festival in May 2007, and having seen two different small size anvils produced at the former Wundowie Foundry, I decided to investigate when they were cast. 

The Wundowie Pig Iron and Steel Plant was established by the WA State Government to provide pig iron for local foundries. Building of the iron and steel plant began in 1943 with completion at the end of 1947. Production of pig iron was a profitable venture for the Government owned plant with a high demand from both local and overseas countries. 

Wundowie Charcoal and Iron and Steel was the only integrated plant of its kind in the world and established itself as a producer of high quality pig iron. 

The Wundowie Foundry began as a small facility alongside the blast furnaces and produced castings for use in the plants charcoal iron and steel operation. By 1965 the foundry was also producing castings for agricultural equipment. After many changes and ownership over the pursuing years the production of pig iron ceased in 1981 with the Foundry being retained. 

It was during the 1980's that the miniature advertising anvil was cast with the inscription NEDA and AVON DESCENT on one side, WUNDOWIE FOUNDRY and NORTHAM on the other. NEDA stood for Northam Economic Development Association and was a Department similar to the Chamber of Commerce of today. The anvil was for promotional activities and for an awareness of castings produced in the Northam Shire. It was sold at NEDA, the Northam Tourist Bureau and some local outlets in Northam. 

The other anvil that was cast in Wundowie was also made of Ductile Iron and measured 28cms in length and 15cms in height. The anvil weighed 11 kg's and was sold as an agricultural product for farmers. This anvil was inscribed WUNDOWIE FOUNDRY TEL 09 573 6300. 

Small Anvil from Wundowie

These were the only two types of anvils produced by the Wundowie Foundry. 

With the Foundry having been privatised new furnaces were installed in 1991 for the production of steel castings. In 1994 there was significant upgrading of the Foundry due to a $6m investment and in 2002 the Foundry moved into world class computer technology involving complex casting techniques. 

In March 2006 Bradken acquired G W Brown Scrap Metals in Cannington, and in November 2006 the Wundowie Foundry was sold to Bradken Resources. 

The scrap metal from Cannington is graded with specific grades going to Wundowie as the Foundry's main source of material. 

Bradken, originally Bradford and Kendall, began as a steel foundry in Sydney in 1920 and produced BK anvils at its factories in Alexandria and Mascot NSW. 

Article by Mark Colleran. This first appeared in the December 2008 Benchmark magazine