VICRail & telegraph
Sunshine
A railway junction renamed after a harvester.
1907Braybrook Junction renamed Sunshine
WHAT STARTED IT
Sunshine grew at Braybrook Junction, where the Ballarat railway branched from the Bendigo line west of Melbourne. H. V. McKay moved his harvester works here from Ballarat to escape costly freight, buying the Braybrook Implement Works beside the junction.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
McKay’s works dominated the new town, and after a ratepayers’ petition the station and post office took the name of his Sunshine harvester in 1907. Other factories followed, and McKay’s resistance to arbitration led to the 1908 Harvester judgment on wages.
TURNING POINTS
1907Braybrook Junction is renamed Sunshine after the harvester made at H. V. McKay’s works.
1913Sunshine technical school opens on land donated by McKay.
1951Braybrook shire, run from Sunshine since 1922, becomes the City of Sunshine.
1955Massey Ferguson takes over the harvester works, later closed and redeveloped for shopping.
1994Most of Sunshine city merges with Keilor to form the City of Brimbank.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A busy western suburb and transport hub in the City of Brimbank, now being redeveloped as a regional centre. McKay’s heritage offices and memorial gardens survive near the former works site.