Coop's Shot Tower
Coop's Shot Tower stands proudly in its original place in Melbourne Central shopping centre under a 20 story high glass cone, designed by renowned Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa
Built in 1889, it was saved from demolition in 1973. Coop's Shot Tower is 9 storeys high, and has 327 steps to the top. The tower produced six tonnes of shot weekly up until 1961, when the demand for the lead shot dwindled, because of new firearm regulations.
The tower was operated by the Coops family, who also managed Clifton Hill Shot Tower.
It was the tallest building in Melbourne's CBD until the mid-1940s, and has become one of the city's most enduring landmarks and is a significant building in Australia's industrial history.
On a shot-making day, the shot maker would load the pig iron (in the form of lead bars) into a bucket on the second floor. He'd then take the 300-odd stairs to the top of the tower, where he would use a pulley to haul the lead to the top.
There, he'd fire up a gas ring vat and melt the lead, which boils at a reasonably low 118 degrees Celsius. Then he would ladle the molten lead into a colander and the lead would fall 132 feet into a vat of water on the second floor. By the time it hit the water, the molten lead would have cooled into spheres of lead shot, which were then shovelled into rolling machine dryers (each punched with holes for auto-sizing) on its way to being packed into bags, ready for despatch and use in shotguns, on scales, in pin ball machines and puzzle games-and even as ships' ballast.
Some 25 million individual shot pellets could be produced every hour, but the Coop family didn't just make shot here. They made all manner of lead products-from old-fashioned weights to nails and solder, as well as the stair grips for Melbourne's trams and all of the lead pipe that was used to encase the city's first electricity system.
Shot Tower Museum
The Shot Tower Museum is located on the second level inside the tower and you need to walk through the R M Williams shop to get to it. The museum explains how lead shot was made and has photos of Melbourne from the early days.
Melbourne Central Shot Tower
Look up. The first ring of Melbourne Central's shot tower is actually a walkway that provides a mesmerising vantage point into the spire. On tours led by MC's resident historian, a gigantic hidden mural by Kitt Bennett is revealed on the rooftop.
❊ What's On ❊
→ Shot Tower Museum
❊Venue | Location ❊
Melbourne Central | Shopping Centre [show]
⊜ Corner Lonsdale Street and La Trobe Street Melbourne Map
✆ 03 9922 1100
❊ Web Links ❊
→ Coop's Shot Tower
❊ Also See... ❊
→ The Shot Tower | Clifton Hill
Disclaimer: Check with the venue (Web Links) before making plans, travelling or buying tickets.
Accessibility: Please contact the venue for accessibility information.
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