• Maryborough Flour Mill

  • History of The Maryborough Flour Mill

  • When Charlie Bovalino acquired the Maryborough Flour Mill in 1997, it had been vacant for 17 years and needed improvements to make it secure. Charlie began renovating and making the building secure, and then used it as a furniture gallery, displaying unique items of furniture made from his fine furniture timbers. More recently, he has upgraded the old flour mill into a secure vehicle storage facility.

    Below is an extract from: “The Flour Mills of Victoria 1840 – 1990”:

    William Phelan built the Maryborough Flour Mill for William Cadwallader and Son in 1881.
    The Maryborough Flour Mill began grinding at 12 noon on April 15, 1882 and operated for almost 100 years. Initially, it was expected that the mill would turn out 80 tons of flour each week. The proprietors of the new mill expressed great satisfaction when the mill was opened, as the machinery had worked so smoothly and efficiently. There was general rejoicing also, that Maryborough had its own flour mill at last, many neighbouring towns having supported a mill for some time. The proceeds from the first flour gristed, were given by the Cadwalladers to the Ladies Benevolent Society.

    The flour mill was a three storeyed-brick building, with a detached iron shed capable of storing 20,000 bags of wheat, with a siding from the railway to both mill and store. The walls were 18 inches thick and 40 feet high at the ridges. Humble and Nicholson of Geelong constructed the engine, of 20 horsepower, on the “Tangye” principle. The flywheel was 12 feet in diameter, with 88 revolutions per minute. John Norman of Bodingtons installed all this machinery. The boiler was 20 feet x 6 feet, with a 2 feet 6 inches flue; the chimney stack, with brick work, which was both strong and ornamental, stands 62 feet high.

    In September 1885, William Cadwallader died at his home in Talbot, leaving his son Thomas Cadwallader, to manage the mill. But the mill was up for sale in June 1891. James Malcolm and Company considered buying for the set price of 5,750 pounds, but decided against doing so. The new owner was the Maryborough Milling Company; they placed the mill under the management of R.G Gladstones who had formerly worked under David Gibson and his successors J. Gillespie and Company Ltd, in Melbourne, and also under William Cadwallader at Talbot. The mill was converted to rollers in 1889.

    This company operated successfully for several years and some improvements were made, such as the introduction of electric light in 1895. The capacity of the Maryborough Flour Mill in 1895 was given as:

  • From 7 to 7 ½ bags per hour, the power being supplied by a 50-tube jackass boiler, driving a 13-inch horizontal condensing engine with expansion gear, power developed being 60 i.h.p.

  • For sale again in 1899, the Maryborough Flour Mill was purchased by G.H. Gillespie, but the Australian Baker and Miller’s journal of March 1908 published another sale notice and article describing the mill.

    It appears that James Minifie and company became the next proprietors of the mill, as they are listed as such in the 1914 Victorian Post Office Directory. This was an appropriate move by the Minifies, since James Minifie had worked in the Maryborough mill on first arriving in Australia, before he went to Yarra Falls.

    The mill again changed hands in July 1923 when it was taken over by Herman Willersdorf and James D.B. Forbes. This partnership had been formed early in 1900, when they established a business in Eddington. Willersdorf and Forbes were grain buyers and agents for insurance, superphosphate, machinery and other farm supplies. They operated the Maryborough Flour Mill for 50 years.

    In 1974 the mill was bought by Granny Davis Bakeries who operated it until its closure in 1980. Granny Davis was purchased at this time by the Tip Top and Home Pride bread group and it was decided to close the Maryborough Flour Mill, a decision that shocked the residents of Maryborough. Not only did it mean the loss of jobs for between 20 and 30 local men, but it seemed incredible to the residents that the Maryborough Flour Mill, one of only six operating in Victoria and one of the most modern of those, should close down and lie idle. It was estimated that it would cost more than $1.5 million to replace at that time.

    The mill remains an imposing landmark near the Majorca road railway crossing, with its storage sheds and concrete silos, but a sad reminder of the philosophy of waste which governs today’s consumer society.