Assay Office, Mareeba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Assay Office, Mareeba |
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Assay Office & Store, 2016
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| Location | 167 Walsh Street, Mareeba, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1914 - 1919 (World War I) |
| Built | 1916 - 1917 |
| Official name: Assay Office & Store, Mareeba, Forestry Office | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 28 July 2000 |
| Reference no. | 601692 |
| Significant period | 1916-1917 (fabric) 1916-1921, 1942-1945, 1949-1964 (historical) |
| Significant components | store/s / storeroom / storehouse, assay office |
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The Assay Office in Mareeba is a special old building. It used to be a laboratory for testing minerals. It's located at 167 Walsh Street in Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. This building was constructed between 1916 and 1917. It is also known as the Forestry Office. Today, it is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its important history. It was added to the register on 28 July 2000.
Contents
Why Was the Assay Office Built?
The Government Assay Office was built in 1916. It is located behind the Court House in Mareeba. The Queensland Government Architect designed the building. E G Greening from Atherton built it for about £400. A storeroom and another office were added the next year. They were built in the same style.
Around the late 1890s, important minerals were found near Mareeba. These included wolfram and molybdenite. These minerals were used to make steel harder and stronger. They were mostly mined at places like Wolfram Camp and Mount Carbine.
In 1915, the Labor government came into power in Queensland. They wanted the government to own businesses. This way, they could compete in the market. Before World War I, there was a big demand for wolfram. This was because it was used to make weapons.
The war made it hard to sell minerals to other countries. So, the Queensland Government decided to help local mines. They built a State Battery (a place to process ore) at Bamford. They also built the Assay Office in Mareeba.
Mareeba's Role in Mining
Mareeba was chosen for the Assay Office because it was close to the railway. This railway connected Mareeba to the coast at Cairns. The line also went to the Herberton tin fields. In 1901, the Chillagoe railway line opened. This line went from Mareeba to Mungana. It helped connect Mareeba to more mining areas. By 1916, over 1,200 people lived in the Mareeba area.
Building the Assay Office
The Assay Office was a single building with two rooms. It was made of brick and timber. E G Greening, a local builder, constructed it in 1916. The design for Mareeba's Assay Office was improved. Earlier designs had problems. For example, the original plans used pine wood for walls and ceilings. This wood could easily catch fire from the hot furnace used for testing.
So, the Mareeba Assay Office was built differently. One whole wall was made of brick to prevent fires. Also, a door was added near the Balance Table. This helped let out fumes from the testing process.
In November 1916, it was suggested that another building was needed. This building would be a storeroom and office. It was built in 1917, next to the Assay Office. This second building was made of chamferboard (a type of timber siding). It had a concrete floor and a fibro cement roof.
Life at the Assay Office
Mr. Cosmo Murray was the Government Assayer. An assayer is a person who tests minerals. It is said that 14-year-old Bill McGore was his apprentice. An apprentice learns a trade by working with an expert. Bill worked there for about 18 months.
In late 1917, a fence was built around the complex. This cost £22. The fence was important to keep children from a nearby school away. It also kept cattle from wandering into the area. The Assay Office used poisons for testing, so safety was important. Mr. Murray also asked for lights to be installed. He often worked at night.
A report in 1917 showed the Assay Office was very helpful for miners. They could get their samples tested there. This helped them get better prices for their minerals. However, the demand for metals stopped after World War I ended in November 1918. By 1921, the Mareeba Assay Office was closed.
Different Uses Over Time
The Assay Office building had many different uses after it closed as a lab.
- World War II: In 1942, the Mareeba Airfield was built. Many soldiers came to the area during World War II. The Assay Office was used as an American Army PX store. A PX store is like a shop for soldiers.
- Australian Women's Army: In 1943, it became the main office for the Australian Women's Army (AWAS). AWAS members stayed in huts nearby. They used the Assay Office as their main office. Mareeba became a key place for moving supplies for the war. Local women even provided food for soldiers traveling by train.
- Forestry Office: In 1949, the Queensland Forestry Department took over the Assay Office. They used it as an office until 1964.
- Storage: After that, the Mareeba Magistrate's Court used the old storeroom for storage until 1978. Then, the Public Works Department used it for storage too.
What the Assay Office Looks Like
The Assay Office and Store are located near the Mareeba Court House. There are two buildings: the Assay Office (Laboratory) and the Store Room and Office.
The Assay Office Building
The Assay Office is a tall, single-story building. It is about 6.5 meters long and 4 meters wide. It has a verandah (a covered porch) about 2.5 meters wide. This verandah faces the storeroom. The building sits on a concrete base. Most of its outside walls are made of weatherboard (overlapping timber planks). However, about 4.5 meters of the wall facing Hort Street is made of brick. This brick wall has a chimney. Next to the chimney is a small building from 1917. This small building used to hold the air gas plant. It has corrugated iron walls.
The roof is a hipped roof, meaning it slopes down on all sides. It is made of asbestos tiles. A small porch covers the front entrance. Inside, the building has one main room. The inner walls are made of tongue and groove timber (wooden boards that fit together). There are three doors and three windows. The windows are double-hung sash windows, which means they slide up and down. Wire mesh is fixed inside the windows for security.
On the eastern wall, there is a large concrete block. This shows where the Muffle Furnace used to be. A muffle furnace is a special oven used for heating things to very high temperatures. Next to it, some bricks are missing from the wall. This is what's left of the Wind Furnace. The verandah has a concrete floor and is enclosed with wire mesh.
The Store Room and Office Building
The Store Room and Office is also a single-story building. It has the same size as the Assay Office. It also has a verandah on the side facing the Assay Office. The outside walls on three sides are made of weatherboard. The eastern side has an exposed stud frame wall. This means you can see the wooden frame. The roof is a hipped roof made of colour bond (a type of metal roofing). The storeroom has two doors and four double-hung sash windows. The inside is one large room with tongue and groove timber lining.
The area around the buildings has a few plants and is surrounded by a wire mesh fence. The two buildings are close to the road. They are near the St Thomas School and the St Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church.
Why the Assay Office is Important
The Assay Office and Store in Mareeba are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means they are important to Queensland's history.
Showing History's Patterns
The Assay Office shows how mining technology changed in Queensland in the early 1900s. It highlights how the Queensland Government helped miners. They provided services to test rare metals like wolfram. This was especially important during the metal boom of World War One.
Showing Building Features
This complex is a good example of what small Assay Offices looked like. The Mareeba Assay Office has not changed much since it was built in 1916. Its design was even improved based on problems found in similar buildings in other towns.
