Beenleigh Rum Distillery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beenleigh Rum Distillery |
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Beenleigh Rum Distillery
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| Location | Distillery Road, Eagleby, City of Logan, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1890 - c. 1980 |
| Official name: Beenleigh Rum Distillery | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 6 March 2004 |
| Reference no. | 602470 |
| Significant period | c. 1890 (fabric) 1884-1969, 1972-c. 2003 (historical) |
| Significant components | factory building, still house, store/s / storeroom / storehouse |
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The Beenleigh Rum Distillery is a very old and important place in Eagleby, Australia. It's located near the Albert River in the City of Logan area of Queensland. This distillery is famous for making rum, a type of alcoholic drink. It has been making rum for a long time, with some parts built around the 1890s. Because of its long history, it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Contents
A Look Back: The Distillery's Story
The Beenleigh Rum Distillery first got its license to make rum in 1884. It used molasses, which is a thick syrup left over after making sugar from sugar cane. The town of Beenleigh grew because of the sugar industry and the distillery.
Early Days of Sugar in Queensland
In 1826, Captain Patrick Logan explored the area around the Logan and Albert Rivers. Later, in the 1840s, people started cutting down cedar trees there. The first European settlers arrived in 1864. They came to grow valuable crops like sugar and coffee. The government offered land to encourage these new farms.
Sugar cane first came to Australia in 1788. But it wasn't until 1862 that Captain Louis Hope successfully grew sugar cane in Queensland. By 1864, he had built Australia's first commercial sugar mill. Soon, growing sugar cane became very popular across Queensland.
Beenleigh Plantation and Early Rum Making
In 1865, two brothers-in-law, Francis Gooding and John Davy, started a sugar cane farm. They named it "Beenleigh" after their home in England. By 1866, their farm was producing sugar.
The Queensland Government liked rum production because it brought in money from taxes. Rum was also easy to store and move around, which was important when transport was slow.
There was even a special boat called the "Walrus" that acted as a mobile distillery! It sailed along the rivers, making rum from molasses. It started in 1869 but lost its license a few years later.
Floods and Rebuilding
By 1869, Davy and Gooding had a sugar mill working. The sugar industry boomed in the 1870s, helping the nearby town of Beenleigh grow quickly.
In 1883, Francis Gooding bought the still (the equipment for making rum) from the old "Walrus" boat. He got a distillery license in June 1884. The Beenleigh distillery soon had a lot of rum ready.
But in 1887, a big flood washed away the entire distillery, including a large amount of rum! However, it was quickly rebuilt. They bought a new still from another distillery. In 1890, a new brick building for storing spirits was built at Beenleigh.
Growth and Awards
Even though many smaller sugar farms struggled in the 1890s, the Beenleigh distillery did well. In 1899, Beenleigh rum won a gold medal at the London International Fair. By then, the rum was famous and sold in places as far away as Cairns.
Over the years, the distillery changed owners several times. In 1917, Thomas Brown and Sons Ltd bought the business. They made many improvements, like adding large wooden vats and upgrading the machinery. They even used trains to bring molasses from other areas. By 1936, the distillery had its own wharf, power plant, and workshops.
Another flood in 1947 washed away some buildings.
Modern Times and Challenges
In 1969, the distillery stopped making rum for a short time. But in 1972, Mervyn Davy and his sons bought it and started production again. They updated the bottling plant and built new offices and showrooms.
In 1974, another flood hit, and all the distillery's records were lost.
The Moran family took over in 1980. They made big changes, including building a dam and renovating the still house. They removed some old vats but kept the special copper still. Modern equipment was added, and a small museum was created for visitors.
In 1984, Tarac Industries bought a major share. They made even more changes, adding a tavern and tourist facilities. More distillery buildings were built in the 1990s, like a large warehouse and bottling hall.
In 2003, the Beenleigh Rum brand was sold to Vok Beverages. A new Visitors Centre was built for people to learn about the distillery.
In March 2017, a big flood from Cyclone Debbie affected the distillery. Water got into the main building, damaging the electrical system. This stopped rum production for six months!
What the Distillery Looks Like
The Beenleigh Rum Distillery is on flat land next to the Albert River. There are open spaces around it and palm trees near the river. Most of the buildings you see today were built in the last 20 years. They are made of brick and modern metal. These include offices, storage rooms, and the bottling plant. There are also large modern tanks and walkways. You can find a small museum in one of the brick buildings.
The Oldest Buildings
The main distillery building is the oldest part. It has a brick and timber still house and attached brick spirit stores. The spirit store is made of two brick buildings joined together. They have separate roofs and high, square windows with iron bars. Inside, you can still see large wooden vats.
The still house is made of timber with some brick sections. It has a concrete floor. Parts of the walls are open for ventilation. At the end nearest the river, two taller sections have been added, making it look like a tower.
Equipment and Features
The distillery uses modern equipment, including large fermenting vats and tall column stills. However, the old copper pot still is still there! This type of still is special because it helps keep more of the rum's unique flavor. The copper pot still at Beenleigh has been used since 1887, and parts of it might be even older.
Behind the distillery, there's a canopy over an old steam boiler. Next to the distillery, there's a small rectangular wooden building used as a workshop and for storage. It also has a two-car garage.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Beenleigh Rum Distillery was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 March 2004. This means it's a very important historical place. Here's why:
- It shows Queensland's history: The sugar industry was very important for Queensland's growth and settlement. The Logan area had some of the first sugar farms, mills, and distilleries. The Beenleigh Rum Distillery was, for a long time, the oldest working distillery in Queensland. It shows how important early industries were to the area.
- It's a rare and special place: The Beenleigh rum distillery is one of the few remaining examples of the early sugar industry in south-east Queensland. It still has a 19th-century copper pot still, which is thought to be the oldest of its kind in Queensland.
- It looks great: The distillery, especially the main still house, is a landmark. It stands out from the flat land around it and can be easily seen from the Pacific Highway and the Albert River.
- It's important to the community: Many people have worked at the Beenleigh distillery, or their families have. It's a special place that helps define the identity of the local community.
