Burns Philp Building, Normanton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burns Philp Building, Normanton
Burns Philp Building, 2010
Location	Corner of Landsborough Street and Caroline Street, Normanton, Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Burns Philp Building (former)
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	14 October 2011
Reference no.	602781
Builders	Andrew Murphy
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

The Burns Philp Building in Normanton is a very old building that used to be a big warehouse. It's located at the corner of Landsborough Street and Caroline Street. This building was put on the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 October 2011 because it's an important part of history. It was built by a person named Andrew Murphy.

The Story of the Building

The old Burns Philp building in Normanton is on a corner, close to where the town's old wharves used to be. It's also across from where the Customs House once stood. This spot was perfect for a store because everything came into town by boat along the Norman River. The building is large, made of timber, and covered with metal. It was built in 1884 and is a big landmark in Normanton. You can even see it from the air when flying into town!

How Normanton Grew

Normanton became the main town and port for the Burke area. This happened after Burketown had problems with a sickness outbreak in 1866. People looked for a new port in the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1867, explorers William Landsborough and George Phillips found a good spot. They named the river "Norman" after Captain William Henry Norman. The town was built on a high ridge, safe from floods.

The town of Norman was officially named in August 1868. It quickly became the most important place in the Gulf region, known as Normanton. Cattle stations from far away, like Cloncurry and Georgetown, got their supplies from Normanton. The town became even more important when a telegraph line opened in 1872. This connected Normanton to other big cities like Brisbane and Townsville.

The Start of Burns Philp

The Burns Philp Company began with James Burns in Townsville in 1873. He sold goods to mining towns. Because of health issues, Burns moved to Sydney. In 1877, he handed his Townsville business over to Robert Philp. Philp made the business bigger, adding new wharves and warehouses. Burns started a new shipping business in Sydney, sending ships between Sydney and Townsville. Philp also opened new branches in Cairns and Charters Towers.

Expanding into the Gulf

As towns grew in the Gulf, Burns and Philp joined forces. By 1879, James Burns was using a ship called the Dawn to trade between Thursday Island and Normanton. He opened a store in Normanton in July 1879. This store might have been moved from Burketown. Within two months, Burns had received many orders for goods from local farmers. The store even printed its own money (£1 and £5 notes) because real money was hard to find. These notes were used for about ten years.

Burns started to control most of the trade in the Gulf. In 1880, he took over his main competitor, Clifton and Aplin. This company had been one of the first big businesses in Townsville and the Gulf. They had stores in Normanton since 1871 and in Burketown since 1879.

By 1881, James Burns was running a steamship called the Corea between Sydney and Normanton. Another ship, the Truganini, was bought to run between Thursday Island and Normanton. These ships became part of the Queensland Steam Shipping Company. Burns also got a mail contract, which helped him control more trade. He bought out other stores in Normanton and Thursday Island, making his business even bigger.

Forming Burns Philp & Company Limited

In early 1883, James Burns' businesses in Normanton and Sydney joined with Robert Philp's business in Townsville. They formed a new company called Burns Philp & Company Limited. It was based in Sydney. The company had a lot of money, mostly from Australia. They had businesses in Sydney, Townsville, Normanton, Thursday Island, Cairns, and Charters Towers. They also owned 22 ships and smaller boats. The company chose a flag with a Scotch thistle in the middle.

By September 1884, Burns Philp had bought several small businesses in Burketown. In October, a builder named Andrew Murphie started building a huge warehouse for Burns Philp in Normanton. People said it was the company's biggest warehouse in Queensland outside of Brisbane.

Normanton was doing very well at this time. A hospital was being built, and new shops were opening. Burns Philp's store in Normanton made more money in 1884-85 and 1885-86 than their store in Townsville. The Gulf stores (Normanton, Burketown, and Thursday Island) were much more profitable than the stores in bigger towns.

Gold Rush and Railways

When gold was found at Croydon in 1885, Normanton grew even more. It became the main place to get supplies for miners. The government planned to build a railway from the copper mines in Cloncurry to Normanton. But because Croydon's population quickly reached 2,000, the railway was built to Croydon instead. The Normanton to Croydon railway line was finished in 1891. It's now known as the Gulflander. Burns Philp helped transport the special steel sleepers for the railway. The gold rush brought a lot of money to Burns Philp for a while.

Burns Philp also worked to control shipping. They helped form the Australian United Steam Navigation Company in 1887. They also created the Carpentaria Lighterage Company in 1888. This company used smaller boats called "lighters" to move goods from big ships to the wharves. This was needed because the Norman River kept getting too shallow for large vessels. Burns Philp became known as the "octopus of the North" because they had so many businesses.

Tough Times and Changes

From 1889 to 1895, Queensland faced a tough economic time. North Queensland was hit hard by a drought and problems with sugar production. This affected the mining industry and, in turn, Burns Philp. Robert Philp even had to sell his company shares. James Burns blamed the problems on having too many mining supplies in Normanton. Despite this, a strongroom was added to the Normanton building in 1892. The Normanton Council also asked Burns Philp to install kerbs and gutters outside their store.

As the gold mines in Croydon became less active in the early 1900s, Normanton's economy suffered. A new railway connecting Townsville to Cloncurry also hurt Normanton's business. By 1920, the Carpentaria Lighterage Company stopped its operations in the Gulf.

Burns Philp continued to grow and expand to many other places. By 1914, they had 23 branches in Australia and other countries like the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Between 1890 and 1910, most of the company's old timber and iron buildings were replaced. But the Normanton store was one of the few that remained unchanged. It kept operating as a general store for over 120 years.

Even though some thought the Normanton store was "fossilised" (meaning old-fashioned), its manager managed to increase profits during 1914-15 by raising prices. However, by 1923-24, the Normanton branch lost money. In the 1930s, Burns Philp owned plantations, gold mines, and even retail stores like the Penneys chain.

Travel and Tourism

Burns Philp also got into the travel business. In 1908, James Burns saw the potential for tourism in the South Pacific. The Burns Philp Tour and Travel Department was started soon after. They even published a magazine called "Picturesque Travel." By the mid-1920s, Burns Philp became agents for Qantas. Qantas started a mail route to Normanton by 1927. The first paying passengers arrived in Normanton by plane in 1929. Burns Philp promoted Normanton as a great place for fishing and outdoor activities. Air travel helped the local fishing industry, allowing fresh fish from Normanton to be sold in Longreach on the same day.

Later Years and Legacy

By the late 1940s, Normanton's population had dropped. But the prawn fishing industry in Karumba helped the area grow again in the 1950s. Today, fishing and tourism are big industries in the region.

Burns Philp and Company remained a very important company on the Australian Stock Exchange throughout the 20th century. By the 1980s, it was a huge international company with over 200 businesses. These included making toys, perfumes, medicines, selling cars, and hardware stores. They also helped start QBE Insurance.

Both James Burns and Robert Philp were important politicians. Robert Philp was even the Premier of Queensland twice. James Burns was a Member of Parliament in New South Wales. Both were knighted for their achievements.

The last family member left the company's board in 1984. The new CEO started to focus the company on hardware and food ingredients. Burns Philp bought Goodman Fielder in 2003, expanding to 30 countries. However, the company was removed from the stock exchange in 2006 after a failed attempt to control the world's yeast and spice market. Despite this, Burns Philp was honored in the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Normanton building was sold to a pastoral company in 1983. Then it was transferred to the Normanton Mai Aboriginal Corporation in 1985 and renamed Normanton Traders. It continued to operate as a general store. The Carpentaria Shire Council bought the property in 2000.

The building has three main sections. A former employee said the first section was for sales, and the other two were for storing goods like hay and farm machinery. In 2008, the first section became a tourist information center and library. The middle section is used for storage and has some historical displays. The last section is empty and used for local events.

What the Building Looks Like

Side and rear view from Caroline Street, 2010

The old Burns Philp building is on the north-eastern side of Normanton, at the corner of Landsborough and Caroline Streets. It's very easy to see when you approach the town from the north and is close to the Norman River. The building lines up with both streets and has a large open area towards the river where goods were loaded.

The building is large, made of timber, and stands on masonry and timber stumps. It's covered with corrugated iron sheets that run up and down. It has a special curved front wall (called a parapet) facing Landsborough Street. Behind this, the building is divided into three parts, each with a gabled roof. There are two roof vents on the middle roof. A timber-framed awning, covered with corrugated iron, extends over the footpaths. It's supported by posts, and one old timber post is still there. There are two entrances on Caroline Street with stairs and a ramp. The kerbs (edges of the road) on both streets are made of local stone. The cast iron gutter covers have "Normanton Municipal Council" written on them.

On the Landsborough Street side, the decorative front wall has "BURNS PHILP & Co LTD" painted on it, along with "GENERAL MERCHANTS, SHIPPING, FORWARDING AND COMMISSION AGENTS." Below the awning, the three sections have different openings. The first section has two large arched windows. One window still has parts of "CADBURY'S COCOA" painted on it. Security bars cover both windows. The middle section has three double-hung windows and a door. The last section has a large sliding door. There are no stairs to these doors, which are about one meter above the ground.

On the Caroline Street side, there are four double-hung windows and two pairs of doors that lead into the building.

On the back side of the building, all the openings are covered by timber-framed awnings. Each roof peak has a pair of windows. The first section has a central pair of doors between two windows. The middle section has three pairs of windows above a large awning. Under this awning, there's a single door and three small windows for the toilets, separated by another pair of doors. The last section has a large sliding door and another door next to it.

Along the north-eastern side, there are two large sliding doors, one opening onto a loading ramp, and a window at the northern end.

Inside, each section is a bit different. Some parts might have used recycled materials from an older store. There are arched openings between the sections, allowing you to walk from the Caroline Street entrance to the large sliding doors in the back.

• Section 1 is now a tourist information center and library. Some walls show the original timber framing. The ceiling is made of timber boards. The library area has flat wall sheets and carpeted floors. There are two newer offices in the library that are not part of the original historic building.
• Section 2 has unfinished timber floors and unpainted timber walls. The roof trusses (the timber framework supporting the roof) are painted. Some old shelves are still there. Newer toilets and a kitchen are in this section, but they are not part of the historic value.
• Section 3 is an open space with no permanent fittings. The roof trusses are unpainted, and the timber floor is covered with hardboard. The walls are mostly unlined or unpainted.

Outside, behind Section 3, there's a separate strong room made of masonry with a heavy metal door. It has a curved concrete roof covered with corrugated metal and a roof vent. Newer additions to the strong room and a separate toilet block are not part of the historic value of the building.

Why It's Special

The former Burns Philp Building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 October 2011 because it meets several important criteria:

A Glimpse into Queensland's Past

Built in 1884, the Burns Philp Building in Normanton is important because it's the oldest surviving store of a company that was a giant in shipping and trade in Australia and the South Pacific for over a century. The fact that it made more money than the bigger Townsville store in the mid-1880s shows how important Normanton was as the main port in the Gulf, serving the mining and farming industries.

A Rare Piece of History

The Normanton Burns Philp store is a very rare and old example of the company's 19th-century buildings in Queensland. Most of their other old buildings were replaced between 1890 and 1910. This building was left untouched, and it operated as a general store and agency office for more than 120 years. Only two other Burns Philp buildings from that era remain in Queensland: the Charters Towers store (built 1891) and the Townsville building (built 1895).

Showing How Old Stores Worked

The Burns Philp Building is an excellent example of an early store that provided goods and services to a wide area for over 120 years. The building is very well preserved, especially its decorative front wall. You can see how it worked from its layout, including the old shelving and the separate strong room. The loading areas at the sides and back, with doors at truck height, show its function. Its location on the main street, close to the old wharves, was key to the company's success.

Connected to Important People

As the earliest surviving store of Burns Philp and Company, built soon after the company started, this building has a special connection to its founders, Sir James Burns and Sir Robert Philp. The company grew to be one of the biggest trading businesses in Australia and the South Pacific. By the 1890s, it was known as the "Octopus of the North." Over the 20th century, it was involved in shipping, travel, retail, car sales, hardware, medicines, perfume, and insurance.

Burns Philp and Company was recognized in the Queensland Business Leaders' Hall of Fame in 2009. This was for its huge contribution to the economic success of Queensland and Australia.