CSR Refinery, Yarraville facts for kids

The CSR Yarraville sugar refinery is a very old factory in Yarraville, Australia, where sugar is made. It's located on Whitehall Street. This factory started being built in 1872 and continued to grow until the 1980s. It's also known as the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Refinery. Because of its history, it was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on October 21, 1992, which means it's an important heritage site.

History of CSR Yarraville

The CSR Refinery in Yarraville was built by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company in 1872. This company, started in Sydney in 1855, became very important in the sugar industry across Australia and the South Pacific.

Sugar Cane Farming in Queensland

People tried growing sugar cane in Queensland before it became a separate colony. But it was Captain Louis Hope who really succeeded in the 1860s. This success encouraged the government to support sugar cane farming.

New sugar farms quickly opened up along the coast. By the 1870s, sugar was being grown in areas like Maryborough and Bundaberg. Small sugar factories, called mills, also started. For example, the Yengarie sugar mill opened in 1873.

By the 1880s, sugar was even grown further north in places like the Burdekin River area. More money and new technology came from the south to help these farms. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company was a big part of this. They bought large areas of land and built three big mills in North Queensland.

Building Refineries Across Australia

To serve the growing cities, CSR built many sugar refineries around Australia's capital cities by the late 1800s. They bought the Melbourne refinery in Yarraville around 1875.

Other refineries were built in Sydney (1878), Adelaide (1891), and Brisbane. A refinery in Perth was added in 1930. These separate factories were needed because refined sugar could get spoiled if shipped long distances by sea from the farms.

Having local refineries helped CSR compete in the sugar market. They became very powerful in the sugar industry across the South Pacific, and this continued into the 1900s.

Sugar Becomes a Staple Food

In the mid-1800s, new technology made sugar refining better. This changed sugar from being a luxury item to something everyone could afford and use every day. People in Western countries started eating a lot more sugar.

The Colonial Sugar Refining Company built several factories in Australia and New Zealand. The Melbourne site was the first to be developed. CSR took over the Joshua Brothers Company refinery in Yarraville after a rival factory burned down in 1875.

What the Refinery Looks Like

The CSR Sugar Refinery Complex has buildings from three main time periods: the 1870s, the 1900s, and the 1910s.

Main Buildings and Features

• The original five-story pan house (where sugar is boiled) and brick storage buildings face the sugar wharf on the Maribyrnong River. These were built in 1872-73.
• The former Packing Station, which is now a drier station, was built around 1913.
• The Cistern House and Char Ends (parts of the refining process) were built between the 1870s and 1930s. They use a special metal frame.
• The Retail Packing Station from around 1880 has a unique timber frame.
• The former Melting House from 1902 has a metal frame inside.
• The Golden Syrup and Treacle Packing Store from the 1880s has cast iron columns and wooden beams. It used to have a special machine for filling golden syrup containers.
• There's also a Power House that used gas engines and generators to create electricity for the factory.