Connor's Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Connor's Mill |
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Connor's Mill facade (July 2004)
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| General information | |
| Type | Heritage-listed building |
| Location | Toodyay, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°33′1.7″S 116°27′55.1″E / 31.550472°S 116.465306°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 17 February 2006 |
| Reference no. | 2567 |
Connor's Mill is an old building in Toodyay, Western Australia. It used to be a flour mill, which is a place where grain is ground into flour. This mill was powered by steam.
Today, Connor's Mill is still standing and is one of Toodyay's main tourist spots. The local government, called the Shire of Toodyay, helped protect and restore the building in 1975. After its restoration, it became the Toodyay Tourist Centre.
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History of Connor's Mill
Building the Mill in 1870
Connor's Mill was built in 1870 by a local builder named George Hassel. He built it for Dan Connor, who owned a store in the area. This was the third flour mill to be built in the Toodyay region.
When it was first built, the mill had a roof made of wooden shingles. It also had a special slide from the first floor. This slide was used to move heavy bags of flour down to wagons waiting below. The original grindstone, which was used to crush the grain, can still be seen outside the mill today.
Flour Production and Awards
In the 1880s, a man named Charles Marris leased the mill and later bought it. He ran the mill until the early 1900s. The flour made at Connor's Mill was known for being very good quality. It even won an award at an exhibition in Melbourne in 1870.
From Mill to Power Station
In 1917, Charles Marris sold the mill to Charles Lukin. Lukin decided to change the building's purpose. He turned it into a power station to provide electricity for the town of Toodyay. The first engine for generating power was put in a new section at the back of the mill.
However, in 1921, a big fire broke out and destroyed all the machinery inside the power house. You can still see the burnt roof beams on the top floor today, showing the damage from that fire.
New Engine and Town Power
After the fire, an engineer named Mr. N. Garvey installed a new gas engine in the building. This engine was used to generate power for the town. It had a very interesting way of starting! The operator had to put their foot on a part of the engine called a flywheel and hold onto the roof timbers. They would then "treadmill" the belt to get it moving. Once it had enough speed, they would jump off and turn on the magneto to start the engine.
In 1922, the local government, the Road Board, took over running the power service. The generator provided lights to the town from 4 PM until midnight, every day of the week. The Municipal Council continued to run the power station until 1955. That year, Toodyay was connected to the main electrical grid run by the State Energy Commission. After 1955, the building was empty for many years.
Connor's Mill Today
In 1975, the Shire of Toodyay decided to restore the old mill building. They built a new staircase to the upper floors. After the restoration, the building became the Toodyay Tourist Centre.
An old engine was given to the Shire in 1974. An engineer named Graham Jones helped move this large engine into its current spot. It was so big that some bricks around the front door had to be removed just to get it inside! Today, Connor's Mill is a popular place for visitors to learn about Toodyay's history.
