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 a historic building in Toodyay, Western Australia. It used to be a flour mill, powered by steam. Today, it's a popular place for tourists to visit. The local government, called the Shire of Toodyay, saved the old building in 1975. They turned it into the Toodyay Tourist Centre.
Contents
History of Connor's Mill
Building the Mill
Connor's Mill was built in 1870. A local builder named George Hassel constructed it. It was made for Dan Connor, who owned a store. This was the third flour mill built in the Toodyay area.
The mill first had a roof made of wooden shingles. It also had no turret, which is a small tower. There was a special slide from the first floor. This slide helped move bags of flour onto wagons below. We don't know much about how the inside of the mill worked.
Milling Flour
The original machine that ground the grain is now outside. It came from a place called Newgain. The large wheel that powered the mill came from a mill in Northam.
In the 1880s, Charles Marris took over the mill. He first leased it, then bought it. He ran the mill until about 1900. The flour made here was very good quality. It even won an award in 1870 at an exhibition in Melbourne.
Becoming a Power Station
In 1917, Charles Marris sold the mill to Charles Lukin. Lukin changed the building into a power station for the town. The first engine to make electricity was put in a new part of the mill. This part was made of metal.
In 1921, a big fire destroyed all the machines inside the power station. You can still see the burnt wooden beams on the top floor today.
After the fire, an engineer named Mr. N. Garvey installed a new engine. It was a Stockport gas engine. This engine was special because of how it started. The operator would put a foot on a large wheel called a flywheel. They would hold onto the roof and walk on the belt. Once it was moving fast enough, they would jump off and turn on the magneto. This would start the engine.
Town Electricity
In 1922, the local government, then called the Road Board, took over the power service. The generator provided lights for the town. It ran from 4 PM to midnight, every day of the week. The town council ran the power station until 1955. That's when Toodyay was connected to the main electrical grid. This grid was run by the State Energy Commission. The building was empty from 1955 until 1975.
Current Use of Connor's Mill
In 1975, the Shire of Toodyay decided to restore the mill building. They built a staircase to the upper floors. Then, they opened the Toodyay Tourist Centre inside.
A large engine was given to the Shire in 1974. An engineer named Graham Jones helped move it to its current spot. The engine was so big that bricks around the front door had to be removed to get it inside.
Images for kids
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Toodyay Road Board Power Station around the 1920s
