Nanango Butter Factory Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nanango Butter Factory Building |
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Office at the Nanango Butter Factory
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| Location | George Street, Nanango, South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Official name: Nanango Butter Factory Building | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 3 June 2005 |
| Reference no. | 602525 |
| Significant period | 1927-1953 (fabric) 1906-1986, 1933-1948 (historical) |
| Significant components | shed/s, tank - water, cold room/cold store, office/administration building, toilet block/earth closet/water closet, loading bay/dock, factory building, engine/generator shed/room / power supply, machinery/plant/equipment - manufacturing/processing |
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The Nanango Butter Factory Building is an old factory in Nanango, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1927 and is very important to the history of the area. This building is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it is a special place that needs to be protected.
The factory is located on George Street, near Sandy Creek. It shows how the dairy industry grew and changed in Queensland.
Contents
History of the Nanango Butter Factory
Early Days in Nanango
The South Burnett area was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s. Large sheep and cattle farms, called stations, were set up. Nanango grew around an inn that Jacob Goode started in 1848. It became an important stop for travellers.
Nanango is one of Queensland's oldest towns. A post office opened in 1850. The town was officially surveyed in 1861, and land was sold for new buildings. In 1866, gold was found nearby, which brought more people to the area.
Later, laws were made to help more farmers settle on the land. This led to more people growing crops and raising animals. Timber cutting was also a big industry in the area.
The Rise of Dairy Farming
At first, most farmers only had a few cows for their own families. But in the late 1800s, new inventions and government support helped dairy farming grow. Things like mechanical cream separators made it easier to process milk.
The government also started checking the quality of butter. Refrigerated ships made it possible to send butter to other places. The Queensland Department of Agriculture even had a "Travelling Dairy" to teach farmers new techniques.
These changes helped dairy farming become very popular in the Nanango area between 1900 and 1914.
Building the First Factory
In 1904, farmers in Nanango decided to form a Co-operative company. This meant they would all own shares in the factory that processed their milk. The Nanango Co-operative Dairy Company was formed to build a butter factory.
The first timber factory was built in late 1905. It cost about £820. More money was spent on machinery. The factory started making butter in April 1906. It also began supplying ice to the town.
Nanango butter quickly became known for its high quality. In 1906, it won first prize at a show in Maryborough. By 1910, 100 farmers were supplying milk to the factory.
Fires and Rebuilding
The first factory was destroyed by a fire caused by lightning in October 1918. It was rebuilt and reopened in December 1919.
In the 1920s, the dairy industry in Queensland grew even more. A special insect, Cactoblastis cactorum, was brought in to help get rid of the prickly pear plant. This plant had taken over a lot of farmland. Getting rid of it helped farmers expand their dairies.
Sadly, the factory burned down again on October 13, 1926. It was rebuilt using concrete this time, costing about £15,800. The new factory was officially opened in October 1927.
For a while, the butter factory even supplied electricity to the town of Nanango. This happened between 1933 and 1948.
Peak and Decline of the Dairy Industry
By the 1930s, dairy farming was a huge industry in Queensland. It was the state's second most profitable export. In 1940, the Nanango factory had its busiest time, with 483 farmers supplying milk. During World War II, a cheese factory was also built nearby to help feed the soldiers.
However, in the 1950s, people started buying less butter. Prices for dairy products also dropped. Many farmers found it hard to make enough money. The Nanango factory started making buttermilk powder in 1953 to try new things.
By 1975, only 66 farmers were still supplying milk to the factory. Butter production at Nanango stopped in May 1977. The factory continued to be a place where milk tankers collected milk until it finally closed in 1986. At that time, only 37 milk suppliers were left.
Today, parts of the old factory building are used by other businesses. The old office building is now a home and business.
What the Factory Looks Like
The main factory building is two stories tall. It is made of concrete, with a brick section added later. The roof is made of corrugated iron and has skylights.
On the side facing George Street, there are several doors and hatches. There are also roller doors on the other sides for loading and unloading. The windows are usually steel-framed with wire-covered glass.
Inside, the factory has large open spaces with concrete floors. There are also smaller office areas. One part of the building used to be a cold room for storing butter.
Engine Room and Other Buildings
Attached to the factory is a single-story engine room. This is where big diesel engines used to power the factory's machinery and generate electricity for the town. You can still see the concrete pads where these huge engines once sat.
South of the main factory building, there is an old office building. It is made of brick. Nearby, there are also several sheds made of steel and timber.
To the east of the factory, you can find other structures. These include:
- A small shed that was part of the factory's cooling system.
- Several concrete tanks, some partly underground, that held water.
- A brick toilet block.
- A large, two-story loading bay made of steel and timber. This was used for loading products onto trucks or trains.
Why the Factory is Important
The Nanango Butter Factory Building is important for several reasons:
Showing Queensland's History
The factory shows how the dairy industry grew and then declined in Queensland. It tells a story about how people lived and worked in the Nanango area from 1906 to 1977.
A Special Kind of Building
Many small butter factories closed down in the 1960s and 1970s. Because of this, factories like Nanango's, which are still mostly complete, are becoming rare. It is a good example of what these old factories looked like.
Typical Factory Features
The factory's design, with its large open spaces, loading areas, cold room, engine room, water tanks, and office, shows what a typical early 20th-century butter factory was like. It helps us understand how these places operated.
