Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory |
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Former Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory, 2009
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| Location | 6 Short Street, Gladstone, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1929 - 1949 |
| Official name: Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory (former), PCD Factory, Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Company Ltd Factory | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 30 March 2001 |
| Reference no. | 601334 |
| Significant period | 1929-1949 (fabric) 1906-1980 (historical) |
| Significant components | railway siding, factory building, store/s / storeroom / storehouse, waterhole, cold room/cold store, office/administration building, shed/s |
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The Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory was a very important factory in Gladstone, Australia. It was built between 1929 and 1949. This factory was also known as the PCD Factory. It played a big role in Queensland's dairy industry for many years. Today, it is recognized as a special heritage site on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Contents
A Look Back: The Factory's History
The Port Curtis Dairy Company Ltd (PCD) started in Gladstone in 1904. Their first timber factory buildings were put up in 1906. By the 1920s, the PCD became one of the biggest dairy co-operative companies in Queensland.
The factory's work in Gladstone helped the dairy farming industry grow in Central Queensland. Dairy farming was very important for Queensland's economy in the first half of the 1900s. It even helped many farming families during the Great Depression in the early 1930s.
Some parts of the old factory site still exist today. These include the main factory building from 1929-1930, an early office, several cold storage rooms, and an office building from around 1938. There's also a shed for re-tinning cream cans from 1938, and an ice shed and store built during World War II. You can also see parts of the old railway tracks from 1914 and 1923.
How Dairy Farming Grew in Queensland
From the late 1880s, the Queensland government wanted to help dairy farming become a big business. They hoped it would help farmers earn more money and encourage more people to settle on the land. Laws like the Meat and Dairy Produce Act of 1893 offered money to dairy farmers. This money also helped build creameries and butter factories.
Another important law was the Agricultural Lands Purchase Act of 1894. This law allowed the government to buy back large areas of land from big landowners. Then, they offered this land to farmers. In the Gladstone area, this led to the Boyne Valley opening up for farming. This helped lead to a meatworks in 1896 and the butter factory in Gladstone in 1906.
The Queensland government also made sure dairy products were good quality. They brought in rules for grading butter and cream in 1898. Later, the Dairy Produce Acts of 1904-05 introduced government checks for dairies and factories.
The Co-operative Idea
One special thing about Queensland's early dairy industry was how it was set up. Many farms joined together in "co-operatives." This meant farmers worked together to share costs and profits. This idea became popular around the world. Farmers in Queensland started trying out this idea in the 1890s.
In 1903, people in Gladstone met to see if there was interest in starting a co-operative dairy company. Many farmers and business people supported the idea. So, the Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Company Ltd was officially started in Brisbane in September 1904. Their goal was to build a factory in Gladstone to make and store butter and other dairy products.
A good spot for the factory was chosen next to the railway line. This made it easy to transport products. The factory began making butter in April 1906. In 1914, the railway built a special track for the PCD, which was made longer in 1923.
Growing Bigger and Better
Having the butter factory in Gladstone helped the local economy. Farmers had a steady income. During the 1910s, dairy farming grew in nearby areas like Mount Larcom and Bracewell.
The company grew a lot after Joseph W Rigby became Manager in 1916. Between 1916 and 1923, the number of farmers supplying cream to the company went from 216 to 502. The amount of butter made also greatly increased. The PCD became one of the largest co-operative groups in Queensland.
In 1925, the PCD built its own cold storage rooms in Gladstone. This meant they didn't have to pay high costs to send butter to Brisbane for storage. It also helped them export higher quality butter directly from Gladstone. Butter became the main export from the Port of Gladstone from 1926 to 1934.
Expanding Across Central Queensland
From the mid-1920s, the PCD helped bring together the dairy industry across Central Queensland. This included areas from south of Bundaberg to Bowen in the north.
In 1927, the Central Queensland Dairy Co-operative Ltd joined with the PCD. As part of this, the PCD built a dairy factory in Rockhampton, which opened in 1928. Other dairy companies in Bundaberg and Wowan also became part of the PCD.
In 1929, the PCD opened a butter factory in Monto. This helped dairy farming and pig raising grow a lot in that area. The same year, the PCD also added a plant in Gladstone to dry buttermilk. This powdered buttermilk was sold back to farmers for animal feed.
The Gladstone factory closed for rebuilding on July 1, 1929. It reopened in early 1930. The old 1905-06 building was replaced with the main factory building we see today. This new factory had the PCD's first laboratory.
The PCD also opened a new factory in Mackay in March 1930. This happened after the Mackay District Co-operative Butter Factory joined the PCD.
Dairy farming was a lifeline for many Queensland farming communities during the tough economic times of the early 1930s. Raising pigs and calves became important too, using skim milk and buttermilk from the factories as feed.
In the mid-1930s, the PCD continued to grow. They opened a dairy factory and a piggery in Biloela in 1937. Another piggery opened in Monto in 1938. In November 1938, the Gladstone factory got a machine to re-tin cream cans for farmers.
PCD's butter production reached its highest point in 1938–1939. Around 1938, a single-story office building was built. In 1939, more cold storage rooms were added. These could hold 40,000 boxes of butter. By October 1940, the factory could hold 65,000 boxes of butter.
The War Years and Beyond
When World War II started in September 1939, it affected the PCD. Cheese factories were set up in Bracewell and Theodore to help meet requests for more cheese from the British Government.
When United States troops arrived in Rockhampton in 1942, PCD factories started processing pasteurized milk. This was because the American military preferred pasteurized milk. At the Gladstone factory, new buildings were put up, including an ice shed and a store.
During the war, the Australian government bought all extra butter. But there weren't enough refrigerated ships. So, emergency cold storage rooms were built across Australia. Gladstone was chosen for one of these. In 1946, the PCD bought this emergency store.
Dairy production in Central Queensland was highest between 1940 and 1950. During this time, the PCD exported 28% of all butter from Queensland. They also exported 10% of all Australian butter. The PCD also started making ice cream and pasteurized milk. They even opened co-operative stores in places like Gladstone in 1949.
In 1948, a new Head Office for the PCD was built at the Gladstone factory. A second story was added to this office building in 1949.
Changing Times and Closure
From the 1950s, dairy farming in the Gladstone area started to slow down. Farmers began focusing more on beef cattle and tropical fruit. The PCD, like many other dairy companies, started to focus on bulk milk instead of butter.
In 1955–57, the Gladstone factory was updated to process and bottle milk. Milk came to the factory by road and rail. It was checked, weighed, and then pasteurized. After that, it was bottled and sent to stores.
The PCD's Gladstone factory continued to pasteurize and bottle milk until it closed around 1980. For some years, the Gladstone Maritime Museum was in the old office building. Other small businesses also rented space in the factory buildings. In 1994, the Port Curtis Dairy Co-operative Association Ltd was taken over by Paul's Ltd. The old Gladstone PCD factory was sold in the late 1990s.
In 2015, the former office building was leased to Anglicare. The old factory building was empty. The site was put up for sale in 2015. Plans were made to fix up the factory building and create five separate spaces for businesses.
What the Factory Looks Like Today
The Port Curtis Co-Operative Dairy Factory is a group of buildings on a large piece of land. The land goes up a hill from the reclaimed flats of Barney Point towards the railway line.
Administration Building
The main office building is on the highest part of the site. It's next to the railway bridge. This building has two parts. One part is a single-story building with a hipped corrugated iron roof. The other part is a two-story building. Both parts are made of rendered masonry (like concrete or brick with a smooth finish).
Butter Stores
The butter storage buildings are between the office building and the main factory. There's a two-story section for loading and staff areas. The storage rooms themselves are divided into three sections. Two of these have concrete frames and corrugated fibrous cement roofs. The third section is similar but made of corrugated iron.
The Main Factory Building
The main factory building used to hold the laboratory, boiler room, engine room, and butter processing areas. Later, it became the milk bottling plant. It's a large two-story building made with a concrete frame. It has two main sections with corrugated iron gabled roofs. There are also raised sections with windows (called clerestoreys) that let in light and air.
The front of the factory, facing the city and railway, is a large concrete wall. It clearly shows the "Port Curtis Co-Operative Dairy" name. At ground level, parts of this wall are open, leading to a platform. You can still see parts of the old railway siding here.
Railway Siding
The railway siding had two tracks that came onto the site. These tracks joined near the butter stores and curved around the factory. Parts of these tracks still remain today.
Other Buildings
- Factory Office: This timber building was moved to the north of the factory. It has timber windows and flat fibrous cement walls.
- Ice Room and Store: These are located northeast of the factory. The ice room is a two-story timber building with a hipped corrugated iron roof. The store room is single-story.
- Tin Shed: This single-story building is towards the northeast end of the site. It was used for re-tinning cream cans.
- Water Hole: There's a water hole in the northeast part of the site. This might be the "salt hole" that provided water for the pasteurization process at the factory.
Why This Place is Important: Heritage Listing
The former Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on March 30, 2001. This means it's recognized as a special place because of its history and importance.
Showing Queensland's History
This factory is important because it shows how Queensland's history developed. It was the first factory in a chain of PCD factories built across Central Queensland. It was also the main office for the PCD until around 1980.
Key Features of a Dairy Factory
The site still has many important parts of a working dairy factory from the early to mid-1900s. These include the main factory building, office buildings, cold storage rooms, and the railway siding. These parts help us understand what a dairy factory with its main office and links to railways and ports looked like.
Connection to the Community
The former Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory was a major employer in Gladstone for almost 80 years. It has a strong connection to the people of Gladstone and the surrounding area.
Important Group in Queensland's History
This place is important because of its connection to the PCD. The PCD helped dairy farming grow as a business in Central Queensland for many years. It was one of the biggest dairy co-operatives in Queensland. It was very successful and exported a lot of Australian butter, mostly through the Gladstone factory.
Images for kids
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Former Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory, 2009
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Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd., Mackay, 1937
