01 July, 2011

Grist to the mill...

Buckley Falls is probably one of the more interesting stretches of the Barwon as it runs through Geelong. As mentioned in an earlier posting, it is named for the escaped convict William Buckley who escaped from a fledgeling penal colony established near what is now Sorrento. At some point he came upon members of the local Wathaurong tribe who mistook him for the ghost of the warrior Murrangurk. Buckley lived with the tribe for thirty years before re-joining white society.
The history of the river at this point is also a combination of ancient Wathaurong and more modern European settlement. To the Wathaurong, the nearby Bunyip pool was a source of food. Yarrum Mordong is the Wathaurong name for this part of the river. Yarrum means rapids or a waterfall. Mordong means eel.
To the newly arrived Europeans of the 19th century, this part of the river was a source of power which could be harnessed for industry and not surprisingly one of the earliest recorded was flour-milling. The history of flour-milling at Fyansford seems to me to be somewhat unclear. It is widely reported that Henry William Collins opened a flour mill on the banks of the Barwon in 1845. Whether this is the same establishment as the Barrabool flour Mill which started operation in 1849 on a projection of land upstream of Buckley Falls, known as Mt Brandon Peninsula, I cannot determine, however a source stating that the latter was built in 1849 suggests that they were separate establishments.
Barrabool Flour Mill, built 1849
Records indicate that the Barrabool Flour Mill was a five-storey, bluestone structure whose 90cm thick walls were constructed from locally quarried stone - perhaps from one of the three quarries on the opposite bank of the river. It was powered by an "undershot" wheel and water was drawn from a channel which ran along the south bank of the river. Nowadays, there is no sign of the mill or an associated onsite cottage and no-one seems quite sure where the mill was located. A comparison of the two photos to the left however, is interesting.
It is also interesting to note the extent to which the banks on both sides of the river have been revegetated over the intervening decades as well as the presence of the lower weir (not built until 1927) in the lower picture.
The only traces of the mill and its surrounds now visible are a few non-native trees (possibly the cyprus growing on the high ground of the peninsula) and the remains of the outer race wall which can still be seen as I discovered for myself yesterday on another expedition to see a part of the river which, for some unknown reason, had to this point escaped me.
 Yesterday's saunter took me down to the south bank of the river opposite the car park at Baum's Weir and along an informal track, back towards Buckley Falls. Here, to my delight, I discovered the remains of the old bluestone race. Originally about 244m in length, it ran from a weir upstream down to the mill. Whilst not explicitly stated, I believe that the weir was in fact Baum’s Weir which is said to date from the 1840s, although no-one seems to know when or by whom it was built.
Remains of outer wall of the channel on the south bank of
the Barwon below Brandon Peninsula
Regardless of when exactly the mill was built, it would seem that by 1854 at the latest and probably earlier, an Englishman named John Highett was the owner. He may also have had to rebuild the mill subsequent to substantial flooding in 1852. I haven’t been able to turn up anything which indicates how long Highett ran the mill, however some time after his death in 1867 and with the opening of the Barwon Paper Mill on the opposite bank of the river in 1876 (more of which later), business appears to have dropped off. After standing idle for some years, the mill reopened. Confusingly once again, one source states that in 1887/1888 it reopened as the Fyansford Starch Factory, milling rice instead of wheat. This is supported by a contemporary photo showing the mill and labelled accordingly. It states that the mill buildings had almost completely disappeared by 1938. However, another reference published by the City of Greater Geelong, indicates that the mill was sold in 1888 and subsequently operated as a jam factory on a limited scale. This reference claims the building was gone by 1908.
A couple of possible explanations for these differences spring to mind, such as the possibility that the two businesses used the buildings jointly or perhaps the tenure of the starch factory was very short-lived. The difference in dates given for the disbanding of the mill buildings seems a likely transcription error.
So, who was the mill's owner John Highett and what was his association with the Barwon River? Highett (1810-1867) was an Englishman who migrated first to Van Diemen's Land with his brother William (a noted politician) before arriving in the Port Phillip district in 1837. He took up farming land overlooking the Barwon on the south side of the river and built a substantial house at the top of the hill overlooking much of the region in what is now Montpellier Park. The house later became the Montpellier Hotel, Picnic Ground and Pleasure Gardens and was run by Edwin Hooper. The surrounding land was also used for the cultivation of grapes, with vineyards extending down to the river, into the nearby Barrabool Hills and as far as Pollocksford. The Montpellier name derives from a town in Southern France known for its wine growing.
The house no longer stands, however the footings can still be seen in the park's grounds. The other, perhaps more permanent reminder of Highett's contribution to the development of the area in the early days of European settlement is the suburb of Highton, which was originally given the name Highett's Town. Of course, Highett Road which connects with Buckley Falls Road below the Bunyip pool is a further reflection the area's association with John Highett and his family.

39 comments:

  1. I followed a link to William Henry Collins and the Barwon Flour Mill only to find that it is completely bypassed and ignored and the subject ended up being John Highett and several other businesses of a much later vintage. If you didn't know anything about Collins and the mill why introduce it in the first place?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am sorry you din't find what you were looking for.
    If you followed a link to this blog page, then the link was not of my making. From what I can find, there is very little known about the mill or Collins. I have included the only photos and details which were readily available as well as information about the subsequent owner and the building's various uses over the years.
    This is a blog post and as such designed to be a general overview, not a detailed discussion.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jo Mitchell,

    Can you explain the Fyansford Steam Flour Mills of at least October 1856?

    Ron Madden
    Wagga Wagga

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fyansford Steam Flour Mill - A Millar October 1856

    http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/7138448?searchTerm=Fyansford steam flour mills&searchLimits=l-decade=185

    Regards,

    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/7145412?searchTerm="Fyansford steam mills"&searchLimits=

    Barthold and Co. Fyansford Steam Flour Mill - March 1857

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  6. Solved - very complete flour mill in village of Fyansford July 1855 :

    http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/4813258/512287?searchTerm=Barrabool "Flour mill"#pstart512287

    Regards,
    R Madden

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Ron,

    But I'm still not sure if this tells us whether the mill on Mt Brandon Peninsula was the only one, or whether there was another, earlier structure which was perhaps closer to the township...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jo Mitchell,

    If by the mill on Mt Brandon you mean the Barrabool water mill, I likewise am unable to throw any light there. I had suspected that there may have been an early change in driving power at Barrabool, however, I am now satisfied that the Barrabool watermill and the Fyansford Steam Flour Mill were quite separate entities. I note that the latter didn't even rate a mention in "Flour Mills of Victoria!" I suspect that is throws a differnt light on some matters at Barrabool. I have been pondering W S Gilbert's painting of a very unusual composite windmill in the Geelong part of the world and had wondered whether it might have been the mysterious first mill at or near Barrabool. I notice, however, that the unusual windmill overlooks what seems to be a tidal stretch of a river which seems quite different to Barrabool?

    Regards,
    Ron Madden
    Wagga Wagga

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Ron,

    I'm inclined to agree with you. Yes, I mean the Barrabool water mill aka the Barrabool Flour Mill owned by John Highett which was located on Mt Brandon Peninsula, on the opposite side of the Barwon to Fyansford. Five storeys high and built of bluestone.
    Could the Fyansford Steam Flour Mill on the other hand have been located in the town itself and therefore perhaps on the banks of the Moorabool River, not the Barwon? The township of Fyansford is on the Moorabool, near the confluence of the two rivers, but not on the Barwon. In the town is the following heritage listed cottage:
    http://www.onmydoorstep.com.au/heritage-listing/26543/flour-mill-house
    I see no mention of a mill nearby, but could this be a remnant from an earlier structure which no longer exists? I would also question whether perhaps, it was the aforementioned Collins who owned the steam flour mill which perhaps slightly predated the water powered version on the banks of the Barwon.
    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jo,

    Can you tell me what "site of the old windmill" was being referred to in 1847 in the Geelong Advertiser as being next to Cummins' brewery? (see below)

    It seems quite likely to me that the "extant flour mill house" in Fyansford which is described as being "mid 19th century" in style, matches the mid-1850's Fyansford Steam Flour Mill. From what I can see, though, Collins evidently had absolutely zilch to do with the steam mill at Fyansford. His (5 storey??? or five floors????) bluestone watermill at Fyansford appears to pre-date the steam mill in the town of Fyansford by half a decade or so.

    Very interesting though that Collins came from Tassie. I would just about swear that the buck of the very primitive post mill and probably also thw main post that were used to construct the highly unusual composite mill illustrated by one W S Gilbert, came from Tasmania.

    Interestingly, the Moorabil River at Fyansford as shown in the aerial colour photo doesn't really look to be a candidate for the location of the composite mill. I notice, however, that a couple of shots of the Barwon around Mt Brandon connected to your site look like they could fit the bill for the post mill location, even if they aren't tidal reaches of the Barwon.

    http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?l-decade=184&q=+Moorabool+windmill

    REgards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jo,

    I see that Cummins' brewery was in Geelong itself!!! So what old windmill occupied the site next door? - Our W S Gilbert illustrated composite mill perhaps?

    http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/AUS-VIC-GEELONG-DISTRICT/2011-10/1317536168

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Ron,

    After a quick search, I think the remains of Cummins (aka Cummings) Brewery are what is now the Scottish Chief's Hotel (became Volum Brewery in between) and that is very definitely in the centre of Geelong, as you have shown, not in Fyansford.
    The 5 storey, bluestone Barrabool Flour Mill on the Barwon (pictured above) was built either in 1849 or the early 50s depending on what you believe, although Heritage Victoria says 1849. John Highett built it:
    http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/waterflourmill_aust.html

    As for Collins' mill, this link from the Victorian Heritage Database clearly states that Collins built a steam flour mill in Fyansford in 1844.
    http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/21828?print=true
    The site indicated puts it on the Moorabool (not Barwon), right where Flour Mill House is still located.
    I think this solves the mystery. Two flour mills; an early steam one in the town on the Moorabool built in 1844/5 and a larger, water-driven one upstream on the Barwon, built c1849.
    Incidentally, I saw something in one of the old newspapers indicating that this Collins was the same bloke who opened Collins woollen mill in Geelong near the present James Harrison Bridge. That is mentioned and photographed in one of my other blog posts.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jo,

    http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=%22Fyans%27+Ford%22+mill&l-decade=185&l-year=1855

    The Barthold steam mill in Fyansford (supposedly four storeys) was "being erected" in March 1855!!!!!!!!!!

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  14. Definitely the same building. Here is what the Victorian Heritage Database said about Flour Mill House and surrounding land:

    G J Barthold purchased this site, Section, allotment on the corner of Atkins St and The Parade and the next three (allotments 2-4) along Atkins St. at the first land sales in Fyansford, in 1854. There were, according to the Census, 290 people in 1854 but it had decreased, in 1861 to 230 occupying a total of 30 houses, and by 1891 there were only 98 people in 19 houses. John McNeill's sketch map of Fyansford pre 1890, shows a house in this location, known as the Flour Mill House and only 19 houses within the town. Next to the house, on allotments 2-4, was the three storey bluestone, steam operated Flour Mill, which was constructed in 1844 by Henry Collins, and demolished in the early 1930s. The earliest rate records of owners and occupiers list John McMaster, Gentleman, as the owner from 1903 until 1909, then James Cantwell as the owner and occupier of the house from 1910 until about 1945. Leith Clifford and Thomas Fletcher were later owners.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jo,

    It would seem that the Victorian heritage databse version of events at Fyansford is a load of tripe. If the mill was only being built in March 1855, it is rather difficult to see how it could have existed in 1844? It would also have been rather unusual (although not unheard of), for a steam mill to proceed a steam mill in a district. Collins was about to build a mill "at Geelong" in September 1844, however, it clearly wasn't the Fyansford steam mill. Rather Collins built the Chilwell Mill by 1845 at what was then evidently called South Geelong. That mill was referred to once in 1846 as the Barwon Steam Mills.

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  16. Jo,

    OOPS!!!

    I meant to say: - It would also have been rather unusual (although not unheard of), for a steam mill to proceed a WATER mill in a district!!

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jo,

    Barwon Falls Mill,

    in operation by early November 1851

    http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/86263600?searchTerm=Barwon Highett water flour mill&searchLimits=l-decade=185|||l-year=1851

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jo,

    You state "The 5 storey, bluestone Barrabool Flour Mill on the Barwon (pictured above) was built either in 1849 or the early 50s depending on what you believe, although Heritage Victoria says 1849. John Highett built it:
    http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/waterflourmill_aust.html"

    If as you indicate above, Heritage Victoria says that Barrabool Flour mill was built in 1849, then that is in my opinion clearly tripe! The {first??} Barrabool water mill built of bluestone was constructed in 1851 after tenders were called early that year, and it was operating by at least early November 1851.

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Ron,

    Thanks for the further clarification. I'm happy to accept a date of 1851 for the Barrabool Mill but that is a separate issue to Collins and his mill.

    So, looking further at advertising. Collins had the Union Steam Flour Mill which was advertised for sale in the Argus on 27th Jan, 1855 as being on the Barwon and "formerly known as the property of WH Collins Esq". It could well be considered Chilwell or South Geelong. It was again advertised in 1861 and described as being next to Latrobe Tce. There was a Union Mill located next to one of the Albion Mills which was next to Latrobe Tce. It no longer stands, but this would have been Collin's Union Steam Flour Mill, later a woollen mill. Clearly this is in Geelong, not Fyansford.
    However, Collins also definitely had a mill in Fyansford. The Argus of 29th July, 1873 indicates that Collins had a mill at Fyansford which had for some time been disused. Collins was said to be considering removing the engine and other equipment and starting a new woollen mill on land in Geelong on the Barwon again near Latrobe Tce. This I gather he eventually did as I mentioned above in a previous comment in the form of Collins Bros Mills, located back from the river behind the Albion Mill. Picture in this blog post:
    http://barwonblogger.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/anything-but-run-of-mill.html
    As for the Heritage Database, it indicates that Collins built the mill in 1844. In 1855 it was "very complete" according to the newspaper not being built as I read it, which means the dates would work.
    However, in the Argus of 26th February, 1857 Barthold and Son of Fyansford Steam Flour Mill advertised a barley mill for sale then The Argus, June 24, 1861 published an insolvency notice for GJ Barthold and T Lowe, millers. This would be the Barthold refered to in the Heritage Database.
    I'm not sure how the dates work with Collins still owning a mill in Fyansford in 1873 if Barthold purchased the same property in 1854. Could it be that Barthold purchased the land in 1854 and built the mill which Collins later purchased? Of course, it still doesn't eplain the date of 1844/1845, but could that be a transcription error (should have been 1854) somewhere along the line?

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jo,

    Argus Monday 1 July 1861 - p2 of 8. FULL descripton of Fyansford Steam Mill July 1861 - for sale by instructions of the mortgagee - property formerly occupied by Barthold and Lowe!! NB Four floors ie three storey mill - nominal 24h/p!! engine and 3 pairs of burrstones and a barley mill (looks like they didn't get rid of the latter after all). Allotments 1,2 3 and 4 section 3, town of Fyansford.

    SEE : http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/5701503?searchTerm=Fyansford "flour mill"&searchLimits=l-decade=186

    Would seem a likely time for Collins to have purchased the Fyanford Steam Flour Mill and 24h/p was a fair sort of an engine at that time!

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Ron,

    Okay, so Berthold owned the land plus mill from 1854-1861 and Collins had it in 1873. Would really love to know what - if anything - went on before 1854! It will be interesting to see what extra information we might get out of the Geelong Advertiser when the NLA FINALLY finish digitising it.
    I'll try to remember to keep an eye on it and I think I'll wander down to Fyansford and have a look at Flour Mill House too.

    Let me know if you fish up anything else of interest.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jo,

    There is in my opinion absolutely no doubt that we have established beyond any posssible doubt that the 1844 date for Fyansford is a complete nonsense as far as the Fyansford steam mill goes, even though Collins evidently owned the establishment by at least the early 1870's. The Fyansford Steam Mill was nearing completion in March 1855, there is not one iota of evidence to even hint that it was built any earlier. It isn't impossible, however, that Collins might have been mortgagee for Barthold and Co at Fyansford in the mid 1850's!? In my opinion there are only a couple of possible explanations for the 1844 wrong date for Collins involvement at Fyansford - the most likely appears to be that given Collins evident later involvement at Fyansford there was a simple mix up of dates with Collins 1844 efforts at Chillwell, ie 2 plus 2 = 5. There remains, however, unlikely as it may seem, the possibility (especially givens Collins Tassie background), that Collins may have been mixed up with that weird composite windmill(probably from Tasmania) drawn by W S Gilbert. Until that weird windmill is completely sorted Collins involvement at Fyansford circa 1844 remains partly unclear, although it would have been pretty strange for Collins to be dabbling in steam mills at Chilwell in 1844 while also mucking about with that weird windmill around the same time - it doesn't appear to make sense at all the more I think about it. The Fyansford steam mill, however, is all done and dusted, subject of course to lands records confirmation of Collin's involvement there possibly from the early 1860s.

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  23. Jo,

    Barthold and Low won a prize for pearl barley in 1860.

    Argus 24th March 1860

    http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/5679404?searchTerm=Barthold&searchLimits=l-decade=186|||l-title=13

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  24. Jo,

    Barthold and Low received a steam engine and machinery in June 1858 from Glasgow by the Storm Queen.
    Argus - 28 June 1858 - p4. This I believe probably explains the 24h/p engine at the Fyansford Steam Mill in July 1861.

    Regards,
    Ron Mdden

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Ron,

    Thought I'd have a look at the windmill angle and found this in a history of Newtown and Chilwell, written 1950:
    http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/aushispam/0/1/8/pdf/ag0181.pdf

    "Two separate flour mills operated in Chilwell in its very early days. One was built for William Henry Collins on the site of the present Albion Woollen Mills. The machinery for this mill was brought over from Tasmania and the mill started working on 18th October, 1845....
    The second mill, called the "Riversdale Flour Mill," was erected on land at the corner of Thomas Street and Gregory Avenue. The building was four storeys high, round and built of stone quarried alongside the building. The machinery on the four floors was driven by a huge windmill erected on the top of the mill. The flour mill was built for thomas Riddell..." etc...I'll let you read the rest.
    Is this your windmill? If it is, then I was just about standing on the site of the thing this morning while I was playing netball at the YMCA!(Riversdale Rd, Newtown).
    Is there a picture of the windmill online which I can look at? You mention the stretch of river looking tidal. Prior to Fyans building the Breakwater (several km downstream) salt would be carried up with the tide, however, I don't know how much change in water level there would have been that many km from the sea. In any case, Fyans had the breakwater in place by 1841. The document doesn't give a date for this second mill, but presumably it was no earlier than Collins' mill and it is upstream of the breakwater and about 8-900m from Collins' mill.

    Incidentally, I think we've sorted which mill Collins built in 1845 and where!

    Let me know what you think.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  26. Jo,

    The mill that Collins built in 1845 at South Geelong (Chilwell) was definitely a steam mill that later became known as the Union Steam Flour Mills. The Riversdale Steam Mill opened at Chillwell in 1856 and unusually a large and most distinctive stone or masronry built tower windmill was added at Riversdale in the latter part of that decade. It reminds me very much of a very large tower mill (replica??) at the the defunct Penny Royal tourist facility in Launceston. The Riversdale windmill can be seen in the far background of a drawing/painting of the Union Steam MIlls at Chilwell with the Barwon shown in flood (again Flour Mills of Victoria p-111). That picture is quite incorrcetly dated circa 1852.

    Collins's intention to build a steam mill at Geelong was trumpeted in Septemeber 1844, and as I indicated earlier, this is where the 1844 Fyansford nonsense came from - somebody somewhere incorrectly concluded that with Collins later owning the Fyansford Steam Mill, that he must have built it and seeing the 1844 info about Collins intending to build a flour mill, came up with 2 Plus 2 = 5!!!!

    There is cleary no link between Collins and the Riversdale windmill which was built in the late 1850's and the Riversdale windmill is just about as far removed from the weirdo composite mill painted by one W S Gilbert as one can possibly get. To view the picture of the weirdo windmill you need to look at page 111 of Peggy and Lewis Jones's " the Flour Mills of Victoria."

    The Geelong Heritage Centre have advised that they no longer seem to have the original painting of the weirdo windmill and I have written to the Geelong Historical Society to see if they can find anybody who knows its fate ot where-abouts.

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Ron,

    No, I wasn't suggesting a link between Collins' Union Steam Flour Mills and Riversdale. The above piece from the history of N&C agrees with what we were saying ie that Collins had the Union Mill near Latrobe Tce.
    And yes, we are agreed that someone saw the dates for the Union Mill and put its construction at Fyansford, not Geelong - obviously not the case. They were correct however, in saying that he built the mill at that time on the Barwon (they just got the town wrong).
    And funny you should mention it, I'm fairly sure I went through the Penny Royal mill when we were in Launceston in the 1990s. Pity I can't remember more about it!
    As for the weirdo windmill, I'll have to see if I can get hold of a copy of the book, but the only part of the Barwon I'd say was noticably tidal would be at Barwon Heads where the Barwon meets the sea.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Jo,

    Parts of the following book may interest you :

    "Steadfast Through Change: A History of the Wesleyan - Methodist - Uniting Church in Highton 1853 to 2006" (Smith, Stainsby, & Williams). The section by Marion Stainsby covered the first 50 years, and deals amongst other things, with the early settlement at Highton which evidently was John Highett's subdivision.

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Ron,

    Thanks, I'll have a look for the publication. I've seen Marion's name on the local genealogy mailing list. Yes, Highett had much of Highton which of course was named after him. If you're interested, my "Up hill and down dale" post from July last year shows the footings of the house he built on what is now Montpellier Park. It later became a hotel.
    By the way, I went and took some shots of the Flour Mill House at Fyansford yesterday. I might put some up in a separate post in the next week or so.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  30. Jo,

    The Ballarat Star of 4 April 1857 shows a list of 12 Geelong steam flour mills. Fyans Ford gets a guernsey with 3 pairs of stones, ditto Highett's etc etc. All the usual suspects, however, the one that catches my eye is "Lencoln's Mill" with only one pair of millstones - a pretty unusual state of affairs for a steam mill by that time. Any ideas??? I would contact GHS, however I haven't exactly been overwhelmed with responses from that part of the world.

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  31. Jo,

    Barrabool - Starch - The Age - 11/12/1888 - p9:

    http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=18881211&id=SAFiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EZYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7267,5905256

    Regards,
    Ron Madden

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi Ron,

    Sorry for the slow reply. Have been following up some rowing and Grammar school stuff for the last week. Thanks for the link to the article about Highett's and its time as a starch factory. It is interesting that they suggest the Weir (Baum's I assume) was built for Highett's mill as no-one seems sure who built it or when. Interesting also the mention a race being built for the later production of starch, given there was a race already there. Perhaps it was an extension or a redirection of the other. I will also have to go back and look at the photos and see if there is any sign of the aerial tramway. Wonder how they got the grain to the mill when they were milling flour...
    Now, to your question. You might do very well to go back to Trove and look through the papers again as The Geelong Advertiser under its various names up to 1856 has just been put online in the last day or two. With that in mind, I see that the Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer of 29th Jan, 1856 has an advert for "Lincoln's Mill" which was being taken over by a couple of our mate Collins' ex-employees. There is no mention of "Lencoln's" in the area other than your reference in The Star which I would guess was a typo. Anyway, Lincoln's appears to have been located on the road out to Point Henry in what would today be the Moolap area. I'm not sure of "the burial ground" they refer to. The closest today would be the East Geelong Cemetery but it is not on the Point Henry Road. There is I notice, running off the Point Henry Road a Windmill Road. Whether that is signficant or not, I don't know. There are other mentions of the mill in 1855 and 1854 but nothing I can see which gives more detail.
    Let me know what you think.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  33. All interesting discussion, used 1 hour to read.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Jo
    Interesting history of the Wm H Collins and the his flour mill.
    Few weeks ago I was introduced to a lady by my mother happened to be her great-grandfather William Henry Collins, William built the house for his wife in Noble St which is still there that a lady is living in same house passed on to next generation of the Collins.

    Ross

    ReplyDelete
  35. hi all I am Harold baum and I grew up in the old house next to baum weir, my grandfather bought the property in 1906 at auction by hf richardson house was built by dr highett ,would be happy to share what I know if anyone interested the tram cable was still laying around till dad sold in 1974 and we used the concrete water reseviors for irrigation till then can tell lots more ph 52315489 I now live in elliminyt near colac , regards Harold

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  36. Hi there, I have read through this interchange (again); this time it is all a bit clearer to me! As Barthold's daughter married a son of Graham Berry (Premier), they are all in my family tree. I am currently reading Ian Wynd's book Barrabool Land of the Magpie, which took me back to my interest in Barthold and his mill. I discovered today that he was a Danish citizen (!) naturalized in 1852, when he identified as a "Mariner". In a lot of his (Ancestry.com) records, he is called John, without the Godfrey. He was married to Isabelle Coburn Lowe, who I am supposing is likely related to Thomas Lowe, Barthold's business partner, but apart from her parent's names (William and Isabelle nee Baird), I can't find out much about the Lowes. I reckon the reason they went out of business in 1861 is that the mill Highett built, up the Barwon river, was closer to the Barrabool Shire wheat farmers (carting costs and the quality of the roads and crossing the river were all big issues then), which helped put him out of business. Also, in 1857 there was a newly built mill operating in the Mt. Moriac area on Farmer H.F. Leech's land; built by Mr. Whatmough of Geelong, its engine room was 60 ft by 79, and had a 16 hp engine built by William Croll of Geelong (would have been alot less expensive than shipping an engine from overseas! I guess). the Waurn Ponds Creek was dammed to provide a supply of water for the mill. A mortgagee's sale in 1860 saw Holmes, White and Co., merchants of Geelong as owners of the mill. thanks for all your work and amazing blog!

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  37. A little bit further to the mill story: There is a very nice essay on the flour mills, published in 2013 on the internet: https://jillongpocket.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/jp47november2013.pdf
    Highett's mill, as people tended to call it at the time, was more formally known as the Barrabool Water Mill, but confusingly, also referred to in the newspapers as the Fyansford Mill (just as currently the paper mills are referred to as being in Fyansford).
    There is a very wonderful 3 page article in the Addy, Monday Oct 28 1889, called "Our River Industries". It seems very clear from this that the Starch Factory was Highett's old water mill, and that it was never upgraded. The Starch factory seems to have started operation a year or 2 before.
    There is an amusing article in the Addy, 20th Jan 1873, where someone was caught stealing the water wheel from the "Fyansford Mill". As it was the property of Sarah Highett, this shows that the same name was used for 2 different mills. 1873 is the same year that Jo mentions Collins having his "Fyansford Mill" (which, she has established, was NOT Highett's mill).
    The Heritage report says that Charles Hopton owned Barthold's mill in 1870: I cannot find anything on the internet about Charles, so we could perhaps just take that at face value? Or not. (He does NOT seem to be related to Edwin Hopton, hotel owner, vigneron in Fyansford; councillor for Thomson, then West Geelong, and Mayor).
    Ads were placed in the for Sale / to Let section of the paper, which included mention of the residence, from July 1861 (when Barthold and Lowe became Insolvent) until Jan. 1862; then a 6 year gap in ads (as far as my search went anyway). The ads were placed by Foster & Carr, Yarra St.
    Does that mean someone owned and operated it from '62 to '68; owned and didn't operate it; or that it simply went unsold all that time?
    In July 1868 ads for "The Fyansford Mill and machinery,&c" (no mention of a residence) begin to appear, and run continuously for the next 3 years till May 1871. These ads are run by John Carr &Co. on Gt.Ryrie St.
    Nothing further in TROVE until the story of the water wheel being stolen from Highett's Mill in Jan 1873, and then in July of 1873 an ad for "The Fyansford Flour Mill, with 4 acres land, cottage; superior steam engine, work up to 40 horse power (new), boiler, other machinery (all good).":
    So I don't know about this Charles Hopton, but maybe Collins bought Barthold's Mill in 1862 and sometime between then and 1868, invested in a new steam engine. Then he tried to off load the business for 3 years, between 1868 and 1871, let it fall idle during that time, and when he was deciding to shift into woolen manufacture, tried again to sell it in 1873. It's hard to see how Charles Hopton fits into the picture unless he was the operator between 62 and 68...why would he have fared any better than Barthold and Lowe? given the competition; whereas if Collins bought it in 1862, he had a 2/3 monopoly on the flour milling (although, in fact not: there were other mills here and there)
    He converted his Union Steam Flour Mill (the earliest built of the 3) into woolen mills the following year (1874); and it seems, having NOT sold his brand new steam engine, put it to work in his converted woolen mill. the same article in the Argus which mentions this, also mentions that the flour mill had for some time past been standing idle.
    In 1889, the heritage report says, the top 2 floors were removed. There is a 1901 postcard of the Fyansford Bridge and Cement Works,easily found on the internet, where i reckon you can see the building over on what would be Atkins St. You can just make out the same building in the 1908 postcard of The Bridge at Fyansford. The Heritage report says the building wasn't demolished till 1920 (not 1930 as Jo has said elsewhere) - altho I don't know what that has to do with the expansion of the Cement factory (comment in the Heritage report).

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  38. From the horses mouth: further to the above, and thanks to the diligence of my researching cousin, we found this: Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1924) Tuesday 20 August 1861 p 3 Article
    http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/150307524, which seem to be the recorded testimony of GJ Barthold at the Insolvency hearings. In that article, he says he and Low went into business 7-8 years previously (so 1853-ish) (the purchase of the lots, by the way, from another snippet, show that an Andrew Miller went in on them with Barthold and Low); and that "The mill was our property. It was mortgaged to Collins years ago."

    Re. the 3 way partnership:
    Monday, June 23rd, to Saturday, June 28th, 1856.
    http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/149180258:
    The partnership between Messrs. G: J. Barthold, Andrew Millar and Thomas Low; carrying on business as millers at Fyansford, has been dissolved.
    so it seems we've got most of that story sorted!

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  39. John Taylor from Bishopwearmouth, County Durham was an apprentice millwright before he came out to Melbourne on the James T Foord in 1849. I've been told there a lots of Taylors west of Geelong.

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