The Old Windmill

Not only is the windmill tower the oldest remaining convict building in Queensland, it is the oldest windmill tower extant in Australia. The Wickham Terrace windmill tower therefore is of national significance. In its fabric the building reflects various phases and achievements in the history of Brisbane. The old windmill has been an important landmark since its construction. The windmill tower is a visual record of the historical evolution of Brisbane. It first played a vital role in the existence of the Moreton Bay penal settlement by providing flour for survival and later as a steamer signal station, fire-spotting observation tower and site for pioneering communications' experiments. The old windmill is one of only two remaining Brisbane convict-built structures. The old Commissariat Store also played a pivotal role in the convict era; however, it was the windmill and treadmill which were used for convict punishment. As the oldest industrial building extant in Queensland and the oldest windmill tower in Australia, it also exemplifies an industrial process no longer used. From the 1860s to 1920s Brisbanites also depended on the windmill for notification of shipping arrivals and the correct time. Thus the windmill played an important and unique role in the everyday life of the community. The windmill site has potential to reveal sub-surface archaeological evidence. An exploratory dig was conducted in 1989-90. Brisbane's windmill tower is older and more significant than any other windmill still standing in Australia. There are windmill tower ruins to be found in most Australian states but the few extant ones were built after 1830, by non-convicts for free enterprise. The finest remaining examples of tower mills are the 1837 Callington Mill in Tasmania built by John Vincent, the 1835 mill in South Perth, Western Australia and the South Australian mill at Mt Barker. None of Sydney's nineteen windmill towers has survived. Since the 1850s the windmill has been regarded as a significant Brisbane landmark on an important green hilltop overlooking the central city and a focus of community identity. Though most of Queensland's convict built structures have been demolished, the windmill remains as a evocative reminder of the convict past.