The Windmill, Brisbane

The Windmill, also known as 'The Old Windmill', is located in Wickham Park, on Wickham Terrace in Spring Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. According to the heritage notice (shown at left), it is the oldest building in Queensland.

The Windmill was built during colonial times by convicts for grinding grains, such as wheat and maize, in the late 1820s. The Windmill originally had wind-powered sails. The grinding of the grains was done by treadmill from October, 1828, with the wind-powered sails being used from December, 1828.

After the murder of two members of a surveying party near Mount Lindesay in May 1840, three aboriginal men were apprehended and tried for the crimes. In July 1841, the two surviving aborigines were hanged from a beam from an upper window of the windmill.cite book |title=Stories of the Southside |last=Roberts |first=Beryl |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1991 |publisher=Aussie Books |location=Archerfield, Queensland |isbn=094733601X |pages=63 ]

On 20 January, 1862, the Windmill became the first home of the Queensland Museum.

The Windmill was later used as a signal tower, and is now used as a weather observatory. Towards the end of the 19th century, the tower was encased in a cement render to protect the brick and masonry from rainwater damage. The current render dates from a 1988 refurbishment, and is scored to imitate the stone blocks it covers.

References

External links

* [http://www.marquis-kyle.com.au/windmill.htm Peter Marquis-Kyle's account of the 1988 refurbishment]