FORMER DAIRY SITE

1-2 GRIFFITH STREET AND 3-11 JELLICOE COURT WERRIBEE, WYNDHAM CITY

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    FORMER DAIRY SITE - History

    Site History - 19th and 20th Century Occupation

    Railway Reserve

    Historically, the study area is recorded to have been associated with railway related land uses, including storage areas for the transportation of agricultural goods such as hay bales, alongside the rail tracks. The historical rail reserve on the southern side of the rail tracks has remained government rail land throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, since its purchase from the privately-owned Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company in 1860 (VHD 1999). Commercial leases within the rail reserve appear to have permitted the operation of industrial activity throughout much of the 20th century. The Werribee Development Concept Plan (Kinhill Planners & Don. H. Fulton, 1980) states that a portion of land within the southern rail reserve (incorporating the VHI site location) was under commercial lease in 1980 (Figure 9). This land portion, labelled R(3) was adjoining Kelly, Griffith and Jellicoe streets and is noted as possessing a ".dilapidated galvanised iron clad building..." (Kinhill Planners & Don. H. Fulton, 1980, p 38).

    Dairy Factory

    During the early 20th century the VHI site (H7822-0857) was occupied by a dairy factory operated by the Werribee Settlers Dairying Co-operative Company and the Federal Milk Company Pty Ltd (Werribee District Historical Society 2015). The following outlines the two key dairy companies with historical ties to the VHI listed site:

    Werribee Settlers Dairying Co-operative Company

    The Werribee Settlers Dairying Co-operative Company is known to have had a milk factory in Station Street, Werribee in 1920 (Wyndham History, 2019)7. The factory was located on two roods of land owned by the Company and Railway Department. This factory was sold to the Federal Milk Company c. 1924 (Wyndham History, 2019; Figure 10)8. However, it appears that after purchasing this property, the Federal Milk Company laid foundations for a new factory further northeast along the rail reserve nearer the Werribee township, at the site of the current VHI listing H7922-0857.

    Federal Milk Company

    The Federal Milk Company was founded in 1915 at Bacchus March (Wyndham History, 2019)10. As a prominent national company, they produced condensed and powdered milk products for the local and overseas markets. The dairy factory foundations at the VHI site (H7822-0857) are recorded to have been laid in June 1923 by the Federal Milk Company who had recently purchased the business from the Werribee Settlers Dairying Co-operative Company (Werribee Shire Banner, 1923) The dairy factory was situated adjacent the railway line, north of the Werribee township (Werribee Shire Banner, 1925).

    Interpretation of Site

    FORMER DAIRY SITE - Interpretation of Site

    As it appears today, the extremely heavy duty concrete complex suggests that some extremely heavy duty chaff milling equipment was operational at this site. Some of the concrete areas appear older then the others. Much of the equipment or possibly the building itself seems to have been tied into the concrete sections through thick iron straps.

    Archaeological Significance

    FORMER DAIRY SITE - Archaeological Significance

    Archaeological excavation of the site and its immediate surrounds may reveal artefacts associated with the mill and/ or further associated foundations. Literature does exist on chaff milling in Australia and there are likely to be records associated with this mill. With all of the mill building and equipment gone from the site the archaeological significance is assessed as medium.

    Historical Significance

    FORMER DAIRY SITE - Historical Significance

    This site holds medium historical significance as an important local and possibly regional industry. Local significance as the mill would have supported the local community employment and otehr associated industry. Regional because the regional farmers would have been sending their uncut chaff to the mill.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    FORMER DAIRY SITE - Heritage Inventory Description

    Updated description: The site consists of a series of ground level concrete slabs and some above ground concrete blocks. The infrastructure is substantial with foundations and metal reinforcements showing that some large equipment was in place. One 12 m diameter (circular) slab also exists to the northeast of the site. A sunken area and a ramp are also present.

    [Reassessed for the Outer Western Metro Site Reassessment Project - Melton & Wyndham, March 2010]

    Previous description: This site comprises extensive cement foundations of a chaff mill. The foundations include circular cement floor and large areas of rectangular cement floor. Remains of c1890 Chaff Mill - cement flooring Cement foundations including circular flooring and large areas of rectangular flooring.

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