Explore the history of Portarlington’s mill

THE Bellarine Historical Society will host a special open day tomorrow (Sunday, May 18) to showcase the old Portarlington Steam Flour Mill.

This National Trust listed property was recently sold and is now in private ownership, awaiting redevelopment.

Many residents of the Bellarine will know this beautiful sandstone building in Turner Court and may have visited it in the past.

The Bellarine Historical Society says Sunday’s event – part of the National Trust’s ‘Unearthed’ Australian Heritage Festival – will be an opportunity for people to refresh their memories and for newer residents to learn of the mill’s somewhat chequered past and of the people who guided its story over the years.

The story began in 1856 when a company was formed with a capital of £7,500 pounds, contributed by many leading citizens of the Bellarine and Geelong.

Constructed in 1857 from local sandstone, the mill is a rare survivor of Victorian Georgian mill design and is classified as of State significance.

However, soon after the mill began operation, the bulk of the colony’s wheat production shifted from the Bellarine-Geelong area to the Wimmera and the mill continually ran below capacity, becoming unprofitable.

It was sold to a Ballarat company in 1865 for £1,450, bringing in Thomas Henry Widdicombe as mill manager.

Mr Widdicombe was closely associated with the mill, purchasing it in about 1870 when he also built a brick manufacturing facility on site.

Milling ended in 1874, and the building was then used for other purposes, resulting in significant deterioration although it remained structurally sound.

Mr Widdicombe repurchased the mill in 1901 and at his death it was valued at just £50.

The Bellarine Shire Council purchased the mill in 1971 and transferred it to the National Trust for restoration. It was opened to the public in 1977.

When it closed the mill, the National Trust distributed its contents to various local history organisations.

The Bellarine Historical Society is mounting a one-off display of the items that it received for public viewing on Sunday.

Society president Ann Hodgkinson will present a talk on the history of the mill based on a research project that she undertook in 2021.

This event is being held in the society’s Old Courthouse Museum, 11 High Street, Drysdale.

The display will be open between 10.30am and 4pm, with the talk to start at 2pm.