Waldeck Street
Not open to the public.
Merchant Francis Pearse built the Royal Steam Roller Flour Mill in 1894 from plans by Henry Simon of Manchester, England. Powered by huge steam engines, the mill ground wheat produced in the district until its closure in 1935. The mill had a large floor space and receiving sheds capable of holding 8,000 bags of wheat. Flour milled here was shipped to the north west by the Adelaide Steamship Company or freighted south by Midland Railway, to which the mill was connected by its own private line. The mill was capable of producing six tons of flour per working day, at a rate of about seven to eight sacks per hour.
During World War II the mill was used as an army camp; much of the timber was removed to be used for gun emplacements in the coastal dunes. With the shortage of materials, much of the internal timbers were removed following the war.
The mill changed hands several times, with the olive trees planted in 1970 by the then owner Mr Herriman. Sir David Brand requested the building be made available to the National Trust of WA for preservation in 1975, and it was classified by the Trust in 1983. The mill was sold in 2007 to private owners who have restored and adapted the place for use as a family home.
Frank Herbert’s car in front of the Mill, 1930 I IRME2676
