Brisbane City in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia — Oceania

The Old Windmill and Reservoirs

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 24, 2007

1. The Old Windmill and Reservoirs Marker

Inscription. The oldest surviving building in Queensland, the Windmill, was constructed by convicts in 1828 to grind flour and maize meal as food for the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement. A stone and brick building, it contained two pair of mill stones - one pair connected to the Windmill sails, the other to a treadmill outside. The treadmill was used when the Windmill was under repair, in calm weather, or as a means of punishment for convicts. It was demolished after the area was opened up to free settlement in 1842.

The Windmill fell into disuse, and was converted to a signal station in 1861. It was also used as a fire look-out, and for pioneer radio and television broadcasting experiments in the 1920's - 1940's. The extant copper time-ball was dropped regularly from 1895 to 1930 at 1 p.m.

Of the adjacent Reservoirs, the smaller was built in 1871 in association with the Enoggera Dam Water Supply Works. This was the first major municipal engineering undertaking in Queensland, servicing Queen, George and Edward Streets. The second larger structure was completed in 1882.

The Reservoirs are brick, box-form structures with subterranean,

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arched, baffle walls. The timber and corrugated iron roofs are later additions.

Erected by Brisbane City.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Windmills series list.

Location. 27° 27.942′ S, 153° 1.387′ E. Marker is in Brisbane City, Queensland, in Brisbane. It is at the intersection of Wickham Terrace and Bartley Street on Wickham Terrace. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 239 Wickham Terrace Spring Hill, Brisbane City QLD 4000, Australia. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Oceania,

in Australasia,

in the Pacific Ocean,

in South Pacific,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 24, 2007

2. The Old Windmill and Reservoirs Marker

The marker is visible above the black car.

The Old Windmill image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 24, 2007

3. The Old Windmill

Close-up of photo on marker

Map - You Are Here image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 24, 2007

4. Map - You Are Here

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 24, 2007

5. The Old Windmill

Credits. This page was last revised on December 11, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 744 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 10, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.