Albion Park Butter Factory

DESCRIPTION

NameAlbion Park Butter FactoryTypeBuildingBusinessGeolocation^[1] Last edited by: Will Chittick

DescriptionOn 31st July 1884, a meeting at Condon’s Albion Park Hotel, with Mayor Alderman Thomas Armstrong in the Chair, formed a committee to establish a factory in Albion Park. A suitable site beside the Macquarie Rivulet in Calderwood Road near the crossing to North Macquarie was secured. Waugh and Josephson’s engineers attended the meeting and submitted a sketch for a suitable building.

The Albion Park Butter factory in Calderwood Road, commenced operations on November 10th 1885, designed and erected by D.L. Waugh with six cream separators driven by a 16 horsepower steam engine. The site was central to all suppliers from Albion Park, Marshall Mount, Calderwood and South Dapto. The factory was officially opened by Mrs. D.L. Dymock who broke a bottle of milk on the engine. A picnic of 400 present followed the opening.

The homestead ‘Tulkeroo” was built adjacent to the factory for a Managers residence dated 1885 which still stands. Mr. A. Walmsley was manager of the factory with directors John Fraser, Tom Armstrong, William Mathie, David Manson and E. Dawes. Mr. Walmsely left, and John Fraser director, son of Alexander Fraser immediately followed as manager. He was instrumental in promoting the dairy factory system. (above ref. Green Meadows William A.Bayley).

The original Calderwood Road butter factory closed in 1908, and part of the building still exists, a quiet reminder of the early pioneering farming industry.

When the Illawarra Co-operative Central Dairy Factory opened at Creamery Road Albion Park Rail in 1899, this larger factory brought in the refrigeration era and dairy products were railed to Sydney from the rail siding of the factory.

External LinkThe Albion Park Butter FactoryThe Albion Park Butter FactoryThe Albion Park Butter FactoryAlbion Park 1829-1926

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