Millbrook Farm

Child Places

• 18179 Millbrook Water Mill

Statement of Significance

• Millbrook Farm forms a cultural landscape that displays a diverse range of activities, including timber milling, lime burning and farming. It is unusual to find three separate activities occurring on the same site Early settlers often combined a range of activities on one site, such as timber felling and shingle splitting, but this was often a necessary precursor to farming. • Millbrook Farm is associated with the development of the Yallingup district. Yallingup developed as a tourist destination after the discovery of caves in the area. Tourists stayed in the first Caves House that Donald helped to construct. Robert Donald and his son, Jack, also constructed the second Caves House. Materials for the construction of this building came from the Donald property, and Donald and his family were living at Millbrook at the time. • The place is considered to have historic importance through its association with Robert Donald who was an important local figure in the building industry. Donald was responsible for the construction of the first Caves House (1903) and also for the second Caves House after the first one burnt down. He also constructed a number of buildings in Busselton, including the Vasse Hotel, Busselton Hotel, Busselton Council Chambers and the Busselton Jetty.• The place is considered to have historic value due to the construction methods used by Robert Donald and his son Jack in the water wheel. The Donalds found it necessary to go back to "old" techniques when it came to obtaining the very large timbers required in the water wheel's construction. They were compelled to cut the large timbers in a saw pit, a method which had largely disappeared with the advent of circular saws. • The relocated Seymour buildings are early examples of South West vernacular architecture and, as such, have research value. • The place has the potential to yield through archaeological excavation, deposits that may be instrumental in revealing the lifeways of the Donalds. This type of information is important if we are to gain a greater understanding of how people used and existed in their environment. • Millbrook Farm contributes towards the Yallingup community's sense of place through its association with Caves House and Robert Donald. The discovery of the Yallingup caves was instrumental in attracting visitors to the region and the construction of the first Caves House in 1903 enabled visitors to prolong their visit and explore the surrounding area. Donald not only helped to construct the both buildings, but he also burnt the lime used in the second Caves House, at his Yallingup property. Timber cut with the assistance of the water wheel was also used in building projects throughout the district and in the second Caves House. • The tourist complex operated by the Paynes, and incorporating the Donald residences, the restored water wheel, the relocated Seymour cottages and some additional buildings, proved to be a popular attraction to visitors to the area in the 1980s and further added to the Yallingup area's tourist potential.

Physical Description

Millbrook Farm is situated in a narrow valley, near a creek in a park-like environment, approximately 8 km east of Yallingup. The precinct comprises three different groups of buildings; the sawmill and associated structures, the Seymour houses and the Donald’s residences. A summary of the built structures from the original phase of works is as follows. Water Wheel (1922) The water wheel is constructed from sawn timbers with wooden buckets and large timber beams supporting the wheel. Metal plates are bolted to the exterior side of the wheel segments to hold them together. A single central metal drive shaft is still in situ and runs beneath a timber bridge to several pulleys. A reinforced rubber belt is attached to one set of pulleys. Water once reached the top of the wheel via a timber flume. This flume is an extension of the mill race which runs on the northern and western sides of the barn. Barn (1924) The double-storey barn is situated on the northern side of the water wheel. It is a timber framed building clad with weatherboards. The hip roof is clad with timber shingles. There is a stone chimney at the western end of the building. The structure has been built into the side of the hill and the upper floor on the western side is level with the ground. The building is two-storey on the eastern side, with the mill machinery located below the level of the ground floor. A skillion roof of corrugated galvanised iron has been added to the eastern side of the building. Mill Race (1922) This feature is approximately 1m deep and the western end is lined with cement and stone. Saw Pit (1920s) This structure is located about 30m west of the barn. It is essentially a long narrow hole in the ground which has been shored up with timber planks. The ground has been partially built up on the northern side and shored up with stones. Lime Kiln (1920s) The kiln is located approximately 400m west of the barn. The structure is constructed of random rubble stone walling and has one firing chamber. It has been placed on the northern side of the creek and the northern side of the structure is set into the side of a partially man-made hill. Dairy (1930s) Located on the eastern side of the gift shop this is a timber framed structure covered with weatherboards. The gable roof is clad with corrugated galvanised iron. The interior is divided into two rooms with a concrete floor in both rooms. The northern room has stalls on the western side and a gutter running down the centre of the room. The southern room appears to have been a workroom. Jack Donald House (1927)The cottage is located along an unsealed driveway, approximately 100m east of the dairy. It is a timber framed structure clad with weatherboards. The roof is covered with corrugated galvanised iron. The external weatherboards and roof are original. Robert Donald House (1929) This building is located a further 100m east of the above structure. It is a timber framed building clad with weatherboards. The roof is corrugated galvanised iron. Seymour Buildings These buildings have been located on the northern side of the dam, away from the original Donald buildings. They form a distinct and separate group. The buildings were apparently carefully removed from their original site and the original materials used in their reconstruction. New timber shingles were cut using the mill's saw. Building A The building is constructed of wattle and daub and the exterior clad with weatherboards. A limestone chimney is located at the western end of the building and forms the whole of the western wall. A skillion roofed verandah runs across the northern side of the building. The roof is covered with shingles, while the verandah roof is covered with corrugated galvanised iron. The verandah floor is partially covered with timber boards and partially covered with flagstones. Building B A wattle and daub structure with the exterior surface covered by weatherboards. The hip roof is covered with shingles. There is only one room to the building and it has a timber floor. Building C This is the largest of the three buildings. It is also wattle and daub construction, however the exterior surface has not been covered with weatherboards. There are verandahs to the northern and southern sides. Both verandahs have a timber floor. The western end of the building is constructed of brick and there is also a brick chimney at this end. The top of the chimney stack is limestone. A weatherboard extension has been added to the eastern side of the building at some stage

History

Millbrook Farm is comprised of a number of structures: the original buildings constructed by Robert Donald and his son Jack in the 1920s and 1930s and buildings that were added later in 1978/79 and in the 1980s. The original buildings and structures are: the water wheel and mill race (1922), saw pit (c.1922), the barn (1924), the lime kiln (c. 1920s), the dairy (c. 1930s), Robert Donald’s house (1929) and Jack Donald’s house (1927). Buildings were added at a later date: stables (1978/79), blacksmiths (1978/79), re-constructed Donald house (1978/79), toilets (1978/79), bandstand (1980), dam wall enlarged (1978/79), workshop (1980) gift shop (1980) and pump house (1982). In 1982, Malcolm Payne added three cottages that were re-located from Dunsborough (they were originally constructed by William Seymour in the 1850s). The water wheel was extensively repaired during the 1960s and then further repairs were made in 1978/79 Robert Donald, a carpenter, settled in Busselton in 1896 and established a building firm there with his brother-in-law Chris Hough. The partnership operated for approximately ten years, after which Donald continued in the business on his own. During his time as a builder he constructed a number of buildings in Busselton, such as the Council Chambers, the Busselton Jetty, the Vasse Hotel, the Busselton Hotel and completed the Esplanade Hotel. James Pettit, who was employed by Donald, had acquired the Millbrook property in c. 1900. Although a carpenter, he hoped to establish a farm on the property. When he found himself unable to make the required repayments, he invited Donald to become a part owner with him. Thereafter, it was Donald who made the repayments, finally acquiring the property fully in 1923. Donald left the State briefly to do some work in Melbourne, and on his return in 1921, went to live with his family at Millbrook. The property carried good quality timber which Donald decided to use in his construction business. However, as transport routes were poor, Donald decided to mill the timber on his property. During 1922, Robert and Jack constructed the water wheel. Once the wheel was completed, the Donalds dammed the creek and built a mill race. The race was dug by hand and was approximately 100 metres long. When the mill was running, it was capable of operating a saw and a planing machine. The saw and plane were used to cut and trim the timbers used in the barn’s construction. The two Donald residences were built during the late 1920s. The Donald family used the saw mill to cut and mill wood which they sold locally, as well as for their own building projects.1 The lime kiln was apparently built around the same time to supply lime to local builders. It could apparently process 200 bags of lime per firing. Robert and Jack Donald's last joint building project was the second Caves House, which was completed in 1938. Timbers for the building came from the Donald property, milled on the saw driven by the water wheel. Robert Donald retired to Millbrook and died in 1945. During the period 1938 - 1962, Jack Donald and his wife Ruby concentrated on farming at Millbrook. In the 1970s, the property was aquired by new owners who together with the leaseholders, the Paynes, developed the place as a tourist destination and several new structures were built. In 1982, the Seymour cottages were relocated to the site. (See PN068, PN121 and PN122).

Integrity/Authenticity

High/High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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