Warribanno Smelter Complex Ruin

Author

National Trust of Western Australia

Place Number

01900

Location

Warribanno Chimney Rd Northampton

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Warribanno Chimney

Local Government

Northampton

Region

Midwest

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
Heritage List Adopted 15 May 2020
State Register Registered 13 Dec 1996 HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Classified by the National Trust Classified 11 Jun 1973
Register of the National Estate Permanent 21 Mar 1978
Classified by the National Trust Classified {Lscpe}
Municipal Inventory Adopted 19 Apr 1996 Category 1A

Physical Description

About 5 km from the Geraldine Mine. Built here because of availability of wood and on road from mine to Port Gregory. Height of chimney (originally) 105 f. Made of brick & stone. The system employed was to puid the chimney on the peak of the hill and then bore a hole through the hill itself with a right angled turn near the bottom of the hill where the rail track ended. The lead ore and brushwood was fed into the top and aided by the forced draft through the bottom produced enough heat to melt the galena, the piglead then flowed to the bottom and, on cooling, was loaded onto the rail trucks. The heat generated can be evidenced by the melted fire bricks which can be seen on the site. It has been claimed to be the first smelter in Western Australia.

History

Assessment 1973 Construction 1853 Builder: F. W. Pearson

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
1657 Warribanno Lead Smelter Complex: conservation plan. Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} 1995
6322 The technology of colonial ore processing in Western Australia : the Warribanno Lead Smelter. Journal article 1997
1693 Final report CIP grant 95/96 Chiverton House/Warribanno Report 1996

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use VACANT\UNUSED Vacant\Unused
Original Use INDUSTRIAL\MANUFACTURING Refinery or Smelter

Architectural Styles

Style
Other Style

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall STONE Local Stone
Wall BRICK Common Brick

Historic Themes

General Specific
OCCUPATIONS Mining {incl. mineral processing}
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Resource exploitation & depletion
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Exploration & surveying

Creation Date

30 May 1989

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

24 Nov 2025

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.