Heritage flour mill razed in state’s South East
A 19th-century flour mill has been demolished in the state’s South East to make way for a major commercial precinct. See the video as the walls crumble.
The local heritage-listed façade of former Mount Gambier Roller Flour Mill was officially demolished on Saturday afternoon to make way for a multi-million-dollar accommodation, retail and commercial development.
Its demolition followed growing opposition from locals in recent months for the development, with groups petitioning to have the historic wall retained and restored.
But developer Mossop Construction estimated it would cost $2.2 million to preserve and repair the wall compared to $118,000 to knock down it after assessments determined the structure was unsafe. The developer lodged an application to knock the walls down which was approved by the Limestone Coast Southern Regional Assessment Panel in March.
Following the approval, the Mount Gambier Council said in a statement it “does not oversee, review or have control of the determinations made by the Regional Assessment Panel”.
“These are the legislated measures put in place by the South Australian state government to allow for the consistent application of development across our state, and [the] council respects these processes,” the statement said.
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Mount Gambier History Group president Megan McKenzie had been advocating to halt the development since January, saying she was “very disappointed” when watching the 140-year-old wall come down.
“We were not concerned at the beginning of the development, in fact, we were quite looking forward to a good development on that property, which had been vacant for some time,” McKenzie said.
But after learning that the local heritage-listed façade would be removed after developer Mossop Construction lodged its application, McKenzie pushed to save the building.
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A petition to stop the Mount Gambier Flour Mill’s demolition was launched by David Terrazas in January and supported by the Mount Gambier History Group.
“Financially, of course, it was impossible for a small business group to be able to challenge the demolition order through courts or anything like that,” McKenzie said.
“You see heritage buildings retained all over the world, and it’s just part of looking around and seeing what the place was like many years ago.
“I think Mount Gambier might have to look at getting their old buildings state heritage-listed rather than just leaving them as local heritage-listed.”
Located at 2 Sturt Street, the Mount Gambier Flour Mill was built in 1885 by Thomas Henry Williams as a grain growing and processing facility for the state’s south-east.
The site was more recently a Mitre 10 store but had been vacant since 2023.
Mossop Construction released public plans for a four-storey development on the site in 2024, which would include an 82-room Quest Apartments hotel, townhouses and a central public plaza with a mix of retail and hospitality.
The hotel is also expected to feature reception and lobby, gym, conference and meeting rooms, business lounge, guest amenities and 65 on-site car parking spaces.
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