Crago Mill
Crago Mill is located on Piper Street Bathurst, NSW. Crago Mill is a large red brick building you can easily see as you are driving on Havannah Street. I have driven past the blue sign on the corner of Piper and Havannah street that says “Historic Crago Mill” hundreds of times if not more.
Yesterday 25 October 2021 I finally decided I would go and check this building out, so I drove inside the yard to Crago Mill as the gate was open and there were plenty of car park spaces available. The building looked to be unoccupied for some time, so I took a couple of photos and went home to try and find out some more information on this building as I couldn’t find any plaques or signage about the history of the building on site.
Photo taken from the side of the building. I am guessing the red bricks are the original building and the tin and weatherboard parts are later on extensions.
So I have tried to do a google search of the history of the Crago Mill here in Bathurst and I have not found alot of information. The first bit of information I did find was, the Crago family had a number of mills across NSW. The first article I found was the death of Francis Crago.
The National Advocate Newspaper on Wednesday 4 December 1907.
The front of Crago Mill. The image was taken in the driveway.
Here are some quick facts I have found out about Crago Mill.
Crago Mill is an iconic heritage building in the heart of the Milltown Railway Heritage Precinct.
The Mill opened for business in 1906 as part of the Francis Crago & Sons milling empire.
The Mill closed down in 1954.
The Mill was built by Simmons & Dunkley for Francis Crago and Sons Pty Ltd.
Francis Crago was a prominent business entrepreneur and one time mayor of Bathurst.
Francis Crago legacy in Bathurst includes the Crago Mill, his home on Havannah Street and the magnificent fountain in Machattie Park.
The Mill became headquarters for Southern Mitchell County Council from 1963 to mid 1990s.
The site and building fell into neglect until restoration works began 2010. Winning multiple awards for adaptive re-use in 2015 Bathurst Council/National Trust Bicentenary Awards.
Early 1900s. Bullock train delivering wheat to the mill. Photo from the Crago Mill facebook page.
The Crago Fountain bequeathed by Francis Crago to commemorate his time as Bathurst mayor.
The more I have tried to discover about Crago Mill the more information I have found about Milltown (South Bathurst area) and I think that should deserve it’s own blog post.
I am always amazed by the history of Bathurst, so many places, buildings and things like fountains in the park are all linked together and I enjoy discovering it.