Toowoomba Maltings, Industrial heritage site in Newtown, Toowoomba, Australia.
Toowoomba Maltings is a heritage-listed malthouse at 11 Mort Street, Newtown, Toowoomba, built in stages from 1899 to 1907. The complex includes two 1899 painted bluestone kilns of coursed rubble construction, each with two levels and the lower level partly below ground, plus a malt dressing area, two brick kilns, and a brick shed. Large sheds on the eastern and southern sides house the present automated malting plant.
The first malt house was built on the Black Gully site in 1897 for the Darling Downs Malting Company Ltd, designed by J Marks and Son and run by the Redwood family, who urged Downs farmers to grow barley for malting. A second malthouse followed around 1899, and in 1906 additions costing £6,999, designed by Harry Marks, added a new malthouse and kilns; the complex opened on 1 June 1907. The State Wheat Board used it for wheat storage from 1923 to 1930, defence forces occupied it during World War II, and automated malting continues on the site today.
The site carries many names from its successive owners, including Black Gully Malthouse, Redwood's Maltings and Carlton Maltings. The Redwood family, who ran it from 1897, urged Darling Downs farmers to grow and harvest barley for malting, tying the district's crops to the trade.
The buildings feature thick brick walls and ventilation openings designed to manage Queensland's hot climate. Plan to walk between structures that are close together with little shade, especially during midday hours.
Two painted stone kilns from 1899 are partly built below ground level and are the oldest structures remaining at the site. This below-ground design helped control temperature during the drying process.
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