Historical information

These photographs were taken of The Advocate newspaper building in 2000, after a resident reported the presence of a beehive inside.

Significance

These photographs capture the condition of the Black Powder Mill during the construction of the new suburb of Cairnlea. In one image, the newly built Parklea Avenue can be seen in the background.

At the time, the mill had been earmarked for demolition by the developer. After sustained lobbying by the City of Brimbank and the Friends of the Black Powder Mill, the structure was ultimately saved.

Today, it stands as the last surviving building of the more than 700 structures that once formed the Albion Explosives Factory, an industrial complex that employed tens of thousands, and remains the only intact gunpowder‑manufacturing building on its original site in Australia.

Physical description

Digital scans of colour negatives

Inscriptions & markings

Powder Mill Building St. Albans 16