Chevaliers Mill

The mill was built by Louis CHEVALIER at the head of the Newtown Falls on Spring Creek in 1855 and initially acted as a sawmill until it added flour milling equipment at a later stage. The Chevalier flour mill included French burr millstones. 'Newtown Flour Mills' was purchased by Graham and Wilson c1868 at which stage steam power was being introduced to the mill and then by John Burrows in 1875.

In 1880 a tunnel was built under the town diverting the water away from the mill and the mill closed in the 1880's, its large wheel constantly under the sludge from gold mining activities upstream. By that time it was being powered by steam. The mill was sold in 1890. The wheel was sold to the Harrietville Deep Lead Mining Company.

 

The tail race, or channel is visible below the bridge and measures 2.4 metres deep by 410 metres long. It was cut through solid granite over a two year period in the late 1860's enabling the area upstream to be sluiced for gold.

 

 

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