Carmichael

Sawmilling at D’Aguilar 1912 to 1936

From Woodford Historical Society, Old days old ways : The people of Durundur/Woodford, 

by Peter Carmichael

The Carmichael name came to the D’Aguilar district in 1912 when Archie, James and Charles Carmichael built a sawmill on 32 acres of land directly opposite the railway station The steam driven mill was quite large, by country standards, with up 72 workers from the D’Aguilar district employed. The opening of the Caboolture-Woodford branch line in 1909 enabled the mill to transport timber to the Carmichael sawmill [in Brisbane] on the south bank of the Brisbane River between the Victoria and Grey Street bridges.

Hardwoods, pines and cabinet timbers (particularly cedar) were milled with the majority of those logs coming from Portion V, a property owned by the mill on Mount Delaney. Such was the supply of cedar that children from the district would go to the mill and be given off-cuts from which they built their go-carts.

The depression and cutting out of the pine led to the closure of the mill in 1936. The last order filled by the mill was for cross arms which were used by the City Electric Light in the extension of the power supply to the Somerset Dam. The mill remained idle until the mid forties when it was sold for removal to Hancock and Gore (sawmillers from Ipswich). During the 10 or so years it became one of the great big wonderful playgrounds for the D’Aguilar children.