Redbank Meatworks and Woollen Mill

In 1857 Campbell and Towns opened a boiling down works as part of their industrial estate at Redbank. The partnership terminated in a law suit and Towns became the sole owner. On his death the property was purchased in 1880 by William Kellett who, after unsuccessfully attempting to open a colliery, in 1897 built a chilled meat works providing packing and storage facilities for 200 quarters of chilled meat, meat for local consumption, hide salting and the production of meat extract. There was an ammonia cooling plant, digesting and refining vats and a Evans Anderson and Co. power station.

In 1900 John Cook and Co. bought and enlarged the complex making it a freezing works capable of processing 160 bullocks and 2000 sheep per day. The freezing block was 280 x 136 feet and contained two floors 10 feet and 8 feet respectively in height. There were two 120 ton Hercules freezing machines, steam driven by two 100 HP Alis engines, the slaughter house was 60 x 100 feet, and the mutton slaughter house 130 x 26 feet. There was also a tallow shed, preserving rooms and extract rooms. In 1912 a branch railway line was constructed to the Redbank Freezing Works later being used by Morris Woollen Mills and the Commonwealth. The meat works were later brought out by W. Angliss and Son. At its peak the plant processed 320 cattle and 1000 sheep per day with production peaking around 1910 and declining until 1931 when Redbank Meat Works Pty Ltd agreed to transfer killing at Redbank to the Brisbane Abattoir to guarantee continuity of work at this establishment.

In 1934 John Morris from the Ipswich Woollen Mill at East Ipswich purchased the site and with his son Ivor, converted it to a woollen mill. The mill started with domestic production but during World War 2 the mill operated round the clock producing military requirements (blankets and uniform materials). After the war it returned to normal production of fashion goods for trade, womens dress and mens suit materials, angora speciality yards and worsted yards for knitting with 50% domestic and 50% export. Flooding of market with cheaper textiles in the early 1970s caused a drop in production and the workforce. In 1980 Morris Woollen Mills merged with Primac Holding Ltd. The mill closed in 1981 when the weaving and dyeing facilities were removed but Primac continued the wool scouring operations. This was purchased by A. & E. Patchett from Bradford England who processed 25,000 kg wool per week but in 1988 they sold the wool scour operation to Sunrock Wool Pty Ltd. Sunrock installed gas fired heating to process 40,000 kg of wool per week but market changes, antiquity of plant, labour problems and environmental concerns forced closure in August 1990.