History enthusiasts will be able to take a step back in time at a Dunkeld sawmill this weekend.
End of Summer Sale on now!
or signup to continue reading
The Fitzpatrick Sawmill was built on Crown land in the 1940s and was operational until 2000. It will be open to the public on Sunday.
The Dunkeld Public Land committee wanted the mill to be preserved for future generations and gained a government grant to secure the building.
President John Smith said sawmills were a part of history but “had become a thing of the past”. “There’s very few sawmills left,” Mr Smith said. “They’ve either been burnt out, closed or are derelict.”
He said the mill was Dunkeld’s largest employer for many years and was closed to make way for the national park. A public meeting was held to decide its future and it was later restored by a group of residents.
He said the open day would include a working steam engine, timber and slab cutting demonstrations, auto logging and swing saw displays and ‘chainsaw chick’ Angie Polglaze would carve a sculpture out of wood as part of the day’s activities.
The open day is on from 10am-4pm, Macarthur Street, Dunkeld.
