Michael QUEALE
The State Heritage listed 134 year old Onkaparinga Woollen Mill stands as a success story for the rural town of Lobethal, South Australia. The complex of buildings and yards illustrate the growth of the Mill from a small rural enterprise to the largest woollen mill in Australia, whose very brand was a household name across the nation. The Mill closed was in 1991, but a business incubator centre was recently established on the site by Council and the Mill is an economic success story today, with more people working on site than at the time of the Mill's closure.
As Council's Heritage Adviser, I encounter many challenges in the management of the heritage values of the Mill, as only four buildings on the site are State Heritage listed. A conservation management plan is yet to be completed for the site and development decisions are currently based on immediate needs rather than the long term sustainability of the heritage attributes of the place. A master plan for the site is also required, to provide a development framework which relates to the identified heritage values. The pace of adaptation on site has been slow to date due to limited finance, but the site is now generating sufficient income and substantial tenant interest for this to increase in the near future, placing non-registered significant buildings and their setting at risk.
What is the most appropriate way to manage both the heritage values and future adaptation of industrial heritage sites such as the Onkaparinga Woollen Mill? Does the statutory management of the heritage values of the place drive, or hinder future revitalisation? Should we approach the conservation of such sites from a radically different direction, looking for alternative ways in which a heritage focused perspective can facilitate the creative reuse of vacant heritage sites?
This paper will explore these questions and propose an approach to the future management of the Mill in illustration.