20 years since mill closed, 30 since museum opened

by Janine Hill

A new display will be opened at the Nambour museum to coincide with two important anniversaries.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Moreton Mill closure and 30 years since the formation of the Nambour and District Historical Museum Association.

A new display featuring the pulley wheels from the lift span bridge over the Maroochy River near Dunethin Rock will be opened at a combined celebration at the museum on 14 October. The mechanism was used to lift a span of the bridge so boats could pass under.

The 100-year-old heritage listed bridge which provided a crossing for the cane trains during the Coast’s sugar industry days was destroyed in the February 2022 flood.

Museum president Clive Plater said that wheels from the bridge's lifting mechanism were saved prior to the flood.

“In June 2020 the state government removed the lift span section of the bridge. It was in danger of dropping into the river,” he said.

“The bits and pieces were stored by the state government. We got the option of doing something with them after the flood destroyed the bridge.”

The museum took the six pulley wheels that were used to lift the span and the handrailing from the structure along with some of the timber and has turned the pieces into a display.

Clive said the wheels, which would likely have been made in England over 100 years ago, were in remarkably good condition considering no maintenance had been carried out for 20 years.

“The wheels and their mounting brackets are really heavy so we needed to take them apart to handle them but they all came apart and we put some new grease in there and they’re as good as new,” he said.

Clive hopes that those previously associated with the sugar industry will check out the exhibit and make the most of the chance to have a reunion on 14 October for the first time since the a reunion 10 years after the mill closure. “Hopefully, we’ll get a few of the old cane farmers and mill workers coming in. That’s what happened 10 years ago. There’s still a few around,” he said.

Sunshine Brass will be providing musical entertainment during the day.