Wundowie Foundry - Administration Office

Statement of Significance

The Wundowie Foundry Administration Building has aesthetic significance as a fine example of post-war architecture. It has historical significance, being a central feature of the Wundowie complex, which has played a major role in the economy of the Northam region since the plant was commissioned in 1948.

Physical Description

The administration building for the Wundowie Foundry is one of the original buildings in the complex. It is a symmetrical structure, with the door centrally set, two windows on either side and a central verandah, covering half the front elevation. From the front elevation the building appears rectangular. Additions at the back include a kitchen, toilets and storage space. The walls are half timber and half fibro. The timber for the walls and flooring was originally milled at the Wundowie Mill.

History

The Wundowie Charcoal Iron Industry was commissioned in 1948 although building commenced in 1943. The site was chosen by the State Government because of a local occurrence of commercial quantities of limonitic ore, the heavily timbered but low quality forest in the area and the close proximity to the Goldfields water supply line and the East-West railway line. The original plant consisted of a sawmill, a charcoal manufacturing facility, a blast furnace to smelt the iron ore and a refinery to recover by-products from charcoal manufacture. The town, with all amenities to support the operation, was also established. 166 The limonite ore was not satisfactory and a high grade haematite ore was imported from Koolyanobbing in the Yilgarn. Construction and operating labour was heavily supplemented by post-war European migration schemes. The production of high grade pig iron grew rapidly and in the 1950s Wundowie supplied Australian needs as well as exporting the iron which was valued because of its quality. The plant could not meet the demand and was expanded in 1955 by the addition of a second blast furnace and associated support facilities. The plant employed over 400 people and the population of the town grew to over 1100. New technologies made inroads into the export trade and a foundry was established to make castings on a large scale, using the available molten iron. However, losses led the Government of the day to make a number of attempts to sell the industry to private enterprise. In 1974 Agnew Clough Limited took over the plant. It was forced to close the distillation refinery and Government controls for forest conservation later led to the closure of the sawmill. It was clear a change of direction was required and by 1980 Agnew Clough had built a vanadium pent-oxide plant, producing a readily marketed product. However, an overseas price dip, together with major production problems, led to the closure of the plant in 1982. Agnew Clough was investigating a project to produce silicon metal. Silicon required new electrically powered furnaces and fitted in admirably, using the existing charcoal producing facilities hitherto required for pig iron. By the time the project was ready for implementation, Sir Garrick Agnew, who had remained dedicated to establishing the plant at Wundowie, died expectantly, and the silicon project was sold. The new owners chose to establish a completely new plant at Kemerton, near Bunbury. By 1982, all that remained of the Wundowie operation was the foundry plant. The Foundry was purchased by the Clough Group in 1990 and upgraded to operate as Wundowie Foundry Pty Ltd. This modern facility has retained the original office as its Administration Centre.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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