BARTON'S MILL PRISON    

Barton's Mill closed when the distance to stands of millable timber (as great as 40km) made the operation uneconomic. Also, the demand for sawn timber was low and Millars diverted supply demands to their other sawmills. On closure, the buildings were sold to settlers and orchardists who dismantled them and carted them away. The houses were simple timber-framed cottages clad in rough sawn weather-boarding with an open front verandah and "settler's chimneys" of timber. Some early dwellings appear to have been slab huts with camp ovens for cooking. Store buildings were timber framed and lined with corrugated iron sheeting. After the commencement of World War Two, a large stockpile of poorly sawn timber remaining  at Barton's Mill was purchased by Douglas Jones, timber merchants of Guildford. After redressing with a thicknesser, this timber was used in the construction of the RAAF huts at Pearce Air Base.

Barton's Mill Prison was established in April 1942, when the Fremantle Prison was occupied by the military authorities during World War Two. A barbed wire fence was set around the perimeter of the compound, tents set up for staff and the male prisoners transferred from Fremantle. Some of the single men's hut from the mill were initially recycled for the prison. Thirteen prisoners escaped on the first night: a stronger perimeter fence was erected and the military agreed to set aside a section of Fremantle Prison for recalcitrant prisoners. The captured escapees and those considered to be of maximum security risk were returned to Fremantle. New timber-framed building were introduced for administration, staff housing, single-bed hut accommodation, and support facilities such as kitchen , latrines and workshops. After the evacuation of Fremantle Prison by the military at the end of World War Two, Batons Mill continued as a prison for "suitable" prisoners of minimum security risk.

VIEW OF DESERTED BARTON'S MILL PRISON   #1

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Activities at Barton's Mill Prison initially centred on firewood cutting for supply to Government facilities, including hospitals and homes. By the mid-1950s, demand for firewood was declining and some prisoners moved into the business of bread making for other Government institutions.

By the late 1960s, prisoners were employed in a number of activities aside from woodcutting and breadmaking, including carpentry and mechanical and building repairs. General improvements were made to the prison facilities, including a new breadhouse, renovations to the prisoners' huts and the establishment of gardens.

In August 1973, committed inebriates began arriving at Barton's Mill Prison and were accommodated in a section of the prison set aside for that purpose. The Inebriates Advisory Board was abolished the following year and its functions and charges were transferred to the Drug and Alcohol Authority's facility at Byford.

  FAMILIES THAT WORKED AT BARTON'S MILL PRISON
 MICK VENABLES & DARRYL OGG       #9

  FAMILIES THAT WORKED AT BARTON'S MILL PRISON
 CASSANDRA & WAYNE OGG       #10

  FAMILIES THAT WORKED AT BARTON'S MILL PRISON
 OLIVE & MICK VENABLES      #11

  FAMILIES THAT WORKED AT BARTON'S MILL PRISON
 MICK & OLIVE VENABLES      #12

Due to declining musters, which made the continued use of Barton's Mill Prison uneconomical, the facility was closed on 31st October 1975. All inmates and staff, aside from a skeleton caretaker staff of three, were transferred to other institutions. The closure was short lived, however, and Barton's Mill Prison re-opened in November 1977 in order to cope with the increasing prison population.

In the early 1980's, existing buildings were upgraded and additional men's quarters, fibreglass workshop and garden sheds constructed. Due to the decline in the need for minimum security accommodation, Barton's Mill Prison was closed on 7th July 1989 and all staff and inmates were transferred to other metropolitan and country minimum security facilities. The site was abandoned and since that time, the entire place has been subject to illegal entry and vandalism.

References:    Article:      Heritage Council of Western Australia

                     Image:     1  Heritage Council of Western Australia
                                    2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8   Kalamunda & District Historical Society
                                    9, 10, 11, 12        Pickering Brook Heritage Group