Spotlight on:
Sydney's first skyscraper 

OK, we admit that the question “Who built Australia’s first windmill?” may not have ever crossed your mind, but in case it has Irish Wattle has the answer!

The building of the first windmill caused quite a sensation among the colonists, but whether this was because it was Sydney’s first skyscaper, or because its canvas sails proved perpetually tempting to thieves is not known.

And its builder was an Irish convict no less.

John Davis was from County Monaghan, a horse thief by trade and a vagabond when business was slow. He was sentenced to transportation for life and arrived in Sydney in 1796 aboard the Marquis Cornwallis.

David Collins labelled him “rough and uncouth”; Governor Hunter called him “ingenious”. As contradictory as these statements are, they serve as a representation of Davis’s colonial life. His story is bittersweet, for the very accomplishment that achieved him fame in the colony is the same one that crippled him for life.

At the time of Davis’ arrival the stock of provisions for the colony was still very low and the outlook pretty grim. For the burgeoning community to feed and renew itself, certain infrastructural works were desperately needed. One such was a windmill to grind the wheat, maize and barley.

Davis put up his hand for the job, starting work in May 1796 and completing it in February 1797. The spot chosen was “on the summit of ground which forms the western side of the cove.” Today the green-domed roof of the Sydney Observatory stands in its place, a position that was considered to be “quite out of town.”

The mill consisted of a small stone tower with five canvas sails. It could grind a bushel of wheat in 10 minutes, the cost of which was so enormous, remarked Governor Hunter, that people had to pay “half their grain to get the other half ground.” The little mill would rattle and clutter as it performed its duty, and new arrivals would remark on the pleasantness of the sound.

Within three months of its completion, disaster struck. On 27 April, a severe storm hit Sydney, and the heavy winds that accompanied it set the sails in such a forceful motion that one of the running stones was smashed to pieces, one of which so severely wounded Davis that his life was despaired of. He survived, but while the mill itself was working again within days the damage to Davis was permanent. His ability to fend for himself was all but shattered. 

Perhaps a small consolation was the esteem in which he was held by Governor Hunter, who wrote in a London dispatch that Davis “has finished a very good mill. I gave him £25 as encouragement."

Davis’s mill was in use until 1806, and although two more were built not long after his, it is a testament to Davis’s skill that his was standing long after the others had collapsed. Davis died in 1813, aged 68 and still listed as a prisoner, but his legacy continued to be seen in drawings of Sydney until 1842. 

The complete biography of John Davis appears in
A Desperate Set of Villains by Barbara Hall


News and views

Event Sydney people and places: The spread of settlement in the Cumberland Plain in the early 19th century

Presented by State Library of New South Wales

An illustrated talk and viewing of original letters, journals and pictorial works of the Sydney district, with Elizabeth Ellis OAM, Emeritus Curator, Mitchell Library.

When 13 October 2009, 12.30-1.30pm

Where Dixson Room, Mitchell Library Sydney

Contact the State Library of New South Wales for more information.

Event Curiosities of the Cottage Tours

Presented by Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

The Private Secretary's Cottage is one of the hidden treasures of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Built in approximately 1813 it could tell a myriad of stories about Tasmanian history. In 1828-29 it was converted from a stable into a cottage to house the Governor's private secretary.

George Burrows, an expert in colonial furniture and heritage buildings will lead the tours and give visitors a unique insight into the treasures found within.

When 18 October 2009, 11am-12.30pm

Where Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Hobart

Contact the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery for more information. 

Event History Publication Sponsorship Program

Presented by City of Sydney

The History Publication Sponsorship Program, run by the City of Sydney, assists with the costs of publications that are considered relevant to the ongoing research into and recording of the history of the City of Sydney.

Applications will be accepted for grant requests up to $15,000.

When Open year-round

Contact the City of Sydney for more information.

Spread the word

We often put genealogists in touch with others who are researching the same ancestor. So we thought we'd make this a regular part of our newsletter! If you'd like to know if anyone else is researching your ancestor transported from Ireland between 1791 and 1806, please contact us and we'll include your details in our next issue so people can contact you.

Similarly, if you have an event coming up related to convict history, or a recent publication you would like to let people know about, please contact us with the details and we'll include it in our November newsletter.