Industry and Manufacturing, Published 28 October 2026
'Trouble at the Mill' – Brisbane’s First Steam-Powered Sawmill
In 1853, William Pettigrew established Brisbane’s first steam-powered sawmill on William Street, introducing a new era of timber production to the growing colonial town. Powered by a 20-horsepower steam engine, the mill helped turn Queensland’s abundant timber into the building materials needed for a developing city. But success came with its share of trouble!
Fire destroyed the mill in 1855, only for Pettigrew to rebuild. Another devastating fire struck in 1874, and once again, the mill rose from the ashes. Then came the floods of 1893 and 1898, which inundated the site and contributed to its decline. After nearly half a century of steam, sawdust and setbacks, the mill’s operations came to an end around 1900. This is the story of the pioneering sawmill that helped build Brisbane and the fires and floods that tested its survival.
Historical disclaimer: To help bring this story to life, we’ve combined computer-generated illustrations, historical photographs and video footage. While every effort has been made to ensure historical accuracy, some images may contain minor inaccuracies or artistic interpretations. This material is presented solely for educational and non-commercial historical storytelling.
Copyright and reuse
We encourage the sharing of history and information, and we support the responsible reuse of our original content.
Written articles. Unless a page says otherwise, our original written content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share, adapt and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you:
- credit “The Dave & Malou Channel” as the source and, where practical, link to the original page;
- link to the licence; and
- indicate any changes you made, without suggesting that we endorse you or your use.
Photographs and other images. Unless a credit or caption says otherwise, photographs and other images on this website, including illustrations, are available under CC BY 4.0 on the same conditions as our written articles. This covers images we created and images supplied by individuals, archives, libraries and families who have given permission for this use. Please check the credit and caption before you reuse an image, because some are not covered:
- Images marked “© The Dave & Malou Channel” must not be reproduced, reused or distributed without our prior written permission.
- For images credited to another person or organisation that are marked © or otherwise reserve their rights, please contact us before reuse so we can help clarify the copyright status and any permission you need. We cannot give permission on behalf of another copyright owner.
- Images labelled “Public Domain” may be used without permission, subject to any legal restrictions and the accuracy of that label.
Video, audio and third-party material. Video and audio are not covered by the licence unless a page says so. Copyright in material supplied by others, such as quotations, extracts and recordings, stays with its owner and is not covered unless we say so. Please contact us before reusing it.
Our name and logo. The name “The Dave & Malou Channel”, our logo and the look of the website are not covered by the licence. Please do not use them in a way that suggests we are connected with, or endorse, you.
Fair dealing. Nothing in our Website Terms limits your right to use material for private study, research, criticism, review, news reporting, or parody and satire, as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
Top