Nangwarry & Forsetry History
The town name Nangwarry originated from the Aboriginal words "ngrang ware" meaning path to the cave.
It was first used as the name of a nearby homestead, "The Hundred of Nangwarry". Early history shows that the "Hundred of Nangwarry" 1849 was farming land, predominately running stock such as horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. It also included some land under orchards and some producing tobacco.
In 1938 approval was granted by Parliament to the South Australian Woods and Forest Department for the erection of a new Mill in the Penola Forest area (now known as Nangwarry). The primary reason for establishing this Mill was to produce seasoned board from 15-year-old thinnings to meet the high market demand.
By the end of 1939 another Mill and Power Plant was built onsite which meant that instead of using diesel or steam driven equipment the Mill would generate its own electricity to power the machinery.
The Nangwarry Mill was plagued by chronic labour shortages over the next 15 years due to World War II and accommodation problems. During the war years the Woods & Forests Mills were major contributors to the munitions program by producing cases for explosives and munitions.
After the War ended, many displaced Europeans who fled their own countries came to Australia and were employed under two-year Government contracts in essential services - one of which was the timber industry.
In 1944 an attempt was made for the settlement of Nangwarry to be proclaimed a town, however, this failed but in 1970 when the South Australian Woods and Forests Department handed the settlement area to the South Australian Housing Trust, the move towards township status began again. Nangwarry was officially proclaimed a town on October 17th, 1974.
From the late 1950s improvements in Mill equipment and plant continued to increase the quality of timber products produced. In 1975, Nangwarry Mill became the largest producer of framing timbers in Australia.
In the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983, about a quarter of the Departments South East forest plantations were burnt. For the next six years Nangwarry and the other Mills were used to process the scorched logs which were stored under sprinklers or in Lake Bonney.
On the 13th December 2018 the Nangwarry Timber Mill formally closed due to the site losing money with no future orders coming in for the engineered wood product.
Nangwarry Forestry & Logging Museum
The museum collection includes old logging machinery, including the first ever Log harvester in the south-east of South Australia, old swing saws, an original log truck built on an American exwar vehicle (1947) as used in the SE until the 1970s. Visitors can see a reconstructed accommodation (single man quarters) hut as used by post-war refugees who were given work in the local Mill. There are albums of photos and documents to browse of old mills and their employees that give an insight into the culture of the times.