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Coogee Limestone Kilns
TBC
Lake Clifton Lime Kilns
Mining engineer John Henry Johnson acquired a lease on Crown Land in April 1916 and as part of this lease, a railway line was to be constructed between Waroona and what would become the Lake Clifton site, within a period of two years.
Subsequently, the WA Portland Cement Company became established in November 1918, first with their cement manufacturing plant in Belmont (now Rivervale) and then the Lake Clifton operations. The aim was to produce Portland cement locally, instead of relying on imports from the eastern states. To do that, they needed a steady supply of lime-rich material and Lake Clifton looked promising because the lake contained large deposits of marl.
What is Portland cement
Portland cement is basically the glue that holds modern concrete together. It’s made by heating a mix of limestone (which turns into lime) and clay or shale, which provides the other minerals needed, in a kiln at very high temperatures until it forms hard lumps called clinker. The clinker is then ground into a fine powder, which is the cement.
When you mix it with water, it reacts and hardens, binding sand and gravel into concrete, which is why it’s used in pretty much everything, from footpaths to high-rise buildings.
The key to making it properly is getting the balance of materials right. Too much or too little of certain components and the cement won’t properly bind, which is why consistent raw materials matter. In theory, something like marl, which already contains both lime and clay, could simplify the process. In reality, if that material isn’t consistent, it becomes more trouble than it’s worth.
A bag of Portland cement
Marshall Waller Clifton
Lake Clifton is located between Mandurah and Bunbury, at the northern end of Yalgorup National Park. The town is named after Marshall Clifton, an English civil servant, coloniser and politician. He migrated to Western Australia in March 1841 as the Chief Commissioner of the Western Australian Land Company, settling in Australind.
The Western Australian Land Company was established in London in 1840 to promote a large land settlement scheme in the colony. Clifton was appointed Chief Commissioner, with his son Robert acting as secretary. Australind was chosen as the site to help establish trade between England and Australia, its name being formed from a blend of Australia and India.
The name can easily be confused with the West Australian Land Company, which was set up in London much later in 1885. What it was actually established for, isn’t completely clear. Some sources say it was formed to build a railway line from Albany to the Government railway terminus at Beverley. Others say it took over an existing contract to construct the Beverley to Albany Railway under a land grant deal approved by the Western Australian Government the year before. It was also intended to build and manage various public works and infrastructure across the colony. The company ceased to exist in 1898.
Marshall Waller Clifton
Mining marl
Marl is a soft, lime-rich sediment made up of shell fragments, sand and clay. Unlike hard limestone, it sits under the lake as a wet, fine material. Instead of quarrying rock, it was dredged using a pipe system extending out into the lake, with the outer end supported by a floating barge.
The material was lifted from the lakebed as a slurry and pumped back to shore, where it was deposited into large drying paddocks. The water was drained off and the material left to dry, before being used or transported. There is still evidence of the pipe system, a pumping area and the drying paddocks today.
This setup was very different to places like Carabooda, where solid limestone was quarried, stacked and fired in simple kilns. At Lake Clifton, everything was more complicated because the material was wet and inconsistent, which meant it had to be pumped, dried and handled carefully, before it could even be used.
Transporting the material
Material was taken away by truck until 1921, when a railway line was built from Lake Clifton to Waroona, about 27 kilometres away. It connected to the South Western Railway. From there, the material was transported north to the cement works at Burswood.
The railway was constructed before the kiln, so material could be moved straight away, before any onsite processing was possible.
Installing the kiln
In 1922, a rotary kiln was installed at Lake Clifton. It was a long rotating steel cylinder, supported on rollers and fired from one end. Based on the remaining foundations, it was about 20 metres long. The idea was to process the marl onsite before sending it off, rather than transporting raw material.
Locomotive on the Lake Clifton-Waroona rail line in 1923
Early issues
The whole operation depended on the quality of the marl. Early testing of the material and subsequent dredging, focused on material near the shoreline, which appeared to have been an adequate quality. As the operation expanded, dredging went deeper into the lake.
Problems began surfacing when the marl was found to contain too much clay and impurities, which made it unsuitable for cement production.
An early analysis by Charles Oscar George Larcombe (B.Sc), Geology lecturer at the Kalgoorlie School of Mines with a background in geological survey work, was published in a report outlining his findings. He found that the lake contained millions of tons of lime, made up of 87% carbonate and roughly 8% organic matter. The potential wasn’t just for cement production, it also meant lime could be supplied to agricultural users.
Larcombe wasn’t just an academic. He had spent years working in geological surveys and was known for applying geology to practical mining and industrial problems. His work was widely recognised, earning research awards and even contributing to government inquiries, which adds weight to his assessment of the Lake Clifton deposits.
A Royal Commission had been set up in 1918 to examine whether Western Australia’s rapid push into wheat farming had gone too far, and whether land released for settlement was suitable in the first place. Large areas had been opened up quickly, often before they were properly proven, and by 1918 the cracks were showing, with poor soils, inconsistent yields and farms struggling to remain viable.
The push to settle returned soldiers after World War I only added pressure, forcing land allocation despite ongoing doubts about its suitability. These issues were compounded by variable rainfall, isolation, transport limitations, high costs, debt and limited infrastructure. The Lake Clifton lime works was seen as a potential way to improve soil conditions through a local supply of lime.
The kiln didn’t run for long either and the operation shut down in September 1923.
Vacating the site
It was pointless to continue, so everything of value was stripped out. Machinery and equipment were taken offsite and the kiln removed. The government bought the railway line from the WA Portland Cement Company in May 1922. By May 1924, it had already begun to be dismantled, with materials removed for reuse, partly used to construct the Lake Grace to Newdegate line. The Waroona–Lake Clifton Railway Act 1924, passed later that year, effectively formalised the closure and disposal of the line.
With the removal of the line, food and supplies weren’t able to reach the Lake Clifton township quick enough, leaving the community unable to continue living in such an isolated area. The cost of the rail line, including pulling it up, was quoted as £62,000. This came on top of an existing £7,516 loss, factoring in the working expenses, interest and earnings associated with the rail line.
An inquiry followed the removal of the railway in 1924, examining whether the line built for the Lake Clifton lime and cement works should have been built at all and whether it was a waste of public money. A previous Royal Commission had been established in 1922 to inquiry why construction of the railway had been approved.
A bill was passed on 31 December 1924, cited as the Waroona-Lake Clifton Railway Act 1924, which authorised the discontinuance of the railway and the removal of its materials for reuse elsewhere.
Today, the kin’s steel shell is also gone. What remains are the brick structures and concrete footings that once supported it.
Liquidating the company
The WA Portland Cement Company went into voluntary liquidation, following a meeting held at its head office in Sydney in January 1927. The decision was driven by heavy debt from its operations at Lake Clifton, which made it impossible to continue. The company was wound up.
Despite this, the cement itself was considered to be of good quality and was in strong demand across Western Australia.
It was understood that a new company would be formed to take over the viable parts of the business with fresh capital, allowing operations to continue at the Burswood works. Clay was sourced from a pit located on the riverbank, while lime and some clay was sourced from Bullsbrook, Cannington and Armadale. Limestone from Fremantle was also used to supplement the shells.
While the new entity started without the old debts, those liabilities were dealt with through the liquidation of the original company, with assets sold to repay creditors as far as possible.
Workers campsite
Lake Clifton didn’t have a proper town, just a temporary works camp. Workers lived onsite, in basic accommodation and even in tents, during the early stages. The town was originally gazetted as Leschenault in March 1921 but the name was seen as too confusing, due to its connection with Bunbury. It was subsequently changed in April 1922 to Garbanup but the Government railway complained that it sounded too much like Dardanup. In February 1923, it was changed to Lake Clifton.
In theory, marl could simplify the process by combining both components into a single material, instead of blending separate sources. That only works if the material is consistent, which at Lake Clifton it wasn’t.
Thomrobolites
The lake is now better known for its thrombolites, rare living microbial structures that build up calcium carbonate over long periods of time. Unlike the more commonly known stromatolites, these form as clotted masses rather than layered structures and are among the largest known examples in the Southern Hemisphere. They rely on stable, low-energy conditions, including clear, slightly saline water, with calcium carbonate supplied in part by groundwater moving through the lakebed.
Dredging disturbed the sediments, increasing suspended material in the water and reducing clarity, which directly affected the conditions these structures rely on. Growth is extremely slow, meaning any disturbance can take years, if not decades, to recover. If the lime operation had continued long-term, the impact on the lake would have been far greater.
An observation walkway has since been installed to allow visitors to view them without causing further damage.
The lake also supports a range of birdlife, including swans, pelicans and other waterbirds.
Lake Clifton today
The original 'town' was just a temporary works camp, tied to the lime operation. When that shut down and the railway went, the settlement collapsed. The Lake Clifton area remained with rural properties, hobby farms and small-scale residential development.
The area was first established in 1852 when European settler John Fouracre built a house. Two years later, he set up a roadside inn where travellers could rest, eat and change horses before continuing their journey, with a changing station for repairs and equipment checks.
Yalgorup National Park was established in the 1970s to protect the chain of coastal lakes, surrounding wetlands and tuart woodland. The area also forms part of an important waterbird migration corridor.
By 2021, Lake Clifton had a population of 759. Today it functions as a small rural locality, with basic accommodation, limited local services and a community hall. A couple of roadhouses along Old Coast Road cater to passing traffic, while low-density residential development has gradually expanded, including at Tuart Grove.
Yanchep Lime Kilns
The Yanchep Lime Kilns in Carabooda is located in an area known for its limestone. Some sources state that there were 20 different lime kilns in the City of Wanneroo area, with others stating up to 30, which says a lot about the abundance of limestone and how strong the demand was for lime at the time.
When limestone is heated, it turns into lime, which was a key ingredient in mortar, plaster and whitewash, all needed for construction before modern cement took over.
Why they were built
While a lot of lime kilns in the area date back to the early 1900s, the Carabooda kilns were built in 1939 until about 1970, operated the Yanchep Lime Company.
Josip “Joe” Hribar migrated from Zerovnica in Yugoslavia in 1930 and was living in Wanneroo in 1937, when he applied for naturalisation. Working the kins relied on a small workforce, many of whom were from the same region as him.
It’s possible the kilns began as a partnership with Alojzij Znidarsic but by January 1943, that partnership had fallen apart. Hribar bought him out and continued running the operation himself. Interestingly, neither of them lived near the kilns by that time, with Hribar residing at 80 Lake Street and Znidarsic at 123 Aberdeen Street in Perth.
Josip Hribar
Hribar, born in 1903, worked at the Balcatta lime kiln in the mid-1930s with his family. Between 1937 and 1939, he leased land from Thomas Gibbs at what was known as the 28 Mile Peg on Wanneroo Road, to establish what would become the Yanchep Lime Company. It was a smart spot to set up at, with multiple limestone sources nearby. There were three quarries feeding the kilns, one behind them on the ridge, one about 50 metres to the east and another to the north, which was considered the best. The limestone in the area was mainly capstone, which produced high-quality lime, so the location made the business viable, right from the start.
The lime kiln business was clearly a financial success for Hribar who by 1946, owned a house in Aberdeen Street but not without drama. The place was being used to run a boarding house by the Carich family, who refused to move out when Hribar wanted to return, arguing the alternative property he’d offered them on Broome Street, was too small for their business. It ended up in a bit of a standoff.
In 1951, Mr and Mrs Hribar attended an auction in Floreat Park and succesfully bid £850 to purchase a corner block on Brookdale Street and Berkeley Crescent.
Alojzij Znidarsic
Znidarsic, also from Yugoslavia, had been in Australia since 1928 and applied for naturalisation in 1940. At the time, he was living in Wanneroo at an address listed as 20-Mile. Like Hribar, he was part of that wave of migrant workers who got into industries like lime production, where there was a steady demand and relatively low barriers to entry.
Making lime
The process itself was pretty straightforward but hard work. Limestone was stacked into the kiln with timber, then fired at high temperatures. The process, called calcination, breaks the stone down into quicklime.
Once it cooled, the lime was collected, bagged and sent off for use in construction. It was hot, dirty, labour intense work but it filled a real need at the time.
Why they didn’t last
In 1968, the operation appears to have been rebranded as Yanchep Lime and Ready Lime Putty under the Menchetti company, possibly as part of a merger or takeover. The Menchetti family, who migrated to Wanneroo in the 1920s, had been involved in a number of other lime kilns in the area since 1930 and would do so until 1985.
But by that point, improved transport and large-scale industrial production made it cheaper to produce lime and cement elsewhere and bring it in.
Within a few decades of their establishment, the Carabooda kilns were made redundant and abandoned.
What’s left today
What’s left now is pretty fragile. The structures are low, crumbling and partially collapsed. Some areas have been fenced off, mainly to stop vandalism and people stripping bits off, to sell or keep. That kind of thing makes documenting the site more important, especially getting close-up detail before more of it disappears.
They will never be restored, particularly as there’s not enough interest in them, and no real financial return in it. Most people don’t even know they are there, possibly why the structures still exist in some form today.
October 2020
