distilleries

Bundaberg Distillery fire turned the Burnett into a river of rum BY MICK ROBERTS DURING a fierce electrical storm in 1936 a lightning bolt sparked a fire that completely destroyed Queensland’s famous Bundaberg rum distillery. Half a million gallons of rum and 100,000 gallons of methylated spirits (a by-product of rum) stood in the storage sheds. From the shattered casks and the split tanks “poured flaming streams of blazing spirit” as the fire put on a spectacular, but the disastrous display for the people of Bundaberg. Leslie F. Hannon wrote in a Sydney Morning Herald story on Saturday, September 21, 1946 that the spirit burned with a fierce blue flame, flowing into the nearby Burnett River. The following day after the fire the fish in the Burnett River was reportedly drunk on proof rum! “From 200lb gropers out of the holes under the railway bridge to inch-long sprats from the gravel shallows, the fish floated on the river, some turning over and over slowly, but most just floating,” Hannon wrote. “Every serviceable boat for miles around was pressed into service, and fish was on every table in the district.” FISH WERE DRUNK IN RUM RIVER… rum river THE people of Bundaberg (Qld) still tell the story of when the Burnett became literally a river of rum. On Saturday night, November 21, 1936, a fierce electrical storm broke over the district. Jagged lightning darted through the wild, cloudy sky. The rising land from the river-bank, known in the district as Magnetic Hill, had always been an attraction for lightning, and on this night a great bolt flashed down, touching the distillery with its finger of fire. Within a space of minutes, the buildings were blazing. Half a million gallons of rum and 100,000 gallons of methylated spirits [a by-product of rum] stood in the storage sheds. Fire-fighting bands raced to the distillery, leaving their Saturday night entertainments. But it was too late. Loud explosions began to ring the eardrums of the watchers, and from the shattered casks and the split tanks poured flaming streams of blazing spirit. It was a great sight. The spirit burned with a fierce blue flame and a searing heat. Down the banks and into the Burnett it flowed. While the spirit burned, the whole river from bank to bank was covered by a low curtain of flickering blue flame. The next day was a Sunday that will never be forgotten in Bundaberg. Source: timegents.com/2019/01/13/bundaberg-distillery-fire/

Bundaberg Rum is a dark rum produced in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, by the Bundaberg Distilling Company. It is often referred to as "Bundy". In 2010, the Bundaberg Distilling Company was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. Bundaberg Rum originated because the local sugar mills had a problem with what to do with the waste molasses after the sugar was extracted (it was heavy, difficult to transport and the costs of converting it to stock feed were rarely worth the effort). Sugar men first began to think of the profits that could be made from distilling. The vital meeting was held at the Royal Hotel on 1 August 1885, W M C Hickson served as the chairman, and other notables in attendance included all the big sugar mill owners of that time, W G Farquhar, F L Nott, T Austin, J Gale, S McDougall, T Penny, S H Bravo and A H Young, all to become the first directors of the Company. They started with a capital of £5,000. The Bundaberg Distilling Company began its operations in 1888. Bundaberg rum was first produced in 1889. Production ceased from 1907 to 1914 and from 1936 to 1939 after fires, the second of which caused rum from the factory to spill into the nearby Burnett River. Christsen Pty Ltd operated their own Bundaberg Rum bottling plant in Bourbong Street, Bundaberg at the rear of their large grocery and hardware business in the centre of town. The spirit was sold at UP and OP strength from their business. Spokesperson for the original family, Mr Rod Patch, recalls the origins of the shape of the current "Bundy Bottle". It originated from the Bushells Coffee Chicory bottle that Bundaberg residents sold to his grandfather at the firm for one penny a bottle, after which they were washed and filled with the spirit. The shape remains the same but the capacity has been increased to the current 700ml. Patch's great grandfather, Hans Truval Christensen, a Danish immigrant from Copenhagen and his son Frederick Christsen had an employment policy of employing staff from the Salvation Army faith in the rum bottling process as they were less likely to be tempted to sample the spirit. The Christsen family supported settlement farming families through hard times and these good deeds were acknowledged with the naming of Christsen Park at Bargara Beach. Source: kids.kiddle.co/Bundaberg_Rum

In the early evening of 21 November 1936 the Bundaberg Rum Distillery was struck by lightning. The resulting explosion caused a raging inferno within minutes, as the contents of the rum vats fed the flames. There were 63 vats of rum and spirits each containing 10,000 gallons.[1] This spectacular fire drew a large crowd of spectators and police cordoned off the area due to the intense heat. The glow from the flames could be seen as far away as Childers and Gin Gin. By midnight the flames were brought under control but the building itself was in ruins. The damage was estimated to have been approximately £200,000. No deaths or injuries were reported. The fire also had a devastating effect on the wildlife in the adjacent Burnett River with thousands of dead fish washed up on the river bank including sharks, cod, salmon and barramundi.[2] The general manager of the distillery, which was owned by the Millaquin Sugar Company stated it was "one of the biggest fires in the history of the State".[3] Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Bundaberg_distillery_fire