Selkirk Ballarat

Selkirk Bricks Ballarat

Scottish immigrant Robert Selkirk arrived in Australia in 1854. His son, also Robert, began making bricks by hand in 1883, using a square kiln (possibly a 'Scotch clamp') at the De Murza paddock in Allendale. Ballarat was in the throws of a building boom as a result of the wealth created by the gold rush. He installed his first brick-making machinery in 1892 and by 1900 had moved the works to to Heinz's paddock on  Howitt St Ballarat where the manufacturing works and head office remains. By 1905 the first continuous kiln was introduced, enabling Selkirk to produce six million bricks per year.

The Selkirk brickworks ceased production during World War Two (1943-5) and the existing Hoffman kilns were refurbished in 1947, additional equipment installed, and the clay pit gradually enlarged. They installed the first tunnel kilns in Australia in 1962.

Two Hoffman continuous kilns stood on the edge of the clay pit. an extensive narrow gauge tramway connected the clay pit to the processing building.

The works still operates although the Hoffman kilns have been replaced with automated tunnel kilns.