Australian Abattoirs

Current Operation 

• Demolished 1968. New abattoir built Alice Springs #2 (Ghan Rd)

 Location 

•  North of The Gap, South of  Gap view Motel. Area is now a grassed reserve.

Operation

Source – National Archives – Dated 1958

History

•  1^st abattoir- The Gap
• Built by army^2.

1870

• South Australian Government undertake building a telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin to link with the international system coming from the Far East^4.

1871

• March 11. A gap is found through the MacDonnell Ranges, Area now called Alice Springs^4.

1872

• First Pastoral lease of the Alice Springs area is granted⁴.
  • Undoolya station, Aboriginal meaning ‘Shadow’

War years

• Abattoir was built by the army and handed to government administration after the war⁵

1949

• Central Australian Pastoral lessees Association approach Commonwealth government to establish a meat works in Alice Springs³

1954

• Alice Springs butchers apply for increase in price of all meat to cover increased government fees of slaughter and inspection charges conducted at the abattoir⁵
  • Cattle
    • Old fees. Inspection 1/6, slaughtering 3/6⁵
    • New fees. Inspection 5/-, slaughtering 33/6⁵
  • Sheep and Goats
    • Old fees. Inspection 6d, slaughtering 33/6⁵
    • New fees Inspection 1/6, slaughtering 6/6⁵
  • Pigs
    • Old fees. Inspection 9d, slaughtering 1/9⁵
    • New fees. Inspection 2/-, slaughtering 15/6⁵
  • Increases amount to an extra £3,000 per year, 800% increase on previous rates⁵.
• Up to the 30/06/1954 following numbers of stock were slaughtered for  local consumption⁵
  • Cattle 788 head⁵
  • Sheep 2,770 head⁵
  • Pigs 381 head⁵
• Government had maintained the abattoir at a loss⁵
  • employed one man full time to clean and maintain the facility⁵
  • Stock inspector visited 3 times per week⁵

1960

• Major drought in the region⁴
  • Became the worst in history at the time, not breaking until 1966

1963

Source. Alice Springs Library. Town Planning 1963

Town Planning map of 1963 showing the location of the Slaughter reserve in ‘The Gap’ area of Alice springs. Now the area is a grass reserve

1966.

• Major drought that began in 1960 is broken by one fall of 6″⁴
  • further rains followed several weeks later

1968 

• Buildings sub standard and no longer met hygiene standards²
• Demolished and new abattoir site Ghan Road. Alice Springs #2.

Sources

1. Removed
2. ‘$370,000 abattoir’ Centralian Advocate 23.03.68
3. ‘Pastoralis want meat works here’ Centralian Advocate 29.07.1949
4. ‘Pastoral Properties of Australia’ Peter Taylor 1984
5. ‘Butchers hit by abattoir fee increase – apply for a price rise’ Centralian advocate 13.08.1954