The Plateau of Playford  -  Smith's Creek Flour Mill    
         
   
       
The Smiths Creek Flour Mill or otherwise known as Adamson’s Flour Mill is located in the gap between the residential area of Craigmore and the rising rural landscape of One Tree Hill. Ironically at the peak of this hill face area remains a barely seen barren tree marking the top of the hill. At the same spot a single telegraph pole stands linking the power from the rural to residential areas. The ruins of the Smith Creek Flour Mill are situated North of these two landmarks at the base of the chasm of the hills on the Uleybury side. They can be barely seen when you are standing in the location of these two landmarks that overlooks the plains of Elizabeth and Smithfield.  
 
   
       

As I have said earlier the first settlers main necessity was water so they settled near the local rivers in the area. There are about six ruins along the Smith Creek as testimony to this early development, the two storey flour mill with a small cottage nearby being a part of them. From the beginnings cereal crops were common all the way from Smithfield to Virginia, wheat, oats and hay were mainly distributed in the area and this is what caused the Scotsman named Adamson around 1850 to build a flour mill. He built it on the river to use the supply of water from upstream to power the plant through a water wheel. The milling plant and water wheel were imported from Scotland where such ventures were successful with the constant rainfall, but the rain didn’t turn out to be constant in this land. Our climate tested the viability of the flour mill and in spite of two dams that were constructed upstream to control the flow of water the idea never really worked. Later Adamson installed a steam engine to power the plant but the demand for the mill withered when the flour mills in Salisbury and Gawler were built.  

 
 
     
     
 
The obscure location of the ruins in themselves speak something of the past failure of the Flour Mill to survive beyond two years of activity. The difficulty in accessing the mill was a significant issue back then because a considerable amount of wood was required to fuel the steam engine. Wet weather conditions influenced transportation. Originally roads were bare earth and turned into a quagmire when wet, with the surface churned up with the hooves of horses, bullocks and the wheels of carts with a heavy load. Later when crushed rocks and stones were laid over the bare earth the surface could be a bit rough and bumpy in places making it slow and difficult to transport loads. The Smith’s Creek  Mill had its limitations and eventually the costs outweighed  the benefits but you have to admire Adamson for his willingness to try and make use of the limited opportunity that was presented to him. He made the most of what was available and he battled on in this harsh land despite going out of business in the end.  
 
   
The ruins of the mill reside on the land previously owned by the Yelki’s. Another source says ‘near’ the Yelki property? Either way the property which amasses 380 acres was auctioned off just after the year 2000, one hundred and fifty years on from the birth of the mill. The flour mill ruins are on the National Estate and the State Heritage Register. The ruins are a bit of a historical treasure that has to be found because of their disclosed location and the lack of community information on their existence, but nevertheless they remain as an integral monument of a life that was simpler back then. They also remind us of the blood, sweat and tears that was shed by our forefathers. ‘Lest we forget’ and take for granted the leisure of our lives as an inheritance that has been given relatively freely and without much cost. The whole property and ruins are like an open but hidden treasure that remains at the top of the hill waiting to be discovered and developed into something significant. Almost like the former ‘One Tree on the Hill’ that could be viewed from all around this location seems like a latter reflection of a former focal point that became renown all around.