 Although the exact date it was erected is not known, records show that it was operation prior to the sale of land for the hotel on 22 August 1853.In the early days of the colony, the registration of the use of land often took some time.It is recorded that on 15 August 1853, the mill property, lot number 81 on the town plan, was sold to a consortium of gentlemen and farmers of the district, namely Robert Montgomery, Charles Smith, John Reynell, Henry Douglas, William Sherriff, Ignatius Sullivan and James Bain, operating as the Southern Grist Mill Company.