For more than 100 years the Tremain flour mill was at the heart of the Bathurst community.

The grain silos were easily seen around the city, generations of families worked there and the Tremains were loved by all.

But in 1980 the mill was closed and since then has been used for a few commercial enterprises, by artists and for storage.

But in Bathurst's 200th year the question is now being asked, 'what should we do with this historic mill?'

Stephen Birrell is the man searching for the answer.

"A number of my friends are involved with the historical society in town and they were very concerned that the mill was going to go to a developer and would be pulled down," Mr Birrell said.

"So I met with [the] council, they said they didn't want it destroyed and they'd like to work with someone who would look to preserve it, so we took the chance and bought it."

History of the mill

The mill sits on two acres of land and is made up of a number of different buildings, some of these with rich historic significance.

"The mill was originally built in 1854," Mr Birrell said.

"It was a working mill in the same family for more than 100 years until it closed its doors in 1980."

Since then, it has been used for everything from commercial space, to artists studios, a boxing gym and storage.

But it's not just the buildings that have a story to tell, the Tremain family were an essential part of the mill's success.

The family

"They were marvellous people, really early adopters in the industry," Mr Birrell said.

"Whenever new technology came into the milling game, they implemented it here in Bathurst.

"And people who worked with Jack Tremain say he was one of the best millers in the country," he explained.

Through his research, Stephen Birrell has been able to make contact with descendants from the Tremain family.

He has had access to archives, photos and documents that have told the story of the family, the mill and the staff that worked here.

"The mill has been closed for 30 odd years, but people who worked here still have wonderful memories of the place," said Mr Birrell.

"Some people worked for this company for over 50 years, so it was an important part of Bathurst and a big employer."

And there have been some great pictures that have emerged of the mill in those early days.

"There's this series of pictures with guys standing 60 feet [18.2metres] off the ground and there are no harnesses," said Mr Birrell.

"I don't know how long it took, but there are tens of thousands of super feet of timber in these silos and they just stacked them up. It must have taken them years to build."

But it's not just photos and stories that are being searched for, the hunt is on for a 1:12 scale model of the mill.

"There was a model built by one of the Tremains and we have this faint hope that it may still be out there," explained Stephen Birrell.

"I am sure there are people out there who know something about it.

"It was a wonderful model, really well built and not something that I would think someone would throw away, so I'm hopeful somebody has it stuck away at the back of their garage and they'd like to share it with us because there are a million people who want to see it," he said.

Future of the mill

The future of the Tremains mill is still undecided, but the vision for the site is grand and keeping its heritage is at the core.

"Right now we have architects working on the heritage conservation plan which is the first step to understanding what buildings have significance and what don't and then we can develop a master plan," said Mr Birrell.

"We really just want to give back to the Bathurst community and this is a great way of doing it, maintaining an important piece of history and enjoying ourselves as we do it."