Stories of Bradmill brings the factory’s legacy to life on screen
Frasers Property Australia has premiered a moving new short film, Stories of Bradmill, celebrating the rich industrial and cultural legacy of the Bradmill denim factory in Yarraville.
Screened at the historic Sun Theatre in Melbourne’s inner west, the documentary-style film honours the workers, memories, and community spirit that shaped Bradmill – once a major textile manufacturer with a global reach and deep local roots.
Through powerful visual storytelling and intimate interviews with six former employees, Stories of Bradmill reflects on the camaraderie, innovation and immigrant stories that defined life inside the factory walls. Historian Olympia Koziaris, who interviewed more than 70 former workers as part of her research, also lends insight into Bradmill’s broader social impact
Produced by Outrun Creative and directed by Robert Geary, the film is a tribute to Yarraville’s proud working-class identity and the people who powered one of Australia’s most iconic manufacturing hubs.
Theo Della Bosca, Frasers Property’s Development Director for Bradmill Yarraville, said storytelling was central to the vision for the precinct’s future.
“Through our research into the site’s history and wider Yarraville community we were able to connect with Bob Green who was an Operations Manager at Bradmill and is also behind the annual reunion for workers. It’s been a real privilege to be able to bring Bob and his peers along the journey of the next stage of Bradmill, and we’re incredibly proud to tell the story of Bradmill through their own first-hand experiences.”
In the film, Mr Green reflects on the factory’s evolution – from marshland once teeming with tiger snakes, to a thriving textile operation, and now a site poised to become a new, connected community.
“Our first stage was the marsh land, the second stage was the factory where we had people from all over the Western suburbs and immigrants from around the world, and now there’s a third stage with people actually living there,” said Green.
“Being asked to share our story is giving us a feeling of being part of it again, so it keeps a living memory of the things that went on, and it means a lot to us – You can’t spend thirty, forty years or more working with some of the people there, without being family. I had a look at one of our attendance sheets from a reunion twelve years ago and there’s people we’ve lost since then, but we got together when we were there. It’s wonderful to see the faces again and share memories with one another.”
Founded as Davies Coop in 1925, Bradmill became one of the country’s most important textile producers, expanding into spinning, weaving and eventually denim manufacturing. In the postwar decades, it became a national leader in cotton milling and industrial innovation, supplying to major brands and employing thousands. Bradmill ceased operations in the early 2000s, but its legacy lives on in the generations it supported.
Stories of Bradmill is part of Frasers Property’s broader commitment to celebrating the site’s heritage as it transitions into Bradmill Yarraville — a major mixed-use community featuring residential, retail, commercial, and green spaces.
Following its debut at the Sun Theatre, the film will be released as a series of short films on the Stories of Bradmill website over the coming months.