[1] The four metre square brick tobacco kiln or flue curing barn at 12 Chisholm Trail, Oak Valley stands on a small 150-square-metre (1,600 sq ft) block currently owned by the Townsville City Council.

When constructed c. 1933, the block on which the tobacco kiln is situated comprised 157 acres of farming land owned by Greek immigrant, Elias Emmanuel.

[1] In the early 1930s the tobacco industry expanded in North Queensland following government initiatives to combat growing unemployment created by worldwide economic depression, and thereby boosting local economies.

Mareeba became the site for a government experimental farm, since its surrounding district contained large areas with the most suitable sandy soils and climatic conditions.

During the following two seasons, the department conducted further trials at this farm, while several areas including Pentland, Charters Towers, Hervey's Range and Chillagoe tried crops on a commercial scale.

Despite adverse weather conditions that affected the yield per acre, the leaf obtained good prices, and many people hailed North Queensland as the premier tobacco growing area of Australia.

A local unemployment relief scheme to clear the land, and the availability of trained instructors from the department also initially assisted Mareeba farmers.

Some crown land and some private subdivisions appeared at Hervey's Range in 1931, and tobacco fever also spread to the Major's Creek-Woodstock area south of Townsville, which then included Oak Valley.

Although the Townsville and District Development Association agitated for a government Experimental Farm in this area to provide support for local inexperienced growers, this never eventuated.

Government fiscal policy did not always favour the local grower: increased excise on home-grown tobacco and reduced duties on imports were blamed for the unsatisfactory position of the industry in 1934.

This included the cultivation of 15 acres, deposit on land, a small hut, clearing, curing barns, bulk shed, horses, farm equipment and some labour costs.

The kiln at 12 Chisholm Trail used this new technology, closely resembling drawings of a model flue curing barn in the Queensland Agricultural Journal of August 1931.

The flues carried heat at ground level from the outside furnace, across the barn and back to the chimney outlets, raising the temperature inside the kiln and thereby curing the tobacco.

This process necessitated specialized knowledge to control heat, humidity and ventilation, and could differ slightly depending on the type and condition of the crop.

The willingness to invest considerable capital in the industry shows either a solid faith in its potential or a desperation to survive in harsh economic times.

Lobbying by the growers on Hervey's Range prompted the construction of a new access road and this provided employment to a large number of men through an Unemployment Relief Scheme.

These brick walls are finished at the top with a timber frame and are then tied together internally by steel bolts 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in) thick and approximately 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) apart.

[1] Although the external furnace area of the kiln has at some stage been dismantled and filled in, it can be located on the eastern side where ground subsidence reveals a round flue outlet.

The corrugated roof sheeting at the centre of the eastern wall has been cut back in two places and the metal in between bent down, indicating the former position of the chimney.

The tobacco kiln, constructed c. 1933, is important physical evidence of an agricultural industry developed in response to community needs during the Great Depression.

Both Queensland and Australian governments initiated trials to find suitable land for growing tobacco with the hope of easing high unemployment and boosting local economies.

The considerable capital investment it represented indicates either a faith in the potential of modern agricultural techniques or a desperate bid to survive in harsh economic times.