Engineering Heritage at Power and Water

power and water corporation
Power and Water
heritage
Alice Springs first power station
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Electricity came to Alice Springs in 1872 in the form of 120 volts
batteries used to operate the Overland Telegraph Line. For over 60
years individual power plants provided electricity to a limited number of
town dwellings until the Commonwealth of Australia built the first
power station in Bath Street in 1937.
The concrete building could accommodate up to three
electricity generating sets in deep flooring beds.
A total of six generators were installed
during the thirteen years the plant
operated, mostly supplied by
Ruston & Hornsby Australia in
Melbourne .
Although power was initially connected
for six government institutions, by early
1938 over sixty dwellings and twenty-one
street lights were wired up, thus improving
public lighting and refrigeration means.
In 1942 increased demand from residents and the
advent of World War II made a larger plant
necessary. Power generation moved to a new site in the Sadadeen
Range and Bath Street power station was decommissioned in 1950.
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Alice Springs WwII Power Station
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With the arrival of the Australian Army in Alice Springs as a
consequence of World War II, demand for power increased rapidly. In
1942 electricity generation relocated from the number 1 power station
in Bath Street to the Sadadeen Range where the terrain provided
natural camouflage and protection from enemy aircraft.
The number 2 power station was completed in
March 1943 with major Army funding. The
original building with floor to ceiling
concrete walls and roof vents is still
visible in the central section of the
current power station. It was fitted with
a PCT6 Crossley generating set which
remained in service for 18 years.
At the end of World War II, the Northern
Territory Administration took over the electricity
supply in Alice Springs. Sadadeen Valley power
station was extended twice in the 1950s to
accommodate larger capacity generating sets. It
reached its present day configuration in 1957.
The plant was decommissioned in 2010 with all power generation now
originating from the Ron Goodin power station opened in 1973.
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Manton Dam
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From the earliest days of European and Chinese settlement in the
Darwin region, securing a reliable water supply was an issue of
concern.
In the mid-1930s, to meet the demand of Darwin's growing civilian
population and increased military presence as the war drew closer,
several potential dam sites were surveyed. Manton Gap, 42
miles from Darwin, was chosen as the most suitable
location. With funding from the Royal Australian
Navy, the construction of the dam wall
and its 300mm pipeline began in
1939.
While the dam was built, an
interim water supply was
pumped from Howard
Springs, mainly for Defence
establishments. The dam wall
was completed in January
1942 and the first water flowed
to Darwin on the 11th March.
The quality was initially poor, partly due to the low water levels in the
dam.
The entry of Japan into World War II in December 1941 upgraded the
strategic value of the dam. Military units and anti torpedo nets were
assigned to guard the structure. The Japanese raids of 1942 and 1943
partly damaged the Manton Dam pipeline, but water supply was
maintained throughout the war. A second 375mm pipeline and
upgraded storage facilities were laid in 1945 to increase flow and
distribution.
The dam, pumping stations, pipelines and storage facilities were
handed over to the Northern Territory Administration after the war.
The dam remained Darwin's main source of water until Darwin River
Dam was constructed in 1972. Kept as an emergency back-up
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, it was put twice in service: in 1974 after Cyclone
Tracey and again in 1992 when a fire halted
pumping operations at Darwin River
Dam.
Ben Hammond Complex
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The story of the Ben Hammond Complex started in 1883 when the South
Australian Parliament legislated the Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway.
The contract included the construction of locomotive workshops at Parap.
The Locomotive workshops
The complex −then known as '2 ½ mile depot'− hosted facilities
designed to service the railway and accommodate the
workers and their families. It included
maintenance workshops and storage
sheds, a general store and several
'railway houses' erected across the
tracks.
Following the Bombing of Darwin in 1942,
the entire workshop facilities were relocated
to the 'Evacuated Workshops” in Katherine (the
Katherine RSL Club now occupies part of this
site).
In late 1960s, the railway was upgraded to
accommodate the iron-ore traffic originating from
Frances Creek mine. The Parap workshops were completely rebuilt
and the tracks re-laid.
After traffic ceased on the railway line in 1976, the workshops were
used as a freight depot by CO-ORD Transports. In 1978 the Northern
Territory Electricity Commission purchased these facilities to house
some of its maintenance operations.
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The Running shed
The running shed was a part of the '2 ½ mile' site built in 1888 to
specifically service steam locomotives. It was a very hot and unsafe
environment to work in, with men handling large quantities of coal ashes,
and being exposed to smoke, gas fumes and noise.
To replenish the steam locomotives engines in
the Running Shed, a large water tank
−know as 'Three Mile railway
reservoir'− was also built the same
year.
Wheel turning lathe building
In the 1960s a new building was erected at
the 2 ½ mile site to accommodate a wheel
turning lathe −large machinery used to
maintain the profile on locomotive wheels. It
was a 37m long by 12m wide building and
incorporated a three tonne travelling crane.
From 1978 onwards PWC parent companies used the
building as their welding workshop and to fabricate steel power poles.
It was dismantled in 2008 and PWC gifted the building frame to the
Friends of the North Australia Railway.
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electricity generation in darwin
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Darwin's history of electricity generation started in 1912 when both the
NT Administration and Mr Felix Holmes began producing power. Both
plants generated power for their respective refrigeration and
freezing works, supplying Darwin residents with ice,
butter and frozen meat.
Throughout the 1920s, electricity
generation was unreliable and limited
to 6 hours a day, between 6pm and
midnight.
In 1934 Darwin Council took over the
electricity scheme to modernise the
infrastructure and offer a cheaper, 24-hour
supply. Darwin's first power station was built
on Lindsey Street and 24-hour electricity supply
became a reality in 1937.
In 1939 the influx of Defence personnel and the
expansion of Army facilities increased as a result of
World War II. The need to improve power generation prompted the
commissioning of a second power station, located on Armidale
Street, on 7 June 1940. That same day Lindsay Street
power station was closed permanently.
WWII was a difficult time for Darwin
residents. Their power usage was
restricted and considered second to
the military. Despite the new power
station and the RAAF running on its
standby generators, power shortages were
acute. Civilians were requested to stay under
an allotted supply and register their
appliances for approval by the Administrator.
Failure to comply resulted in complete
disconnection.
With the Army presence receding in 1945, a third
power station was built on Bishop Street which
remained in activity for 5 years.
During the 1950s all pre-war power poles,
substations and installations were
reconstructed.
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A new power station was built on land owned by the North Australian
Railways on the eastern side of Stokes Hill. A total of nearly $4 million
was invested to construct Stokes Hill power station which
opened officially on 14 June 1962. The new power
station was administered by the Electricity
Supply Undertaking (ESU). Armidale
Street plant remained in operation
as an emergency back up until 1968.
It then became part of the Ben
Hammond Complex.
From the beginning, Stokes Hill Power
station was fraught with breakdowns. Darwin
was plunged into darkness at least once or
twice a week. Several upgrading stages were
planned to meet the ever increasing population of
Darwin and cater for the new demand for airconditioning in private, government and business
premises. The last stage was completed in 1977. In 15
years the power station had grown from 15 megawatts to 141 megawatts
which was estimated to meet Darwin's power needs until 1980.
12
In 1978, the Northern Territory Electricity Commission (NTEC) was
formed and became responsible for the power supply. A high
priority was to find a more economical alternative to supply
Darwin's electricity, as fuelling Stokes Hill power
station was costing more than $10 million
a year. In 1981 the Northern Territory
Cabinet decided on Channel Island
for its close location to Darwin and the
rural area.
The new power station was running on gas
as an alternative to coal or diesel, which
provided a cheaper, reliable and less polluting
fuel supply. It was built to withstand adverse
weather conditions such as cyclonic winds up to
230 km an hour and its infrastructure included
access roads, the Channel Island Bridge, a 23 km
water main and a 22 kV high voltage power line.
In 1986, NTEC amalgamated with the NT Water Authority to form the
Power and Water Authority (PAWA) which officially opened Channel
Island power station on 6 September 1987. Stokes Hill power station
was decommissioned that same year.
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This brochure is based on previous works by Mr Trevor Horman, Mr Norm Cramp
and Mr Jean-Luc Revel for Power and Water Corporation.
Photographs and credits are courtesy of the Canberra War Memorial, Northern
Territory Library and Library of South Australia.
Photographic captions:
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4VRO Ruston-Hornsby, four cylinder diesel engines in use at Bath Street
no.1 power station, Alice Springs, 1938
LV switchboard at Bath Street no.1 power station, Alice Springs, 1938
4VRO Ruston-Hornsby, four cylinder diesel engines in use at Bath Street
no.1 power station, Alice Springs, 1938
Bath Street no.1 power station, Alice Springs, ca.1950
Sadadeen Valley no.2 power station in construction, Alice Springs, 1942
Sadadeen Valley no.2 power station, Alice Springs, 1944
Sapper D.A. McLeod, 4th Army Troop Company, Royal Australian Engineer,
working on one of the poles to carry the high tension power lines, Alice
Springs, 1942
Manton Dam under construction, 1940
Manton Dam under construction, 1939
Parap railway workshops, 1965
Running shed, 2 ½ mile, Parap, ca. 1946
Federal Parliamentary party inspecting the railway workshops, Parap, 1912
Sandfly locomotive at the railway workshops, 2 ½ mile, Parap, 1946
Wheel turning lathe building frame, 2007
Channel Island power station in final stages of construction, 1985
Power plant at Armidale Street no.2 power station, Darwin, 1940
Armidale Street no.2 power station cooling towers, Darwin, 1940
Stokes Hill no.4 power station under construction, Darwin, ca. 1960
Stokes Hill no.4 power station switchboard, Darwin, 1960
Channel Island no.5 power station under construction, ca.1984
Channel Island no.5 power station, ca.1986
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All rights reserved. Copyright 2012. Power and Water Corporation.