ALIA West

November 2004

ALIA Local Studies WA Group's visit to Mundaring Weir (Perth) and Number One Pumping Station of the "Golden Pipeline"

by ALIA Local Studies WA Group

A tour of the Number One Pumping Station of the Water Corporation's Mundaring (Perth)-Kalgoorlie water pipeline, The Golden Pipeline, was arranged by the ALIA Local Studies WA Group for Friday 15 October (see map for location of Weir). Nine interested people associated with the group participated in what was a thoroughly enjoyable, historically informative session.

Map: Location of Mundaring Weir - site of Number One Pumping Station of The Golden Pipeline to Kalgoorlie Source: Water Corporation website: http://www.watercorporation.com.au/dams/dams_mundaring.cfm accessed 13.10.2004.

The group was welcomed at the pumping station by National Trust educator, Diane Frylinck (please remove '.nospam' from address) who provided an interesting history of the station and pipeline...

The pipeline's long history began in the mid-1890s when the State's goldrush around Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie commenced. Conditions on the goldfields were inhospitable - dry, dusty and with a severe shortage of water. The State's engineer-in-chief, CY O'Connor, proposed an ambitious solution to the water problem; the construction of a pipeline from a storage reservoir (now the Mundaring Weir, 40km east of Perth) to the goldfields. The water was to be pumped along the pipeline by a series of eight steam-powered pumping stations to the goldfields 500km away. Many of O'Connor's contemporaries, even the parliament of the day, were sceptical of the scheme but in January 1903 O'Connor was vindicated when the pumped water arrived at the Mount Charlotte Reservoir, Kalgoorlie. Unfortunately, O'Connor did not live to see his dream realised - he committed suicide just prior to the pumps being activated. His suicide note gave no clue as to why he chose to end his life - it does indicate that he was optimistic of the pipeline's success however.

After the fascinating introduction to the pipeline's history and explanations of the workings of the pumps, the group was guided through the museum on the site of the original pumping station. The museum at that stage had not been opened to the public - our group was privileged to receive a pre-emptive look through.

The museum consists of two main rooms.

• In the first, visitors are able to see the structures, pipes, etc. which produced the steam that powered the pumps. At strategic locations in the room there are information plaques and diagrams explaining the functioning of the various pump components.
• The second room also contains pumping equipment as well as many interactive, educational displays and information panels with images of the pipeline's history. The interactive displays will be highly popular with school groups which might visit the museum - one in particular, where a team of visitors can pump water along a simulated "pipeline" via "pumping stations" to demonstrate the engineering involved in moving water from Mundaring to Kalgoorlie, will provide an ideal opportunity for learning in an applied and enjoyable way.

A visit to the Mundaring Weir and tour of the museum is high recommended to all those interested in the history and development of Western Australia. The ALIA Group certainly found its visit to be highly enjoyable and informative.

For those wishing to further their knowledge, why not take a tour of the entire length of the pipeline and investigate the many heritage sites along its length? The National Trust has published a guidebook, "The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail Guide", which will assist those deciding to undertake this adventure.

Today, Mundaring Weir still provides fresh water to the goldfield regions and agricultural locations along its route. Quite a significant achievement considering the initial opposition to the pipeline's construction at all!