The Goldfields Water Supply

The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is in Western Australia. It's a combination of a dam and pipeline project delivering water to Western Australia's Goldfields. It's one of the great engineering marvels of the world. Mundaring Weir itself is a marvel of Western Australian engineering. It's 39km from Perth. It's the start of a water pipeline that distributes water over 530 kilometers to agricultural towns in the wheat belt area, Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie.

The colony of Western Australia was struggling economically. The Western Australian gold rush commenced in the early 1890s. Thousands of prospectors in search of gold swarmed into the dry and barren desert centre of Western Australia. A large population gathered and water was scarce. Infrastructure for a water supply was non-existent. The need for water was urgent. It caused a water availability issue throughout the 1890s. In the goldfields region of Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie and Boulder it was cause for concern.

In 1895 Mr Charles Yelverton O'Connor initiated plans to bring water to the goldfields. On 16 July 1896, the Premier of Western Australia, Sir John Forrest introduced to the Western Australian Parliament a bill to authorise the raising of a loan of £2.5 million. The money was to construct a dam on the Helena River near Mundaring in Perth. The water would be pumped via a pipeline to the goldfields.

The Goldfields Water Supply scheme would enhance the benefits of the gold discovery. Water had previously been carted by rail to Coolgardie at a cost of over £3 per 1000 gallons. At Kalgoorlie water was dearer. It'd make abundant water available at a cost of three shillings and sixpence (3/6, 3s 6d) per 1000 gallons.

The project was commissioned in 1896. However, it was fiercely opposed in the W.A. Parliament. Approval was not granted until 1898. Construction of the dam then started. The project was completed in its entirety in 1903. There've been renovations with the march of progress and technology.

The scheme consisted of three key elements: (1) the Mundaring Weir across the Helena River in the Darling Scarp; (2) a 760 millimetres (30 in) diameter steelpipe to run from the dam to Kalgoorlie 530 kilometres (330 miles) away. It'd carry 23 kilolitres (5,100 imp gal) of water per day; (3) a series of 8 pumping stations and 2 small holding dams to control pressure and lift the water over the Darling Scarp ridge.

The man responsible, C. Y. O'Connor, came from Ireland. He devised the scheme, oversaw its design and most of the construction. O'Connor was also heavily involved in the establishment of Fremantle Harbour and Western Australia's railways.

Premier John Forrest supported O'Connor. But he still had to deal with widespread criticism from members of the Western Australian Parliament. The West Australian press also believed the engineering task was too big and would not work. It's an extremely ambitious project for the infant colony to take on. There was concern that the gold discoveries would dry up. That'll leave the state with a huge debt with little prospect of repaying it.

O'Connor was a victim of vicious campaigns. His plans were subject to vigorous criticism. Frederick Vosper was the editor of the West Australian newspaper, The Sunday Times. He was also a politician. He ran a scathing personal attack on O'Connor's integrity and ability. O'Connor's supporter, Premier John Forrest, had moved into Federal politics. The new Premier, George Leake, had long been an opponent of the scheme. In March 1902 O'Connor committed suicide. He died less than 12 months before the final opening of the scheme.

The West Australian government conducted an inquiry. It found no basis for the press accusations of corruption or misdemeanours on the part of O'Connor. O'Connor's engineer-in-chief, C. S. R. Palmer, took over the project. He saw it through to its successful completion. Mundaring Weir was completed in 1903.

Flat steel sheets were imported from Germany and the United States. From these the pipes were manufactured locally. Mephan Ferguson was awarded the first manufacturing contract. He built a fabrication plant at Falkirk (Perth suburb of Maylands) to produce half of the 60,000 pipes required. Hoskins Engineering established a factory near Midland Junction (Midland) to produce the other half.

The explorer of the 1860s, Charles Cooke Hunt, dug wells. The wells were dug with the use of local aboriginal knowledge. The water wells were on the edge of granite outcrops. Explorer's horse tracks were utilized in the 1890s. They subsequently affected the route of the telegraph, railway, pipeline, roads and highways.

The choice of route for the pipeline depended on the railway to supply pipes, workers and materials through the sparsely populated wilderness. Therefore, the pipeline route was closely aligned with the Eastern Railway (East of Perth). The Public Works Department constructed and ran the railway from the Mundaring railway station for the purpose of delivering materials to the construction sites.

The distance was compounded by the height the water had to be lifted. The sudden Darling Range height rise between Mundaring and Northam required the location of Pumping Stations # 1 and # 2 to be close to one another. The water needed to be pumped 400 metres (1,300 ft) in altitude. Issues with friction meant that a 'head' of 800 metres (2,600 ft) had to be achieved. O'Connor planned for 8 pumping stations that pumped the water to the next receiving tanks.

The original pumping stations were steam-driven. A ready supply of timber was needed to fire the boilers. To enhance the reliability of the system, each pumping station was designed and constructed with a spare pumping unit. Pressure requirements related to the slope of the pipeline. Pumping stations 1, 2, 3 & 4 required two pumping units to be in operation. Stations 5, 6, 7 & 8 required only one operating pump. That was due to a lower rise in height between those stations.

In 1897 the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) took over the railway operation. James Simpson and Co supplied 3,500 tonnes of equipment in 5,000 separate boxes for the construction of the pumping sets. The railway ceased operating in 1952. The connecting railway line at Mundaring closed in 1954.

The scheme was officially opened on the 22 January 1903. Lady Forrest started the pumping machinery at Pumping Station # 1. On 24 January 1903 water flowed into the Mount Charlotte Reservoir at Kalgoorlie. The water scheme changed central Western Australia forever.

The scheme required significant infrastructure in power generation to support the pumping stations. Communities oriented to its management grew up along the route. Power supplies, modern machinery and automation improved. The scheme now has more unattended pumping stations operated by fewer personnel.

In 1917 pipes laid on the bed of the Avon River in Northam corroded and leaked. It required the construction of the Poole Street pipe Bridge. By the early 1930s, 1,700,000 kilolitres (370,000,000 imp gal) of water per year was leaking from the pipeline. That was a quarter of the total volume of water being pumped from Mundaring Weir.

Branch mains or extensions were started as early as 1907. Water from the pipeline was utilised for a number of country towns adjacent to its route and into the Great Southern region. It created an increased demand for water. In the early 1950s the Public Works Department heightened of the dam wall by 9.7 metres (32 ft). It completed the work in 1961.

Lower Helena dam also now supplies water to the Goldfields. Water from the dam was previously pumped into Mundaring Weir. Helena pump station now supplies water directly into the goldfields pipeline without the need to pump it into Mundaring Weir.

When built, Mundaring Weir was the highest overflow dam in the world. The pipeline was the longest fresh-water pipeline in the world. It continues to operate. Today the water is distributed a total of 700 kilometres. It supplies water to over 100,000 people in over 33,000 households as well as mines, farms and other enterprises.

Mundaring Weir became a popular weekend destination soon after its opening. The local Goldfield Weir Hotel was thoroughly successful. By 1909 branch line trains had been timetabled to connect with trains arriving from Perth. Today, the Mundaring Weir remains a popular picnic spot.

Original pumping station # 1 is below Mundaring Weir. The National Trust now administers it. Its been transformed into the C.Y. O'Connor Museum in honour of the mastermind behind early engineering in Western Australia.

The National Trust of Australia (WA) registered the scheme into its Golden Pipeline Project. It created guidebooks, web sites, and tourist trails along the pipeline tracing the old Power Station locations and communities that serviced the scheme. The Trust assumed the responsibility in an agreement with the Water Corporation in 1998. Most of the material was developed between 2001 and 2003.

It's a magnificent engineering achievement especially in such an isolated area. It's a credit to the engineers, tradesmen and labourers who built it. The economic benefits are inestimable and continue to this day.

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