Gara River Hydro-Electric Scheme

Item details


Name of item:	Gara River Hydro-Electric Scheme
Type of item:	Archaeological-Terrestrial
Group/Collection:	Utilities - Electricity
Category:	Electricity Generator/Power Station - hydro-electric
Location:	Lat: 30.599621962683 Long: 151.8080531643
Primary address:	10km southeast of Armidale, Castle Doyle, NSW 2350
Local govt. area:	Armidale Regional
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Armidale

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	179		DP	723329

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
10km southeast of Armidale	Castle Doyle	Armidale Regional			Primary Address
within Oxley Wild Rivers National Park	Armidale	Armidale Regional			Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
National Parks and Wildlife Service	State Government	11 Aug 97

Statement of significance:


	The Gara River hydro-electric scheme is of state and national significance because it was the first to light a township in Australia and the first to offer its power for commercial sale. As designed by Richard Threlfall, Professor of Physics at the University of Sydney, it incorporated technological innovations which made it one of the most advanced schemes in the world. It provides direct physical evidence of the changing economic fortunes of Hillgrove in the face of the 1890s depression, the drop in antimony prices and the drought. For modern Australian society, it provides a time depth for the environmental debates of hydro versus environment (Gojak et.al. 1988: 32).
	Date significance updated: 02 Jun 09
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Richard Threlfall
Builder/Maker:	Crompton Power Company
Construction years:	1893-1895
Physical description:	The two ends of the rubble and earth dam at Blue Hole survive although it is not possible to determine which particular parts of the dam were built during the first or second pahses of construction. Approximately 100m below the dam is a low concrete weir which spans the Gara River at one of its narrowest points. This was to divert water from the river into the flume at a certain rate to ensure constant supply. The weir remains intact and does not show any evidence of repair or alteration since its construction (Gojack et.al 1988: 22). From the eastern end of the weir, a line of V sectioned concrete fluming extends southwards for 500m. After passing through a cutting the flume splits, with one half running on wooden trestles and the other following the fall of the land. The former is the original route of the flume. None of the timber fluming or framing of the trestles survives intact although many lie around the surface of the site. Stone footing supply the best evidence of the route. The second flume is represented by a narrow level surface about one metre across. At the end of the flume runs, a steep, poorly stabilized slope leads down to the powerstation below. The remains of the powerstation and sections of the power genrating machinery are in various stages of decay (Gojak et.al. 1988: 24).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Archaeological potential is high.
	Date condition updated:11 Aug 97
Modifications and dates:	1899 - the whole complex is restored and modifications are made to the flumes and machinery.


Current use:	National Park
Former use:	Hydro-electric plant

History

Historical notes:

The Gara River scheme was the first substantial hydro-electric scheme to reach fruition in Australia. It began to generate power in March 1895 to light the town of Hillgrove, near Armidale in the New South Wales Central Tablelands. The scheme was instigated by the Australasian Rights Purchase Association, when they placed a petition for a bill before the NSW Parliament, requesting the water rights to exploit the Gara River for the purposes of power generation. The bill was passed and on March 10, 1893, the Hillgrove and Armidale Water-Power Electrical Company (Ltd) Act, was passed (Gojack et.al. 1988: 15).

Richard Threlfall, Professor of Physics at Sydney University, was brought in as the consultant on electrical engineering. He was regarded at the time as Australia's leading expert on electricity and is now thought to have been one of the first modern pure physicists in the world. He was involved in all phases of the design and construction and became mortgagee of the company (Gojak et.al 1988: 15).

The dam for the scheme was constructed at Blue Hole, a large natural pool of water off the Gara River. The generator site was situated at the foot of the Gara Falls. The site was only disadvantaged by its distance from the power consumers in the next gorge and the township. The system used DC (direct current) generators and briefly became one of the most important DC generation schemes in the world.

Although the scheme was hailed as a technical triumph, it was plagued by financial trouble throughout the 1890s.This may have co-incided with the economic decline that hailed the end of the goldrushes in the area. In 1896 the site was taken over by the Sandon County Electrical Light and Power Company and in 1899, the scheme was substantially rebuilt and reactivated. The population of the area however, was dwindling due to reduced mineral production and the Sandon Company sold the plant to the International Railway Corporation of England (Gojak et.al. 1988: 19). By 1905 it was being leased or operated by a Mr Pinto who sold the electricity to local users.

The last mention of the Gara River Hydro-Electric Scheme as a functioning enterprise was in 1907. The history of the site between 1907 and the later part of the twentieth century is unclear. The site now rests within the borders of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, under the management of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	Developing hydro-electric power in Australia-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	Technologies for electrical supply-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Planning relationships between key structures and town plans-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th Century Infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Providing electricity-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Gara River Hydro-electric scheme provides direct evidence for the early use of electricity in Australia. It was the first scheme in Australia to provide light to a town and the first to make its output commercially available for industry. It represents the only successful venture of the Australasian Purchase Rights Association. It has an association with the NSW parliamentarian, Frank Cotton, who acted as manager for the revived Gara River scheme. It also has an association with Richard Threlfall, Professor of physics at the University of Sydney. (Gojak et.al. 1988: 27-8&32-3).
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Gara River Hydro-electric scheme, represents a part of the historical heritage of the New England district and still has relevance to the local community. It has long been used as a recreational area by the residents of Armidale. It also provides a time depth for the wider community, for the development of hydro-electricity and its conflict with the environment. This has beome increasingly relevant since the Franklin River dam protests in 1983-4 (Gojak et.al. 1988: 26&32).
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The Gara River Hydro-electric scheme represents several technological firsts, such as the first use of tandem hydro-electric power generating machines in Australia. Technologically it was also a world leader in the use of high voltage power transmission. The overall design, the use of direct current generators and the changes in fluming to improve water flow also have high technological significance. The scheme represents the only known large scale design work carried out by Professor Threlfall, a significant early physicist. The Gara River Hydro-electric scheme also has research and educational potential. There is enough easily accessible material, visible on the surface to provide for straightforward interpretation. As the records of early hydro-electric development are patchy, the archaeological remains are an invaluable source of information about this technology. A study of the place also reveals how the end of the antimony boom and the collapse of the Australian economy in the 1890s, influenced the local economy of Hillgrove. (Gojak et.al. 198827&33)
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, the Hon James Griffin MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective at the time of publication in the New South Wales Government Gazette: 1. revoke the order made on 9 November 2020 and published in the Government Gazette Number 318 of 13 November 2020; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. The Hon James Griffin MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Signed this 2nd day of June 2022. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Jun 17 2022

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		00986	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
National Parks & Wildlife Service Section 170 Register			National Parks & Wildlife Service		No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Denis Gojak, Grisoula Giopoulos and Gary Dunnett	1988	Gara River Hydro-electric Scheme Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, New South Wales: Conservation Plan

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5051463

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