Cassilis Hydro Electric Scheme Presentation Notes by John McCutchan from the Engineering Heritage Victoria Guest Speakers Series. August 2006.

1. Cassilis Hydro
Scheme
Victoria’s Pioneer Hydro-Electric Scheme
Operated from 1908 – 1916
Presented by
John McCutchan
As part of the
NOTE : The Slides contained in this file are from the Engineering Heritage Victoria
original presentation - with titles added. They are for
Speakers’ Program
illustrative purposes and not intended to tell the full story
August 2006
by themselves. Accompanying audio files will be
available in the near future. Copyright may apply to some
Email : ehv@engineersaustralia.org.au
of the maps and photographs contained herein.

2. Slide 2 : General Location of Cassilis - in the east of Victoria (Australia)

3. Slide 3 : Location Map – Cassilis (Eastern Victoria – Australia)

4. Slide 4 : Cassilis Treatment Works - 1902

5. Slide 5 : Cassilis Treatment Works – 1903 with Cyanide Tanks added

6. Slide 6 : Cassilis Treatment Works - 1904

7. Slide 7 : 1904 – Showing Firewood needed for roasting purposes

8. Slide 8 : Mine Manager – Francis James Coote

9. Slide 9 : One of 4
Waterfalls on the
Victoria River

10. Slide 10 :
The Victoria River drops a
total of 120 metres before
joining the Cobungra River

11. Slide 11 : John Avery
Assistant to Mr Coote

12. Slide 12 :
The 1907 Tender Specification
(cover page only)

13. Slide 13
John Avery’s marginal
notes on Tender
Specification

14. Slide 14
more Avery marginal
notes and sketches

15. Slide 15
… and more Avery
marginal notes &
sketches

16. Slide 16 : Receipt for John Avery’s purchase of “Half-Plate Camera” - 1900

17. Slide 17 : The 7 Tenders received from around the world

18. Slide 18 : Extract from the successful tender by Staerker & Fischer

19. Slide 19 : Part of Bundara-Munjie Parish Plan - showing the location of the Water Race

20. Slide 20 : excavation of the 5 km water race

21. Slide 21 : the Water Race in winter

22. Slide 22 : construction of the Small Pondage at the end of the Water Race

23. Slide 23 : the completed Pondage

24. Slide 24 :
Pipeline
Specification

25. Slide 25 : the successful Pipeline Tender from Mephan Ferguson - 1907

26. Slide 26 : lowering a 6m length of riveted pipe down the hill

27. Slide 27 : the Pipeline was buried after pressure testing

28. Slide 28 : all plant was conveyed 110 miles from Bairnsdale Railway Station

29. Slide 29 :
some of the route
covered rough tracks

30. Slide 30 : a load arriving at the Power Station site

31. Slide 31 : the Pelton Wheel & 2.5 tonne flywheel

32. Slide 32 : erecting the Turbine

33. Slide 33 : temporary accommodation for the erection team !

34. Slide 34 :
A 1911 Technical
Description of the
Plant

35. Slide 35 :
The Voith
Hydraulic
Governor

36. Slide 36 : the Set achieved a max efficiency rating of about 70%

37. Slide 37 : the 670 HP (400 kW) Main Set & the 17 HP auxiliary set.

38. Slide 38 :
The Switchboard
LH Panel : Tirrell Voltage Regulator
Centre : HV circuit breaker overload relays & instruments
RH Panel : Controls for the 110 V dc auxiliary set

39. Slide 39 : the completed Power Station beside the Cobungra River

40. Slide 40 :
The 26 km 12 kV Transmission
Line crossed the Great Dividing
Range

41. Slide 41 :
Suitable trees on the
line were topped to
serve as “poles”

42. Slide 42 : about 490 poles were erected at 45 metre intervals

43. Slide 43 : poles on Transmission Line

44. Slide 44 :
The Conductors were
4.5mm diameter solid
hard-drawn copper

45. Slide 45 : The Treatment Works after electrification

46. Slide 46 :
Electricity Output
figures for the
first 16 months

47. Slide 47 : graph of Electricity Production
- shows shortage during 1908/09 summer

48. Slide 48 :
Gold Production Figures
for the Mine

49. Slide 49 : construction of small storage dam in 1916

50. Slide 50 : but … the tipped clay (wall material) was not properly compacted

51. Slide 51 : by the time this “description” was published, the dam had washed away!

52. Slide 52 : Sale of the Mine

53. Slide 53 : the Final Auction of all of the Plant etc

54. Slide 54 : a possible (much longer) water race to tap the larger Cobungra River

55. Slide 55 :
Minimum monthly
flows in the
Cobungra River
1926-35

56. Slide 56 :
Detail - showing that a
storage dam would have
been needed because of
the low summer flows

57. Slide 57 :
Section through the
Cassilis Mine showing
the 180m deep internal
shaft

58. Slide 58 - Location of :
1. Victoria Falls Historic Area
2. Cassilis Historic Area

59. Slide 59 : The Water Race was filled in to create the Victoria Falls Road in 1965

60. Slide 60 : The present Victoria Falls Road turnoff from the Alpine Road

61. Slide 61 : Picnic Area beside the Victoria River (recent photo)

62. Slide 62 : Interpretation Notes beside the Victoria River (recent photo).

63. Slide 63 : The Tourist Road (formerly the Water Race) above the Victoria River (recent photo)

64. Slide 64 : The Pondage at the end of the Water Race (recent photograph)

65. Slide 65 :
The inlet structure
for the old
Pipeline
(recent photo).

66. Slide 66 : the tapered entry to the 34 inch pipe (recent photo).

67. Slide 67 : Remains of the Power Station beside the Cobungra River (recent photo).

68. Slide 68 : View across the Power Station floor (recent photo).

69. Slide 69 : The foundations of the Water Turbine (recent photo)

70. Slide 70 : The concrete cubicles once housed the surge diverters on the Transmission Line

71. Slide 71 : the completed Power Station in operation

72. Slide 72 : Recent view from the same photopoint as Slide 71

73. Slide 73 : this “name” – painted on the concrete – led to
meeting the last man to operate the Power Station

74. Slide 74 :
Les Kracke,
interviewed in 1979

75. Slide 75 :
The reference written
for Les Kracke in
1916

76. Slide 76 : the reference written for Les Kracke

77. Slide 77 : An insulator from the telephone line which ran beside the transmission line.

78. Slide 78 : Another insulator from the telephone line

79. Slide 79 : The transmission line easement was still shown on the Parish Plan in 1980

80. Slide 80 : A broken Transmission Line Insulator

81. Slide 81 : Remains of Sub-station at the Mine Entrance (recent photo)

82. Slide 82 : The Sub-station at the Treatment Works

83. Slide 83 : The remnants of the Sub-station in recent times

84. Slide 84 : the Treatment Works – after electrification.
The Sub-station is in the lower right corner.

85. Slide 85 : Recent view from the same photopoint as Slide 84

86. Slide 86 :
The next home for the plant was
at the Magnet Silver Mine, near
Waratah (Tasmania).

87. Slide 87 :
Magnet is west of Waratah

88. Slide 88 :
Water was obtained from
dams on the Arthur River

89. Slide 89 : Remains at Magnet in 1981 – Power Station foundations on left – Mill Building on right

90. Slide 90 : The foundation block for the Water Turbine at Magnet

91. Slide 91 : The Power Station in front of the Mill at Magnet

92. Slide 92 : Note the unused lengths of pipe. The Magnet pipeline was shorter
than the Cobungra one.

93. Slide 93 : The 670 HP Set in action at Magnet

94. Slide 94 : The Magnet Switchboard – note the three panels on the left.

95. Slide 95 : the 3 Switchboard panels at Cobungra

96. Slide 96 : Auction Notice for the Magnet Mine (1940)

97. Slide 97 : The 2 foot gauge Magnet Tramway – on which all of the Magnet plant was removed

98. Slide 98 :
The Magnet Tramway
ended at Magnet
Junction beside the Emu
Bay Railway branch line
to Waratah

99. Slide 99 : Magnet Junction was located beside the one-time airfield

100. Slide 100 : Some of the pipes from Cobungra would not have been needed at Magnet

101. Slide 101 : An original 1907 pipe lying at Magnet Junction

102. Slide 102 : the same pipe ready to be installed in 1908

103. Slide 103 : Early Hydro-electric Schemes in Victoria

104. The End
Thanks are due to three generations of the Avery Family
who looked after many of the documents and photographs
used in this presentation – for 100 years. Their generosity in
making the material so readily available is acknowledged.
This Talk was prepared and delivered by
John McCutchan
PowerPoint presentation prepared by
Don Bartlett
Email : ehv@engineersaustralia.org.au