National Engineering Dawes Point - A Place of Landmark Award to Woomera Significant Engineering and he Woomera activity ever conducted in Cultural Heritage Rocket Range has Australia in peacetime. This T been awarded the massive project was to South he historical and To protect the colony, ultimate accolade of the Australia what the Snowy heritage Dawes Battery was completed Institution’s Historic Mountains Scheme was to T significance of in 1791 armed with guns taken New South Wales Dawes Point in Sydney from the Sirius and and Victoria. Harbour, extends from subsequently there were Equipment used Aboriginal occupation by the upgradings by Francis and tested on the Eora people to the present day. Greenway and colonial range was at the Lieutenant forefront of William Dawes, who technology arrived with the First especially in fine Fleet, established his mechanics, hut and observatory advanced optics, on the point and telemetry and while there he rocket fuel befriended a young chemistry. While Aboriginal woman participating in called Patyegarang. Engineering Plaquing programs conducted at They taught one Programme - recognition as a Woomera, Australia was another their National Engineering amongst the most languages and the Landmark! scientifically and point is thus the site The range was established technologically advanced of the earliest under the Anglo-Australian nations in the world. Its recorded instance of Joint Project following the successful launching of the European-Eora The archaeological site in 1996 Second World War. It and the WRESAT satellite from cultural interaction. associated Weapons Research Woomera in 1967 gained Subsequently a signal engineer George Barney, with Establishment at Salisbury in Australia international station was erected and the occupation by the military South Australia were the recognition and membership. colony's first trafficable road ceasing in 1902. largest and most expensive was constructed by convict During construction of the scientific and engineering Continued on page 3 labour from Dawes Point to Sydney Harbour Bridge the the first Government House. battery and guardhouse were demolished. Other buildings INSIDE this edition were used as offices by the bridge contractors Dorman Long and then demolished in Collections .................................................... 2 Happy Heritage Birthday!.............................. 6 1932 upon completion of the The National Committee on The Old Great North Road – A World- bridge. The remains of the Engineering Heritage..................................... 3 Class Engineering Masterpiece .................... 7 battery and buildings were The Historic Bridges of Gundagai ................. 4 Tarraleah Hydro-Electric Development uncovered by archaeologists The World’s First Concrete Arch Dam ........... 5 Historic Engineering Marker.......................... 7 in 1995. Recent Releases ........................................... 8 Where Do They Go? - The Conservation Construction of the bridge of Engineering Documents............................ 6 Books ............................................................ 8 involved excavation of a horseshoe-shaped tunnel into This newsletter is published by the National Committee on Engineering Heritage of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. Please contact us on (02) 6270 6530, fax (02) 6273 2358 or Continued on page 3 visit our website at www.ieaust.org.au hroughout the some 60 locomotives and over Considerable work by a Collections country are many 280 other items of rolling small group of dedicated T collections of stock (see photographs). former Telstra/Postal people, interest and importance in the Unfortunately its opening to resulted in the construction of study of our engineering the public has up to now been a fine display area in the heritage. The collections range fraught with legal difficulties former public space of the old from the professionally but these have now been Post Office. conserved items in the Power overcome. The land around Highlights of the Ashfield House Museum in Sydney to the old railway station is to be display are a Misdemeanors those kept by enthusiastic developed as a static display book, once in Sydney GPO, in amateurs in a backyard shed. and a considerable length of which penalties for day by day From time to time we track has been acquired for infringements were logged by intend bringing you details of running tourist trips down the supervisors. People are these collections. Readers who line in due course. The interested to see an entry visit them may, by their developments are supported against the name of Norman support, assist in maintaining by the 700-strong Dorrigo Gillroy (later Cardinal important parts of our Steam Railway and Museum Gillroy) who was a telegraph country’s heritage. This is Limited, details of messenger in the Sydney GPO particularly important for membership of which can be during the late 1800s. moveable items which often obtained from Keith Jones at Also of interest is the are not well protected or even P.O. Box 200, Dorrigo, NSW picturegram equipment of the appreciated by the “place” 2453. 1930s and press photographs dominated heritage authorities received on it from England. in this country. from Keith Hardy - This was the forerunner of the TELSTRA’S HISTORICAL ubiquitous, facsimile machine. from RELICS The Ashfield display, Professor In the mid 1940s the NSW besides having examples of Ray Branch of the Post Master old telegraph apparatus, has a Whitmore — General’s Department large number of early for “Train (PMG’s) began organising a telephones and switchboards. Buffs” collection of early telegraph, There is almost a complete During a telephone and postal artefacts. range of telephones from the short holiday Overseen by a succession of late 1800s, and also some recently on the PMG/Telecom “Historical examples of step-by-step Central Coast Officers”, the collection grew equipment which provided of NSW I over the subsequent years, early automatic switching of spent a day frequently from donations by calls. with Keith former employees and others. There is also a small The first diesel-hydraulic locomotive Jones and his In 1975 the PMG was theatrette for showing on the NSW system enthusiastic divided into the Australia Post historical movies and video band of and Telecom Australia tapes. Short documentary volunteers at the Dorrigo Commissions and the films are held, some showing Railway Museum at the head historical collection was vignettes of technical and staff of the Bellinger Valley. This similarly deployed. This was activity in the early periods of remarkable collection of difficult with telegraphic relics the 20th century and some historic NSW railway because telegraphy shared prepared for staff instruction. equipment is claimed to be the plant and technical staff with The collection includes largest in the Southern the telephone system. 50,000 to 100,000 Hemisphere and includes Telegraphists and photographic negatives, some messengers were Postal staff, on glass plate dating from the and hence Australia Post 1800s and providing a record retained a very strong interest of technology and people until in this section of the former the late 1980s. However about PMG relics. So this group of that time Telstra ceased to relics tends to be more people have its own photographic oriented than the Telstra units and the out-sourcing of portion. After a number of this facility generally resulted vicissitudes the Telecom in making later negatives collection became located at unavailable, although there are the Ashfield old Post Office prints from this later era. building. This was refurbished In addition there is a by Telstra and by agreement is considerable collection of Two of the oldest locomotives in the managed by the Telecommuni- books, journals, technical and collection cation Society of Australia. engineering instructions and in Engineering Heritage Australia - Page 2 continued from page 2 The National Committee on house training manuals There are a number of Engineering Heritage relating to the installation, volunteer helpers at Ashfield, maintenance and management including the Manager. Many he NCEH is now 20 years old as highlighted of all types of telecommuni- of these people have been elsewhere in this issue and, as part of its steady cations. Much of this latter providing essential assistance progress towards recognizing, recording and collection has been since the Ashfield site has T conserving Australia’s engineering heritage, we are pleased to specifically donated. been in use. They are involved present this, the ninth edition of the Newsletter. The Institution of in sorting, classifying, and Engineers is to be commended for promoting the continuity of organising the relics and also the Committee while other Institution committees have come and provide invaluable gone over the years. advice in the areas of The NCEH is presently made up of the following members: their specialties. • Harry Trueman, Sydney - Chairman The display at • Michael Clarke, Sydney - Deputy chairman Ashfield is open for • Bill Jordan, Newcastle - Immediate past chairman and inspection every Newsletter editor Wednesday. Phone (02) • Ian Arthur, Sydney 9716 8071. • Keith Drewitt, Tasmania • Peter Gesling, Newcastle • Bruce James, Western Australia An early facsimile machine • Hugh Orr, South Australia • Bruce Sandie, Victoria • Keith Baker, ACT • Robin Black, Queensland all ably assisted by committee administrator, Sue Mayrhofer. The Committee also