Engineering Heritage Newsletter - June 2010

This is an occasional newsletter from Engineering Heritage Victoria sent to all members on our mailing list. Enquiries, discussion or correspondence related to the Newsletter should be directed to the Editor at [email protected] or address postal correspondence to the Chairman, Engineering Heritage Victoria, Engineers House, 21 Bedford Street, North , Vic 3051.

1. Guest Speakers 2010

The Next Date: Thursday 17th June 2010 Time: 5.30 for 6.00 p.m

Event Title: The History of High Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Speaker/Presenter: Owen Peake

Venue: Engineers Australia John Connell Auditorium, 21 Bedford Street, North Melbourne

Hosts: Engineering Heritage Victoria

About the Subject: Transmission of electricity by High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) has provided the electric power industry with a powerful tool to move huge quantities of electricity over long distances and also to greatly expand the capacity to transmit electricity by undersea cables. The first such scheme connected the island of Gotland off the Swedish mainland in 1954. This scheme initially transmitted 20 MW at 100 kilovolts (kV) over a distance of 298 km of overhead line and undersea cable. The project used mercury arc valve technology. During the next 54 years great advances have been made. Schemes currently in construction in China and India will each transmit in excess of 6000 MW over 2000 km at 800 kV. The longest undersea cable in service is 580 km whilst a 700 km undersea cable is being constructed.

The development of HVDC technology followed the development in the world of small scale electronics – from thermionic valves to solid state thyristors and transistors. Control of solid-state electronics by fibre optics was adopted early in HVDC technology. Operating voltages reached 500 kV by the 1970’s, 600 kV by the mid 1980’s and schemes are now being constructed at 800 kV. Because of the rapid development of HVDC technology many of the early schemes have already been decommissioned, making the story of this specialist area more urgent from an engineering heritage perspective. There is a serious risk that most of the remaining equipment from the mercury arc valve era will be lost. The presentation will include a comprehensive but straightforward module on “How HVDC Works”

About the Speaker: Owen Peake is an electrical engineer who has spent his working life in the utility industries. He is now retired and engaged full time in engineering heritage work. His positions include Chair of the National Board of Engineering Heritage Australia, member of the committee of Engineering Heritage Victoria and Australasian Editor for the International Stationary Steam Engine Society.

Future Presentations:

On the 19th August David Crotty will talk about John Robertson Duigan and the aeroplane built by Duigan and his brother on their parents’ farm in 1910. Their biplane was the first Australian-made aeroplane to fly. It’s first flight was made on 16th July 1910. (see more in Section 2. below)

On 21st October, David Beauchamp, Richard Lipianin and Steve Di Cicco will discuss the – the bridge that links Church Street in Richmond with Chapel Street in South Yarra across the . This presentation will be conducted jointly with Structural Branch.

2. Engineering Heritage Victoria — Committee Meeting 13th May 2010

New member of the Committee: Bruce McCann was welcomed to his first meeting of the EHV committee. McCann has a special interest in the nomination of the Goldfields Railways for National Engineering Heritage Landmarks (see more below). Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — June 2010 Page 2

The Duigan Centenary of Powered Flight in Australia: Correspondence received from The Duigan Centenary of Flight - 2010, informed us of the celebrations to be held at Mia Mia (the Duigan fam ily property) and Bendigo on the 16th to 18th of July 2010. The organisers call for support for the project, either financial, or by helping on one of their working groups, by in-kind donations, by volunteering to assist with the events at Mia Mia, by participating in the flying activities or just by participating in any of the events or activities. The correspondence was received in the form of a pdf file which could be made available to members by request to the Editor. However the following websites probably have the same information: http://www.australiancentenaryofpoweredflight.com.au/ & http://www.duigancentenaryofflight.org.au/

Threatened Sites of Engineering Heritage Significance:

The Murtoa Stick Shed: Engineering Heritage Australia and Engineering Heritage Victoria are supporting the conservation and repair of the Murtoa Stick Shed. The Stick Shed is under threat of demolition, or partial demolition, partly because of perceived safety concerns and partly to create more room for grain storage on the site. The Stick Shed is included on the Victorian State Heritage Register (Item H0791). For some images, a brief description and a statement of significance, go to: http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic#detail_places;868 Also – Owen Peake’s article about the Stick Shed, for the June Engineers Victoria newsletter, is included below.

The Morwell Number 21 Dredger: PowerWorks wants to demolish this iconic early bucket-wheel dredger because of its deterioration and safety concerns. EHV, The Engineers Australia Regional Group, the Council of the City of Latrobe and Heritage Victoria all support restoration and ongoing retention of the Dredger at its Morwell site. If you want to know more, the National Trust Victorian News of August 2009, page 8, has a useful article about the dredger by David Moloney, the Trust’s Industrial Historian. Go to: www.nattrust.com.au/content/download/.../Vic%20News%20Aug%2009.pdf

Kirwan’s Bridge over the Goulburn River on the Longwood - Kirwan’s Bridge Road: This basically timber bridge near Nagambie is a remarkable survivor. 120 years old and 310 metres long, it is still in use for motor traffic (one-way, with two passing bays). A description can be found on the Victorian Heritage Database – go to: http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic#detail_places;6067. The bridge is included in the Victoria Heritage Register as item H1886 and in the Strathbogie Heritage Overlay under number HO26. The bridge is under threat because of continuing deterioration mainly caused by abuse of its weight and speed limits, and despite restoration work undertaken in 2004 with funding from the Commonwealth, the State, Heritage Victoria and the Shire of Strathbogie. The Shire urgently needs funds for further upgrading work and a local group has been set up to lobby for this. For more information or to join the campaign, go to: http://www.nagambielakestourism.com.au/, or ask Alan McLean ([email protected]) to send you a copy of Kirwans Bridge Brochure.pdf or Bridge rally 2 June.doc or some excellent photographs (see part of one below). The setting of the bridge can be seen in a Google Map: http://maps.google.com.au/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=-36.745109,145.143986&spn=0.016094,0.043173&t=k&z=15>

Engineering Heritage Recognition Program

Goldfields Railways: The EHV meeting on 13 May appointed a sub-committee of 6 to undertake the research and writing of nominations for the two railways. The members are Matthew Churchward, Margret and Carl Doring, Bruce McCann, Ken McInnes and Owen Peake. Owen Peake will probably act as secretary for the sub-committee and can be contacted by email at [email protected] or by Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — June 2010 Page 3

phone at (03) 9419 0820. If you have ideas, contributions, documents or images on these subjects please contact a member of the sub-committee. The following issues will be explored as a first step: What should be the boundaries of each railway? (for instance in the case of the Bendigo Railway should the nomination terminate at Bendigo, Echuca or Deniliquin/Balranald?) What sites should be marked? What particular features, individuals or technical breakthroughs should be given emphasis in the nominations? Any information or views on the above will be of assistance to the sub-committee. A few notes on the history & significance of the Goldfields Railways are included below in Section 4..

Engineering Heritage Sites and Objects Needing Recognition & Nomination: A priority list of places and items needing nomination for the award of a NEL (National Engineering Landmark) or HEM (Engineering Heritage Marker) has been put together by members of the Committee and others. This list is extensive, com prising 62 items, and we urgently need members who will volunteer to take on the nomination of one or more of these items. If you are interested taking on one of these projects, or if you have some significant knowledge of and/or documentation about any of the items, but don’t want to take on the sole responsibility of nominating them, please get in touch with Owen Peake ([email protected] or ph.(03) 9419 0820) or the Editor (at [email protected]). The priority list for sites in Victoria is included at Item 7 below. Information about preparing a nomination can be found in the Guide to the Engineering Heritage Recognition Program (a pdf file) on the Engineers Australia Website at http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ . There is also a pdf Register of Engineering Heritage Markers on the site. The Editor was shocked to see that, of the 137 items included in the list (NELs and HEMs), only 10 are in Victoria. W e must do something to rem edy this failure! And it is only our Victorian membership that can do it!

Self-Guided Engineering Heritage Tours – the Need for Booklets and/or Brochures: This has been discussed at several recent EHV Committee meetings. Sydney and Newcastle have had such brochures for many years. There are extant examples from Brisbane, Adelaide, Dunedin (NZ), and now . The Editor has substantial books produced by the ICE in the United Kingdom, and these became principal guidebooks in tours of the UK many years ago. We really need something similar for Melbourne and Victoria. If there is anyone out there who would like to get involved in such a project, would you please get in touch with the Editor at [email protected]. It’s possible we could set up a sub-committee to get the project going.

3. Engineering Heritage Australia – Projects & News

Collecting Electronic Nomination Documents This project is to collect all the Heritage Recognition nominations produced to date and prepare them for publication on the EHA web page. 87 of 151 nominations have now been tracked down and are being prepared for publication. Eight files from the period 2000 to 2010 are still missing (none of these are from Victoria). 56 paper files in the archives are still to be located and digitised. EHA plans to have a ‘working bee’ at national office later this year to scan these hard copy files.

Next Candidate for ASCE International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (IHCEL) marking The American Society of Civil Engineers has been engaged in this process for some time, and last year the West Australian Goldfields Water Supply was the first Australian site to be so marked. EHA is considering some more Australian sites with the intention to select one, or maybe two to be put forward for IHCEL marking. The sites currently on the list are: The Overland Telegraph Line (probably the whole line from London to Adelaide) Broken Hill Mining Chaffey Irrigation Works (Mildura in Victoria and Renmark in SA) Tasmanian Hydro-electric Development (all dams. power stations etc.) South Australian Cornish Mining (a number of sites)

Dunedin Conference Papers The complete conference papers from Dunedin are on the IPENZ web site. The link is: www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/conference/papers.cfm Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — June 2010 Page 4

100 Years Celebration – Engineering Heritage Australia Project During recent National Board meetings, EHA has discussed various ideas by which they could help Engineers Australia to celebrate its centenary in 2019. A decision made at the Dunedin meeting of the Board was to work on the production of a book – Australia’s Engineering Heritage. Such a book would describe and illustrate important engineering heritage sites and/or objects, as well as less tangible but significant engineering achievements. In brief, it was agreed that: • The book would cover (say) 100 separate sites, projects or achievements (in line with the 100 years of Engineers Australia theme). • Each subject would have a standard 2-page layout containing text, photographs, maps, diagrams and summary data. • The format to be A4 page size, landscape format. • Sites and achievements to be selected would have to have National or State significance. • Selected sites should be placed in the following categories: bridges; dams; highways; railways; mines; sewers/waterworks; electric power schemes/street lighting; communications; harbours; industrial sites; workshops & machinery; engineering achievements and inventions; and other (including ships, aircraft, etc.) • EHA would be calling for volunteers to carry out research, writing and image selection for the selected sites. For more information, or to volunteer ideas or assistance for the Victorian project, contact Owen Peake at [email protected].

4. The Murtoa Stick Shed – from Owen Peake

The Murtoa Stick Shed was built in 1941 as a temporary, low-cost storage facility for bulk wheat, which at that stage of W orld W ar II was piling up awaiting export. The shed could accommodate 100,000 tons of wheat and measures 260 m long and 60 m wide. The shed is regarded as the largest rustically-built structure in the world.

The shed was constructed with available materials at the time in the middle of the War. There are 560 columns in the building, up to 20 m high, each consisting of a slender mountain ash tree trunk. The shed has a concrete floor and a corrugated iron roof. It is now the last of several similar buildings built in Southern and W estern Australia and is listed by Heritage Victoria.

The structure is under threat as local farmers and farming organisations believe that the shed is obstructing their ability to store and move wheat through the road/rail wheat terminal in which the shed is located.

Engineering Heritage Victoria recognises the significance of the Murtoa Stick Shed and its innovative engineering structure and supports the Heritage Council and Heritage Victoria in working to retain this important This interior shows the light nature of the construction & heritage building. It is also understood that a the surreal forest of posts. nomination is in progress for the Australian Heritage List. Engineering Heritage Victoria is considering arranging a field visit to Murtoa to inspect the Stick Shed and other engineering heritage sites at Murtoa.

The State Government has allocated funds to carry out repairs to the building this year. The building has some damaged sections and this is adding to the case of those who are actively promoting the destruction of the building. Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — June 2010 Page 5

5. The Two Victorian Goldfields Railways – from Owen Peake

Two very significant railways were built in Victoria and commissioned in 1862. These were from Geelong to Ballarat and from Melbourne to Bendigo. Ballarat and Bendigo were both experiencing sustained Gold Rushes at that time and both towns had grown in size and sophistication very quickly. At this time the colony was undergoing rapid expansion and was economically in an unprecedented boom period.

The two railways were built to very high standards, comparable to those being used for the major British railways at the time. The two railways were the only lines in Australia built to such high standards - the majority of Australia had to cope with railways built to “development railway“ standards which in general were characterised by wooden bridges, steeper gradients, sharper curves and lower standards of station and other buildings. No expense was spared on these two railways and the legacy is some magnificent bridges and viaducts, superb station buildings and civil works which have passed the test of time with flying colours.

These two railways celebrate the 150th anniversary of their opening in 2012. It is therefore appropriate for Victorians to celebrate this important anniversary and to redouble their efforts to ensure that the remaining assets of these railways are preserved for posterity. EHV has commenced the process of recognising these two railways under our national Heritage Recognition Program [See item 2 above – Ed.].

6. Events & Publications of Possible Interest

Museums & Galleries NSW Presents Can You Handle It ? [This conference may be of interest to members who can be in Sydney at the end of July. – Ed] As technologies and audiences evolve, so do the opportunities and challenges facing exhibitions and collection management. Museums & Galleries NSW presents Can You Handle It?, a two-day conference arming delegates with the skills to confidently and safely manage the storage, transportation and installation of special objects, from new m edia art to fragile and culturally-significant works. Learn about object handling, touring exhibitions, contemporary media and risk management for 21st century galleries and museums. Based at the Australian Museum with visits to satellite locations around the city, the event includes plenary presentations, practical workshops, a networking evening, and behind-the-scenes storage and security tours. Practical sessions include: • Cockatoo Island tour of industrial/historical spaces being used by Biennale of Sydney • Housekeeping in a historic house with Scott Carlin, Elizabeth Bay House • Handling fragile cultural materials with Colin McGregor, Australian Museum • Behind-the-scenes object handling demonstrations and pest/mould/insect management practical session, with Sue Gatenby and Gosia Dudeck, Powerhouse Museum • Writing a condition report workshop with Sarah-Jane Rennie, M&G NSW • Asset valuation session with Tamara Lavrencic, HHT • Disaster preparedness seminar with Kay Soderlund, Preservation Australia • Crating and Packing for touring exhibitions tour and workshop with Simon Hartas, TED Fine Art Australia • Too big to handle: the care and display of large works on paper and photographs with Carolyn Murphy, Art Gallery of NSW • Barcoding objects with Will Mather, Australian National Maritime Museum • Front stage/backstage tour at the MCA When: 29 – 30 July 2010 Where: Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney Cost: $220 full price / $150 concession Further information, full program details and the registration form are available from: http://mgnsw.org.au/sector_development/can_you_handle_it/

The National Archives of Australia publishes Keeping Family Treasures In a media release on 19th February 2010: The National Archives of Australia has announced the release of Keeping Family Treasures, an illustrated guide on how to look after precious family heirlooms.

Using the family treasures of famous and lesser-known Australians, National Archives conservators provide clear and helpful preservation advice on caring for family keepsakes. Contributors include Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — June 2010 Page 6

cookery writer Margaret Fulton, ABC presenter Andy Muirhead, and actor and historian Alice Garner. The chapters address preserving letters, albums, photographs, diaries and notebooks, scrapbooks, and precious objects and textiles. The preservation of audio and video tapes, home movie film, CDs and DVDs, and time capsules is also covered.

Conservator and co-author Ian Batterham said, “With interest in family history at an all-time high, more people recognise the importance of preserving their family’s special records, but aren’t sure where to start. Keeping Family Treasures fills the gap with professional advice that isn’t available elsewhere in such a readable form.” As caretaker of some of the nation’s treasures – the records of the Commonwealth and its people – the National Archives works with government agencies to ensure records are properly managed and preserved. “Keeping Family Treasures provides an opportunity for the Archives to extend this assistance and knowledge to the public. The book also continues the family history theme central to the Archives’ previous publication, Family Journeys,” said Mr Batterham.

Ian Batterham is a senior conservator at the National Archives and author of The Office Copying Revolution; Keeping Family Treasures joint author Elizabeth Masters writes for the National Archives and is the author of Australia’s Government Explained.

Keeping Family Treasures is available through the National Archives e-shop for $24.95. Go to: http://naa.gov.au/about-us/publications/index.aspx Images from the book can be found at: http://naa.gov.au:80/services/media/images/index.aspx

7. Priority List: Potential Engineering Heritage Nominations for Victoria

* indicates sites with a potential for National Engineering Landmark (NEL) nomination. # indicates that the site is a collection. Items whose nominations are already under way are not included in this list.

Road Bridges & Roadworks Murray River Bridges (Swan Hill, Cohuna, Koondrook, etc)* ; Morell Bridge* ; Mia Mia lron Truss Bridge, ; Campaspe River (iron/timber composite bridge) Redesdale ; Keilor lron Box-Girder Bridge* ; Shellie lron Bridge ; The Great Ocean Road ; Barwon River Bridge Barwon Heads ; Anderson’s Mill Bridge over Birch Creek Creswick ; McKillops Bridge over the Snowy River Tubbut ; Murrindal River Howe Truss Bridge Buchan Railway Bridges & Railway Works Maribyrnong Railway Bridge* ; Echuca Railway Bridge* ; Moorabool Viaduct* ; Sandridge Railway Bridge over Yarra River* ; Port Melbourne & St Kilda Railway* ; Albion Railway Viaduct* ; Puffing Billy (permanent way, bridges and rolling stock) Belgrave ; Timber railway bridge over Bourne Creek Kilcunda near W onthaggi ; Railway Museum Collection Newport # ; Nimmens (Smyth’s Creek) Railway Bridge Newtown ; Snowy River Floodplain Railway Viaduct ; Suburban Railway Electrification Melbourne Water Supply - Dams, Pumping Stations, etc. Goulburn Weir* ; Yan Yean Water Supply Scheme ; Chafey Irrigation Scheme Mildura ; Millewa “A” Steam Pumping Station Lock 9 Kulnine East Murray River Hydro-electric Works Rubicon Hydro Scheme ; Kiewa Hydro Scheme Electric Power Supply Spencer Street Power Station ; Richmond Power Station ; Yallourn Power Station and open cut Coal Mine ; Coal Dredge No.21 PowerW orks Morwell Sewerage Works Barwon Sewer Aqueduct ; Sewerage system W erribee Farm Werribee Maritime and Harbour Works Entrance works Lakes Entrance* ; Coode Canal & Victoria Dock* ; Port of Echuca Wharf* Mining, Oil & Gas, Ironworks Central Deborah Goldmine Bendigo ; Berry Consols Beam Engine House Smeaton ; Hepburn Estate Beam Engine House Smeaton ; Lal Lal Mine and Smelter ; Bass Strait Oil and Gas (40 year anniversary in 2009) Mechanical Engineering Artefacts Steam Engine Collection* ; Carousel and Steam Engine Geelong ; National Steam Centre Collection Scoresby # ; Forum Theatre (formerly State Theatre) Wurlitzer organ and orchestra pit hydraulic lifting systems, corner Flinders & Russell Streets, Melbourne Engineering Heritage Victoria Newsletter — June 2010 Page 7

Manufacturing Works Newport Railway Workshops* ; Thompson’s Foundry Castlemaine Defence Works * ; South Channel Fort* ; HMAS Cerberus* ; RAAF Museum Collection Point Cook# ; B-24 Liberator bomber (WWII vintage, in restoration) Werribee ; HMAS Castlemaine (WWII vintage corvette) Williamstown ; HMAS Castlemaine, Williamstown Buildings Exhibition Building Melbourne Transport Electric Tram Collection Bendigo # ; Paddle Steamer Pevensey Echuca ; Paddle Steamer Adelaide Echuca ; Paddle Steamer Alexander Arbuthnot Echuca ; Duigan’s 1910 Aircraft ; Paddle Steamer Curlip, Snowy River

This newsletter has been prepared on behalf of Engineering Heritage Victoria which is a Special Interest Group of the Victorian Division of Engineers Australia and the Institution of Engineers (Australia). The Editor is Margret Doring, who can be contacted on 03 5729 7668 or [email protected] . Contributions for the next Newsletter will be gratefully received.

UNSUBSCRIBE: If you do not wish to receive further material from Engineering Heritage Victoria, please inform the Editor on [email protected].