A time capsule of water,
gold & Western Australia
A project from the National Trust of WA
A self-guided drive trail between the Perth Hills and Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields. Go with the Flow. Follow the water to discover more about the audacious goldfields water supply scheme and Engineer CY O’Connor.
“Future generations, I am quite certain will think of us and bless us for our far seeing patriotism, and it will be said of us, as Isaiah said of old, ‘They made a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”
Six of the elegant eight original steam pump stations built to lift water from Mundaring Weir to the Eastern Goldfields remain standing.
No 2 and No 7 pump stations were demolished at a time when no-one appreciated the significance of the scheme which nowadays is recognised as the first modern example of interbasinal transfer of water. The pump stations are in various states of repair and use.
No 1 and No 3 pump stations are both open to the public and have displays about the history of the scheme. No 4, No 5 and No 6 can be viewed from the outside and the latter two have trails with information panels. If the caretaker is at home to take you inside, a visit to No 8 is like stepping back in time.
Click on any map section or place below to discover The Golden Pipeline.
Northam to Cunderdin
Explore section two