Derwent River water from storage in Lake King William travels overground via a number of canals towards Tarraleah Power Station.

The water pours down a carefully calibrated though seemingly slight gradient at an exceptionally fast rate. When I stopped at a canal crossing walkway, I could see the concreted sides offered no purchase if you fell in; there were no hand-holds to grasp. Clearly, if you found yourself in that water, you would never get out and soon find yourself tumbling through the penstocks before reaching the Power Station. At some point you would drown.

Listen to our estimation of the situation.

Watch this video to hear the rush.

This canal cuts a significant swathe through the landscape roughly one to two hundred or so metres away from the Derwent River, as noted in Chantale, Michelle and my aerial photos.