Tag Archives: Butlers Gorge Power Station

From Catagunya to Wayatinah – post 1 of 4

Well over a year ago, one morning I walked through smoky air westwards into the Catagunya Power Station. After a night camping, entwined by the thick atmosphere of a far distant bush fire and desperate for water, I was relieved to be received hospitably at the Station. At that time I was thrilled by a guided tour of the building and its operation, however I never proceeded to walk the extra few hundred metres to look at the Dam wall holding back the large Lake Catagunya. I was most grateful when many months ago, my walking proxy Andrew climbed the hills from Wayatinah Power Station to arrive at and photograph the Catagunya Dam. A blog search using “Catagunya” as the term, will help you to locate those past stories plus a swag of descriptive photographs.

Recently, I was privileged to make the journey between the Catagunya and Wayatinah Power Stations and to experience that stimulating environment. Thanks to the generous assistance of GL from TasNetworks, I was able to enter the locked Catagunya Road off the Lyell Highway, and travel the 8 or so kilometres to the Catagunya Dam.

The wall of the Dam curved magnificently and the landscape-green Lake Catagunya spread impassively to the west.

Below I could see the old Derwent River bed as a rocky almost water free pathway.

Bypassing the river bed, a massive Canal drained water from the Lake into the Power Station. It appeared as a giant marker on the landscape that seemed much wider and more substantial than the Tarraleah Canals that run from Lake King William and the Butlers Gorge Power Station further inland.

The apparently still Canal water was deceptive. Only on closer inspection could I see the dramatic gush of water moving underneath the left hand entrance at the end of the race. Obviously electrical power was being generated in the Catagunya Power Station that day.

From vantage points near the Dam and the Canal I could see the Power Station building way below. Oh how tiny it seemed by comparison with the larger constructions. Yet when I had first approached and walked around it, the building seemed cavernous.

More than anything I was as excited as a three year old having a birthday party with lots of surprises. Recent rain had cleared the air of dust, the day was overcast and the fairy weight of moisture from low clouds kept the air moist. I kept breathing deeply, absorbing the cleanness of the air. Loving the damp air. Feeling cleansed. So profoundly happy to be back in the bush and walking besides my beloved Derwent River.

Revisiting Butlers Gorge for missing photos – posting 4 of 5

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Long term blog followers will remember how impressed I have been with the engineering feats that have created the hydro electric power stations and the huge dam structures. Most particularly I love their large scale geometric shapes.The following photos show close ups of Clark Dam and the Butlers Gorge Power Station, neither of which are accessible to the public.

And let us not forget the Derwent River flowing ever so slightly way down below in the following images.

10/2/17

Derwent River water passes via the township of Tarraleah

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Earlier this year the entire town of Tarraleah was on the market for sale. Refer article 1, article 2 , and article 3.

If you were to follow Derwent River water by walking from the western end of Lake Catagunya at the Wayatinah Power Station inland past the Wayatinah Lagoon to the Liapootah Power Station then follow the Nive River to the bridge next to the Tarraleah Power Station (with the Tungatinah Power Station on the other side of the bridge), you could look up the hill to see massive penstock pipes descending the hill from the township of Tarraleah above.

The water falling down these pipes is Derwent River water which has travelled via Tarraleah Canal 1 and Tarraleah Canal 2 after processing through Butlers Gorge Power Station at the foot of Clark Dam that holds back the waters of Lake King William.

I chose not to walk the route via the penstocks and Tarraleah township when walking from the mouth to the source of the Derwent River, rather to follow the original river bed albeit a scatter of stones and limited water during the summer, between Wayatinah and Butlers Gorge Power Station.

However, knowing that Derwent River water flowed along the Canals and through the massive pipes, I did visit the township of Tarraleah during the period when it was advertised for sale. I was curious to see what the township of Tarraleah looked like (it had been many years since I last visited). Despite being centred within lush dense rainforest, thankfully no rain fell at Tarraleah and the sky was blue and the day sunny when I visited. I approached the town from the highway and followed the slightly snaking pipes.

At the point where the pipes arrive at the top of the hill and are about to drop down the hill, I browsed public information boards and plaques.

The views from the township were dramatic. I am forever in awe at the engineering achievements of the past.

These days Tarraleah is a place that acknowledges its social history from the early days of Hydro Tasmania. I was amazed to see the row of freshly renovated houses each with their own array of pastel coloured paint finishes. Perfect location for a science fiction movie. I felt there was something strange about its lollipop colours and perfection.

Afterwards I travelled out of Tarraleah and down to the bridge over the Nive River. The Tarraleah Power Station was partly hidden in shadow from the afternoon sun. My eyes followed the pipes up the hill knowing the township was there on top.

The Nive River accepts the Derwent River water after processing for electricity generation through the Tarraleah Power Station. The water passes through a series of further management processes, and ultimately empties into Lake Catagunya and then continues its long journey towards the sea.

I have heard rumours the Tarraleah township sold but I cannot find records supporting this. I haven’t one idea how a buyer could get a return on an investment of $11 million at Tarraleah, so I will be very interested to hear what will happen to this piece of Tasmania’s history.

Tarraleah Canal No 1 walk – a surprising trickle

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Blog followers may remember that at the start of my walk against Tarraleah Canal number 1, I was surprised to see an empty Canal. Later in my walk I was even more surprised. After a few hours of walking, I stopped, looked, frowned, looked again and peered more intensely. A dribble of water was moving. I blinked furiously. Was I imagining that the water was running? No – the water was flowing. Wow! I was here on a day which next to nobody ever sees: a dewatered Canal and then one which is filling. What a thrill.

In the photos below you can see that the water level is edging higher up in the Canal the closer I walked to my destination and the start of the Canal at the Clark Dam.

The speed with which the water flows can be appreciated in the video.

Any person who decided to drop down into the empty Canal would have no way to clamber up and out over the deep smooth concrete sides and would be trapped. If you fell in once water ran through the Canal, then the speed would quickly whizz you into the penstocks and before long you would be filtered out in tiny pieces at the Tarraleah Power Station before the water proceeded along at a crushingly powerful pace to create electricity. I guess the remoteness and isolation prevent idiots from discovering this snaking gem – or maybe even idiots can appreciate the dangers.

Thanks to Tim, a Hydro Tas mechanical engineer who was working at the Butlers Gorge Power Station (Clark Dam) on the day of my walk and who was kind enough to drive me back home to Hobart, I know Hydro Tasmania had deliberately ‘dewatered’ the Canal in order to complete maintenance work at the Butlers Gorge Power Station and at the Tarraleah Power Station. Obviously tonnes of water pressing through while someone changes a valve or whatever, means the job won’t get done. While Canal number 1 was dewatered, Canal number 2 a little further inland was running full with water in order for the Tarraleah Power Station to continue to generate electricity.

When I met Tim at the end of my walk, I learned he was responsible for the final maintenance and the rewatering. On his mobile phone he had taken photos and a short video of the first cylindrical gush of water – he was as excited as I. The power of the water was obvious. A perfect picture of a powerhouse for generating electricity.

I learned that it would take the Canal two hours to reach full capacity between Clark Dam and the Tarraleah Power Station. I had seen all stages: the Canal empty and later with a dribble across the bottom. Then the closer I came to Clark Dam the higher the water reached up the Canal walls. By the time I reached the start of the Canal near the Dam, the water level was at its highest but for some reason I don’t have photos after a certain point back down the road – frustrating. I know my feet were hurting and I was plodding with determination to reach the end. I suspect that I lost focus on maintaining a photographic coverage of the whole distance. Maybe someone will want to drive a couple of hours up there with me one day so I can get those additional photos.

Walking the Derwent River

The ribbon that separates the eastern and western shores of Hobart, Tasmania's capital city

Tag Archives: Butlers Gorge Power Station

From Catagunya to Wayatinah – post 1 of 4

Revisiting Butlers Gorge for missing photos – posting 4 of 5

Derwent River water passes via the township of Tarraleah

Tarraleah Canal No 1 walk – a surprising trickle

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