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Stop valves, pipes and gauges on one of the 1901 original Hathorn Davey Steam Pumping Engine at the Spotswood Pumping Station.
Built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) between 1893 and 1897, the Spotswood Pumping Station was a key part of Melbourne?s first centralised sewerage system. The purpose of the Pumping Station was to raise raw sewage collected through a network of underground sewers and pump it up to the start of the outfall sewer at Brooklyn, from where it flowed under gravity to the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee.
The construction of the Melbourne Sewerage System represented the largest single public infrastructure project in Victoria at the time. With an overall cost of £3.5 million, the project provided a much needed boost to local industry and employment at a time when Victoria was gripped by a major economic recession.
Construction of the Pumping Station began in March 1894 with the excavation of a large 25 metre deep hole, much of which was blasted out of solid basalt. The twelve oval-shaped pump wells were formed from unreinforced concrete thick enough to carry the weight of the buildings and heavy machinery.
The original equipment consisted of four large pumping engines powered by steam from coal-fired boilers. By 1914, ten steam engines were in operation at Spotswood. The first electric powered pumps were installed in 1921, and by 1925 most of the daily flows were pumped by electricity.
The rapid growth of Melbourne after the Second World War meant that by the 1960s, the Spotswood Pumping Station?s capacity had been exceeded. Corrosion of the iron and steel rising mains from Spotswood to the outfall sewer led to a decision to build a new pumping station at Brooklyn. The Spotswood Pumping Station ceased operation in September 1965, but sewage still flows under the site today on its way to Brooklyn and the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee.
Following the end of its pumping operations, the Spotswood Pumping Station site continued to be used as an engineering maintenance workshop and deep sewer maintenance depot by the Board of Works until the 1980s. The Spotswood Pumping Station buildings and their entire contents were classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) in 1981 and the site is also listed on the Victoria Heritage Register (H1555).
In March 1989, the Museum of Victoria took over the Spotswood Pumping Station site to develop Scienceworks – an interactive Science and Technology Centre, which opened in February 1992.
This shot was taken with my Pentax k-r on 4 June 2012.
Lens Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6
ISO 400
26.2mm
0 EV
f/4.0
0.3 sec
RAW
Hand held
HDR in Simply HDR for Mac.
steam, pumps, sewerage, machinery, vintage, heritage, history, museums, spotswood, melbourne, victoria, australia
Comments
Excellent contrast in colors.
Thanks Byron. This is a truly amazing slice of history and nowadays without the smell.
– TonyCrehan
I like this Tony – really nice!
Thanks for adding this to your favourites Fran..glad you like it. There was so much vintage machinery there, it was hard to select shots to upload.
– TonyCrehan
June 30th, 2012
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Mary
Thanks for the fabulous news Mary. It is great to see my work featured alongside some wonderful images.
– TonyCrehan
wonderful shot…..love everything shown in this, full of fantastic gadgetry.
Thanks for adding this to your favourites Lisa and for your great comment. Great place to spend a rainy day in Melbourne.
– TonyCrehan
Thank you very much Michelle for the thrill of features in the group today…..I feel very honoured. – Tony:)
– TonyCrehan
Thanks Peter.
– TonyCrehan
Congratulations on your feature. Please see it amongst the Best of the Best on the Home Page
Wow! That’s the icing on the cake Peter. Thanks very much for the delightful news.
– TonyCrehan
We would like to Congratulate you on being featured in the Globes, Spheres and Curves Group!

07-16-12
congrats on the made from metal win :-)
Thanks very much Damian.
– TonyCrehan
Congratulations on your challenge win in the Made From Metal Challenge
From your hosts Melissa and Bevlea
Thanks for the wonderful news Mel and Bev and thanks for the fave too Mel. Thanks to all who voted and congrats to all top tens.
– TonyCrehan