Poatina Power Station

Poatina Power Station
Poatina Power Station © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

Poatina Power Station. What an incredible experience! As you approach by road, marvel at the views of the Great Western Tiers. Board a bus. Descend to the power station through an underground tunnel. Find yourself in a 1960s time capsule. Admire the engineering, the monstrous turbines, and the feat of creating electricity.

Artwork
Artwork © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

I was not expecting interior design in a power station. In the mid-1960s, when Poatina Power Station was built, aesthetics was clearly a priority! A myrtle bannister runs the length of the station. A commissioned artwork keeps time on the tiled back wall. The walls of the generators are painted bright red. Brass trim on the floor plates signals a time that was just a little bit classy. Some of the machines even have original control panels.

Traversing Poatina Power Station
Traversing Poatina Power Station © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

It’s not all about the décor though. Step onto the floor plates near an operational turbine and you’ll feel the power of it as it turns below you. Study the original drawings of the turbines and of the station. Look three floors down to the water beneath you. Ask one of the staff about what it’s like to work on the turbines, just above the water, in a noisy cavern. Admire the parts on display, including a selection of giant spanners and a turbine.

Generators
Generators © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

The wonderful thing about Poatina power station is that it takes advantage of the lie of the land. From a 5.6km headrace tunnel in Great Lake above, through 1.8km of giant above-ground pipes, water falls 150m to the Poatina Station Turbines. Gravity does a lot of the work. In simple terms, the water hitting the turbines at speed causes them to spin, which creates electricity through a series of energy conversions (potential to kinetic to mechanical to magnetic to electrical).

What to Bring

Turbine
Turbine © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

Safety gear is provided by Hydro Tasmania but you’ll need to wear a long-sleeved top, long pants and sturdy, covered-in shoes. It was quite warm in the power station. When possible, it is kept at a constant temperature in order to keep the machinery running smoothly so you probably won’t need a jacket. You aren’t allowed to bring food, water or other personal belongings. You should bring your phone for photo-taking, however, there’s no phone reception down there.

Getting There

Entry tunnel
Entry tunnel © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

Poatina Power Station is about a two-minute drive uphill from Poatina Village. From Launceston, head south through Longford and Cressy. Keep heading south, following signs for Poatina. I absolutely love driving on the road towards the Great Western Tiers. What a view! From Hobart, you can take the highway through Bothwell before descending to Poatina. You’ll have spectacular views of the midlands.

Cost

Control panels
Control panels © emily@traversingtasmania 2017

The lovely thing about Tasmania is that there are many free community events. Hydro Tasmania’s tours of Poatina Power Station may only happen occasionally but they are free and good quality. Keep an eye on Hydro Tasmania’s website and social media pages for more information about upcoming open days at power stations across Tasmania.

Read more about my adventures in Tasmania’s midlands, north and south.

10 Replies to “Poatina Power Station”

  1. This brings back some pretty fond memories for me. My late father was a power station operator at Poatina from 1965 until 1975. As children, mum would walk from Poatina village up to the station with my baby brother and me in a pram. We would take sandwiches with us so that we could have lunch with dad.

    What is truly amazing is to actually walk down the entrance tunnel to the power station. Because it is essentially bored through solid mudstone, the walls have thousands of fossils visible. The last time that I walked the tunnel would have been in around 1975, and I found it absolutely fascinating.

    Thank you so much for the story and the photos. They have brought back some wonderful memories for me. Dad passed away not that long ago, and he would have loved this.

    1. Hi Adam,
      What wonderful memories! Thank you for sharing them. Pushing the pram up the hill would have been a real workout for your mum.
      Due to OH&S, we were driven down the tunnel in a bus and quickly ushered into the power station – I would very much like to walk through it one day though, particularly now that I know about the fossils.
      I’m sorry to hear that your dad has passed away. I would have liked to hear more about his time working at the power station and I’m sure that he would have enjoyed talking about his time there too. It’s lovely that you have such lovely memories of times together (lunch underground!).
      Warm regards,
      Emily

  2. Hi Emily,
    Thank you so much for your kind comments. I can remember dad talking about walking the pipeline a few times to inspect it, which must have been quite a trek!
    I can also remember that when you drove into the entrance area and car park at the power station, there used to be magnificent gardens there. These were tended by a gentleman by the name of Les McGuire, who also used to drive the bus down into the station itself. In fact, I actually saw one of those buses in Launceston recently. They were very distinctive, so there was no mistaking what it was.
    The visitor information centre at the power station also used to have the most amazing 3D model of the entire complex for visitors to inspect, but I’m not sure if that’s still there.
    Growing up in Poatina was a special experience, and I could probably fill a book with the memories that i have.
    Regards,
    Adam

    1. Hi Adam,
      Perhaps you should write that book! I know that I for one would be keen to read it.
      The gardens are sadly not as they once were and I’m not sure if the 3D model is still around – I imagine that it would be but I’m not sure where. How fascinating that the buses (or at least one of them) live on in Launceston. Was it in service?
      Kind regards,
      Emily

      1. Hi Emily,
        The bus isn’t in service but has been sitting at a mechanical workshop in Launceston for many months.
        It’s amazing that you should reply today, as it would have been my father’s 86th birthday today.
        When you drove into the grounds of the power station, there used to be a building on the left in the car park. This was an information centre. There was a section of that building that had large windows, and the model was visible through those windows.
        I’m not sure if you are interested, but Fusion released a video as part of the “Back to Poatina” celebration, and that had a section of former residents remembering their time in the village.
        I can clearly remember the last of the temporary “pre-fab” houses being removed when construction ended. I also still have my school photos from attending Grade 1 at Poatina Primary School.
        I probably should sit down and write that book. There is so much to remember.
        Take care and kindest regards,
        Adam

        1. Hi Adam,
          That is uncanny timing indeed!
          Thanks for letting me know about the bus. I didn’t realise that they had a primary school at Poatina but that makes sense! It would be too arduous a journey to go elsewhere.
          I’ll look up the video and you had better start writing!
          Kind regards,
          Emily

  3. HI there.

    I’ve just come across this web-site. I studied at the Uni of Melbourne in the late 1950s to become a geologist . In the summer of 1957 I came down to Tassie to join the Hydro Electric Commission for two months’ work experience. My first weeks were at the Poatina site.

    The outlet in the Great Lake and pipeline down the slope were being built, and the zig-zag track up the Great Western Tiers being made into a bitumen road. And where the power station now is, there was an exploratory chamber, about one tenth the size of the one there now. I went down into this chamber every day for weeks, plotting cracks in the sides of the walls to help decide where to locate the walls and ceiling of the great hall there today.

    Water from an underground stream entered the lift shaft, and it was hard to stay dry as the cage descended. Which meant being wet for the entire shift!

    Colleagues and I lived in wooden huts in the single men’s quarters – now just a memory. And married staff lived in more substantial homes, some of which I believe are still there.

    My boss at the time was geologist Eric Clothier, who lived with his wife in the town. And another trainee geologist, from SA, was Karel (Joe) Kapelle.

    In time off, with Joe and others, I explored the surrounding countryside, including an old, very steep track up to Brady’s Lookout.

    There were numerous echidnas, pademelons and tiger snakes around. And in the shaft vicinity I found many magnificent marine fossils, some of which I still have. One was the fern-like Fenestella, and others brachiopods. All of Permian age.

    If of interest, I have slides of much of what I have just described.

    Cheers,

    Brian Simpson

  4. I remember Paotina well , this was back in the early 90’s , the bus at the entrance was a thrill riding it down hill , yes it was steep , but still remember a fell showing me around on a special tour , the where fixing the buckets and a turbine , and yes was lucky to get under the turbine and see the actual water buckets and the jet nozzle , then we walked up to the power generator and I actual was allowed to pull out a pole , was a memorable trip n Thanks to the workers there , definetly worth the trip .Holidays in Tasmania where the best .

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