Wayatinah is a tiny settlement in just about the middle of Tasmania, in the central highlands. It is a component of the hydroelectric infrastructure of this state. The Wayatinah Power Station was commissioned in 1957 and is fed from water from Wayatinah Lagoon, a small storage created by a rock-fill dam on the Derwent below it's junction with the Nive River. There are 3 penstocks which carry the water flow through the generating turbines and into Lake Catagunya and then it passes through the Catagunya power station and so on down the Derwent Valley.
Wayatinah, Tarraleah, Butlers Gorge and other dams and power stations were the sites of construction villages for the families and men working on the projects. All these villages have been decommissioned now, but some areas still have residents and some infrastructure such as stores, swimming pools or camping spots as the central highlands have great fishing and bush walking areas. Most of these projects were developed from the early 1950's, and were a feature of my childhood, visiting the dams, marveling at the size of the penstocks and the amount of work that was undertaken to get the power flowing. Our State Premier at that time was such an advocate of hydroelectricity, one thing this state had back then was plenty of water, that he was rather rudely called Electric Eric, a nickname I am sure he was proud of. His vision created a lot of work and émigrés from Europe after the war often joined these work projects.
My father was a policeman back in the day, I have a lovely old photograph of him standing in the open end of one of the penstock pipes near Tarraleah, during the 1930's. He was a tall man, but the pipe is taller!
Well that is more than enough information about the non-picnic and renewable power generation in Tasmania...I do love the use of aboriginal names though, We won't get onto the very sad tale of the indigenous inhabitants of Tasmania, not today, anyway. I just remembered badgering those around me to tell me the meaning of the roll-off-the-tongue names of the hydro places. Waddamana, the oldest power station which was started in 1910, means "noisy water", Tarraleah means "Forester Kangaroo", Tungatina means "falling water"...I can't remember others now, except Poatina, which means a cave...appropriately as this is an underground power station.
Anyhow, as it is such a slow day I made a couple of cards using glitz and glitter because I need brightening up ;) and a card for someone that I can't show or discuss because that someone sometimes views this blog and we all need surprises now and then...
Better go, it feels a little like lunch time, plus I have to go and tidy up the craft space. My daughter has asked me to make a journal for their four year old friend who recently had a party, for her, (her mum I suppose), to house photographs and cards from the big day. I am waiting for the appropriately coloured paper and card stock to arrive (My Little Pony colours are strangely absent from my stash!), and I want to research some pages so that when I start I can get it made promptly...before the child turns five at least :).
Bye now,
Di