Progress of Electricity 1888 - 1917
Thargomindah - Hydro Electric Plant
In 1893, the Bulloo Shire Council embarked on a project of drilling an artesian bore, for the town water supply. The water pressure was over 120 lbs per square inch and so it was decided that they could also take the opportunity to harness this initial and cheap source of energy, to drive a generating plant, for the supply of electricity to the town. Which formed the Thargomindah Hydro Electric Plant, 210 km west of Cunnamulla in Western Queensland.
They engaged Barton & White of Brisbane, to manufacture and install two dynamos that were driven by a water wheel, made by a local blacksmith and was encased in a split ship's tank. The one inch water nozzle gave up to 20 hp and the installation was a 3-wire d.c 200/400 volts DC system and the ammeters and voltmeters were also manufactured by Barton & White. These dynamos gave a supply to about 15 consumers and came into existence prior to the passing of any relevant Queensland Legislation, but later an Order-in-Council was granted in 1899, to the Bulloo Shire Council, the fourth under the act.
This effort by the Bulloo Shire Council gave Thargomindah the distinction of being the first town in Australia, to have a hydroelectric plant, supplied by an Electric Authority and to realise that this was only five years after Brisbane had an Electric Authority in 1888. Thargomindah was also the first town in Queensland to have electricity outside Brisbane.
The powerhouse still gave a supply of electricity until 1951, when the Capricornia Electricity Board installed a diesel plant, which is still operating. When the hydroelectric plant commenced, the local paper at the time stated that this was the first instance of electric street lighting in Queensland, beyond the experiments in Brisbane, some years ago.
The wooden poles used for street lighting were replaced with bore casing and are still in use today.
As can be seen by this, Thargomindah became very important in the history of electricity in Queensland.
Charters Towers 1897 
Alternating Current
The next important event was at Charters Towers about 140km south west of Townsville in North Queensland.
A private company called the Charters Towers Electric Supply Co. was the second town in Queensland outside Brisbane to have electricity and its Order-in-Council was obtained on 29th January 1897.
The power supply was at 110 volts single-phase alternating current at a frequency of 95 cycles - now called - hertz and the cables were run underground.
The fact that single-phase alternating current was installed made it unique in this respect that the other towns to follow until about 1920 generated DC current. The Countess Street Power House in Brisbane was the only other place in Queensland to generate AC current in 1897, in limited quantities. DC current was at that time the universal current that was generated.
The AC current generated at 95 hertz was an odd frequency, as we know it, but at that time there was no definite standard of frequency. Later on the standard became 50 hertz in Australia but America still maintains its frequency at 60 hertz.
Rockhampton 1898
Street Lighting
Another early supply of electricity was at Rockhampton, which is on the central coast of Queensland and about 700km north of Brisbane.
The electricity supply commenced in 1898, when and Order-in-Council was issued to the Rockhampton Gas & Coke Co. The plant installed, consisted of two Cornard and a Knapp water type boiler, with a Davey Paxman engine. This drove a counter shaft to a Chamberlain-Hookham dynamo, 110 volts D.C and one Brush alternator, at 3000 volts.
Apparently only street lighting was contemplated, the plant being designed to supply current for arc lights in series. It appears that the 110 volt generator was for power house lighting only and the 3000 volts for the street lights, as it was usual at that time to have high voltage for arc lights. The cables were run underground and laid in hardwood casing.
It seems as though this supply continued until 1920 and by this time a normal supply of electricity was in operation and generating alternating current, using steam and turbine engines.
Toowoomba 1905
And Its Early Electricity
In 1905, the Toowoomba Electric Light & Power Co. secured an Order-in-Council to supply electricity.
It first commenced with a small steam engine of about 50kW capacity, then later used suction gas as fuel. The distribution was 220/440 volts DC 3 - wire, with at first underground transmission but later overhead mains were utilised as today.
The original Order-in-Council included only part of the city and in 1923 the Toowoomba City Council obtained an Order-in-Council to supply the rest of the city.
Warwick 1912
And Its Early Electricity
The Warwick Electric Supply Co. received its Order-in-Council and commenced to function in 1912.
Warwick is about 150km south west of Brisbane. The generating plant consisted of suction-gas engines (using wood fuel) and DC 3 - wire 480/240 volt generators for distribution, to the city area only. Subsequent additions included both suction gas and crude-oil-driven plant.
After 1927, when luminous discharge signs were becoming popular, single phase alternating current plant was installed to cater for this supply. A start was made to change the whole plant over from direct to alternating current, during 1939.
Ayr 1914
So early for its Electricity
Two years after Warwick, came Ayr, which is about 90 km south of Townsville on the north coast of Queensland.
The electricity supply operated from a small power house when an Order-in-Council was issued to a private company of David Edwards & Sons, in 1914.
They used suction-gas and oil as fuel to drive a generator to supply DC - 3 wire 440/220 volts in conjunction with batteries.
This was unique for a small town of about 600 people to have electricity so early before the towns that followed after it.
The above six towns were described individually because they were the first in Queensland to have electricity outside Brisbane.
This was a great achievement for the period up to 1914. |