VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION

VICTORIA FALLS ROAD COBUNGRA, EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Register

VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION SOHE 2008

Statement of Significance

• Other Records For This Place
  • VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION - Victorian Heritage Inventory
• Additional Place Information

  • History

    VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION - History

    Contextual History: HISTORY OF PLACE
    In 1907, the Cassilis GMC constructed a hydro-electric power station on the Cobungra River, about 6.5 km from its junction with the Victoria River, just below the Victoria Falls. Water from Victoria River was delivered to the power station by a race built along the spur separating the Cobungra and Victoria Rivers. The race was unlined and measured 3 ft deep, 4 ft wide at the bottom, and 7 ft wide at the top. It filled a settling dam at the top of the spur, from which point water was delivered to the power plant by 1650 ft of piping, which reduced in size from 34 inches to 38 inches diameter. The powe station was equipped with a Voith pelton wheel, and began operating in 1908. A power line ran between the power station and the Cassilis mine, a distance of some 27 km.A holding dam of 250 million-gallon capacity was to have been constructed on the Victoria River, at the commencement of the water race, but this was not done. As a result, an insufficient supply of water caused frequent power shortages and stoppages at the Cassilis mine. The power station's poor performance was largely to blame for the ultimate closure of the Cassilis mine in 1916. Early in that year, a dam was built above the power plant, but the first substantial rains washed it away. The power plant was sold to a Tasmanian silver mine in 1917.

    Assessment Against Criteria

    VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION - Assessment Against Criteria

    Criterion

    Criterion A
    The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria's history of the place or object.
    It is the site of Victoria's earliest large-scale hydro-electric power scheme constructed for gold mining purposes. Power was generated through a Pelton wheel. The scheme was completed in 1907, and by 1909 all steam engines at the mine in Power's Gully at Cassilis had been replaced with electric motors.  The power station  operated until the mine closed in 1916.

    Criterion B
    The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.
    The Victoria Falls Hydro-Electric Power Station is of technological importance for the survival of a range of foundations and earthworks that illustrate all aspects of the underlying technology. No other site of its age and type retains this evidence.

    Criterion C
    The place or object's potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria's cultural heritage.
    The site is archaeologically important for its potential to yield artefacts and evidence which may be able to contribute to an understanding of the use of hydro electric power in Victoria.

    Criterion D
    The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects.

    Criterion E
    The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features.

    Criterion F
    The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements.
    The Victoria Falls Hydro-Electric Power Station is of technological importance for the survival of a range of foundations and earthworks that illustrate all aspects of the underlying technology. No other site of its age and type retains this evidence.

    Criterion G
    The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations.

    Criterion H
    Any other matter which the Council considers relevant to the determination of cultural heritage significance

    Permit Exemptions

    VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION - Permit Exemptions

    General Exemptions:

    General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

    Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

    Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

    Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

    Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

    Specific Exemptions:

    General Conditions:
    1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
    2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
    3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
    4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
    Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable.
    Exemptions of Permit
    No permits are required for the following classes of works:
    * Works required to leave abandoned adits in a safe condition.
    * Undertaking of safety and access works to restrict vehicular access to the site and minimise removal of machinery and foot traffic near or on foundations.
    * Repairs to the tailings pond.
    * Installation of information signage for interpretation and public risk purposes.
    * On-site works confined to protect and stabilise buildings and structures.
    * Control of pest plants and animals.
    
    Exemption Review
    Permit exemptions will be reviewed in conjunction with a Conservation Management Plan when supplied by the owners and to the satisfaction of the Executive Director.

    Permit Exemption Policy

    VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION - Permit Exemption Policy

    Through the registration of the Victoria Falls Hydro-Electric Power Station it is desired to retain the essential character of the place. The intent of the permit exemptions is to allow the normal day to day management of the site as a key component of the Victoria Falls Historic Reserve. The permit exemptions recognise the relative remoteness of the place.
• Location map
• Explore related places
  • Show:
    -- select -- Nearby Places Same era

  • 
    VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION

    

    Victorian Heritage Register H1942
  • 
    VICTORIA FALLS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory

  • 
    'Aqua Profonda' sign wall sign, Fitzroy Swimming Pool

    

    Yarra City H1687
  • 
    'DRIFFVILLE'

    

    Boroondara City
  • 
    1) WEATHERBOARD FARM HOUSE AND 2) THE OUTBUILDINGS

    

    Nillumbik Shire
• Public contributions