Tasmania was first lit by hydropower in 1895, with stories of hard work, migration and innovation living on today. Despite challenges faced in unforgiving landscapes, community prevailed and paved the way for decades of hydro-electricity developments in Tasmania.
Today, Hydro Tasmania manages a number of sites were you can experience this rich history. Waddamana Power Station Heritage Site, located in the Central Highlands, was the centre-piece of the Great Lake Power Scheme. The station was decommissioned in 1995 and added to the Tasmanian Heritage register in 2014. The site is now an active museum where you can view the original station machinery, plus equipment, photographs and memories from the early days of the village!
On your way through the Central Highlands, check out the Highlands Power Trail, a self-guided driving trail that provides insight into the Great Lake Power Scheme. You’ll pass a number of historical sites the homed workers of the scheme’s construction, and decommissioned lagoons and canals.
Looking for a lunch spot overlooking our active hydropower sites? Devils Gate Dam in the North-West has a lookout and picnic area to soak in the views of Lake Barrington. Or in the South, visit the South-West National Park for bushwalking and views over Lake Pedder, Lake Gordon and Gordon Dam.
Join RoamWild for a guided tour through Lake Margaret Power Station, just outside Queenstown on Tasmania’s West Coast. Lake Margaret was built by the Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company between 1912 and 1914, and acquired by Hydro Tasmania in 1985. The power station and historic village are heritage listed. The power station is still in operation with original machinery, so this tour provides the unique opportunity to witness a piece of Tasmania’s industrial heritage at work. Bookings are essential.
Pedder Wilderness Lodge is located right in the heart of Tasmania’s Southwest National Park, part of Tasmania’s World Heritage Area, and offers spectacular views across Lake Pedder and the Twelvetrees Range.
Originally established as the Hydro construction village of Strathgordon for the development of the mighty Gordon Dam and Power Station, the Lodge has been transformed to a relaxing warm environment with a focus on fine Tasmanian food and wine. Set beside Lake Pedder and a short drive to Gordon Dam, the Lodge is the ideal base for outdoor activities including abseiling down the dam wall.
Pedder Wilderness Lodge is owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania.
The world-famous140 metre high curved arch that is Gordon Dam holds back the water of the mighty Gordon River. You can admire the view across Lake Gordon from the walkway along the top of the dam.
With spectacular views of Bass Strait, the Musselroe Wind Farm is situated on land known as tebrakunna to the pairrebeener clanspeople, the traditional owners.
The Tebrakunna Visitor Centre is named after the land, and includes displays and information about the wind farm, the traditional landowners, the history of the Cape Portland property and the maritime and mining history of the greater North East region.
For opening hours and directions visit the Woolnorth Wind Farms website.
Tasmania offers world class wind resources. Woolnorth operates three wind farms, which generate approximately 9 per cent of the state’s electricity needs.
School and community groups are welcome to visit (bookings essential) and the farms hold occasional open days where you can take a tour and gain an insight into the power of wind.
The farm at Musselroe Bay is also home to a visitor centre, open year round.