Rubicon Hydroelectric Scheme
Encyclopedia
Rubicon River (Victoria)
The Rubicon River is a tributary of the Goulburn River in Victoria Australia.The river rises in the Blue Range east of Buxton and flows North towards Thornton....
and Royston Rivers, north east of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, 40 km south-west of Alexandra, Victoria
Alexandra, Victoria
Alexandra is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located at the junction of the Goulburn Valley Highway and Maroondah Highway , 26 kilometres west of Eildon, in the Shire of Murrindindi local government area...
, Australia. The scheme commenced in 1922, and was the first state-owned hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
scheme to generate electricity in mainland Australia, and among the first in the world to be remotely controlled. For the first ten years of its operation it supplied on average 16.9% of electricity generated by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria
State Electricity Commission of Victoria
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a monopoly electricity generation, transmission and supply utility located in Victoria, Australia...
. It is now owned and operated by AGL Energy
AGL Energy
AGL Energy is the largest Australian gas and electricity retailer, with over six million customers. It has large investments in the supply of gas and electricity, and has recently invested in sustainable energy businesses such as wind farms and a hydroelectric power station in Victoria’s High...
and contributes approximately 0.02% of Victoria's energy supply.
History
In the 1920s the State Electricity Commission of VictoriaState Electricity Commission of Victoria
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a monopoly electricity generation, transmission and supply utility located in Victoria, Australia...
was investigating hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power generation, in parallel with their works on brown coal fired power stations at Yallourn
Yallourn Power Station, Victoria
Yallourn Power Station was a complex of six brown coal fuelled power stations built progressively from the 1920s to the 1960s. Located in Victoria's Latrobe Valley, the complex was situated beside the Latrobe River, with the company town of Yallourn located to the south west...
. In 1922 a report was delivered by Messrs J.M. and H.E. Coane relating to the development of hydro-electric power on the Goulburn River
Goulburn River (Victoria)
The Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia.The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon, a major storage of water for irrigation...
and the Cerberean Range, which was then in turn submitted to the Parliament of Victoria
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
, with the project approved in 1922.
Known as the Sugarloaf - Rubicon Project, the proposed plan involved five power stations, with 25800 hp of turbine capacity, the largest power station on the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission storage Sugarloaf reservoir at what is now Lake Eildon
Lake Eildon
Lake Eildon is the impoundment created by Eildon Weir on the Goulburn River in southern Victoria, Australia. At 3,334,158 megalitres when full, it contains six times as much water as Sydney Harbour and is the second largest water storage in Victoria after Dartmouth Dam...
, and four others, two on the Rubicon, one on the Royston, and a third on Snobs Creek. These plans were later altered, the Snobs Creek station deleted, and an additional station provided at Rubicon Falls, bringing the installed turbine capacity to over 35000 hp. The Sugarloaf Power Station was used during the irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
season from October to April, when water released from this dam could be used for power generation. The other four stations were used during the rainy seasons of winter and spring.
Work started in 1922, and by 1928 the mountain stream section of the project was complete, the Sugarloaf power station on the Eildon following in 1929. Rubicon 'A' power station has a pipeline with a 1455 feet (443 m) drop over its 4280 feet (1,305 m) length. This station also remotely controlled the other power stations in the project. Minor enlargements were carried out at one station in 1954–55.
The 13.5 MW Sugarloaf Power Station on the Goulburn River
Goulburn River (Victoria)
The Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia.The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon, a major storage of water for irrigation...
was replaced by the larger Eildon Power Station
Eildon Power Station, Victoria (Australia)
Eildon Power Station is a hydroelectric power station at Lake Eildon, Victoria, Australia. Eildon has four turbo generators, with a total generating capacity of 150 MW of electricity. It is owned and operated by AGL. Eildon Power Station operates mostly in summer to meet peaks in electricity...
, and dam at the same site in the 1950s, with the turbines upgraded and reused.
Details of the Rubicon Hydroelectric Scheme
Today the scheme consists of three small run-of-river dams, four power stations and associated raceways and penstocks.The total generating capacity of the scheme is approximately 13 MW, and this output is achieved during the winter months.
Royston Power Station
The Royston Dam is a 48 metres (157.5 ft) concrete slab and buttress on the Royston River. It diverts water into an aqueduct that carries water for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) into the neighbouring Rubicon Valley to the Royston Power Station forebay. The Royston penstock consists of 900 feet (274.3 m) of wood stave pipe on the upper section and 916 feet (279.2 m) of steel pipe on the lower section. The lower part of the wood stave section is now encased in concrete. The Royston Power Station has a capacity of 0.8 MW. Water from the power station outlet discharges into the Rubicon aqueduct about half way along its length.| Component | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royston Dam | 37°22′42"S 145°53′9"E | 158 feet (48.2 m) concrete slab and buttress dam |
| Royston aqueduct | 37°22′37"S 145°52′43"E | 6700 feet (2,042.2 m) |
| Royston Power Station forebay | 37°22′28"S 145°52′16"E | |
| Royston Power Station penstock | 37°22′29"S 145°52′5"E | 30 inches (76.2 cm) diameter. 900 feet (274.3 m) of wood stave pipe on the upper section and 916 feet (279.2 m) of steel pipe on the lower section. |
| Royston Power Station | 37°22′26"S 145°51′53"E | 0.8 MW |
Rubicon Power Station
The Rubicon Dam is a 64 metres (210 ft) concrete arch dam on the Rubicon River. It diverts water into the Rubicon aqueduct for 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) to the site of the Royston Power Station, where is collects water diverted from the Royston River. It then travels a further 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi) to the Rubicon Power Station forebay. The Rubicon penstock has a 443 metres (1,453 ft) drop over its 1305 metres (4,281 ft) length. The Rubicon Power Station has two 4.6 MW horizontal single-jet Pelton wheel generators.| Component | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rubicon Dam | 37°23′29"S 145°51′2"E | 210 feet (64 m) concrete arch dam |
| Rubicon aqueduct | 37°22′29"S 145°51′40"E | 11300 feet (3,444.2 m) from Rubicon Dam to site of Royston Power Station |
| Rubicon aqueduct | 37°20′56"S 145°51′23"E | 17600 feet (5,364.5 m) from Royston Power Station to Rubicon Forebay |
| Rubicon Power Station forebay | 37°20′16"S 145°51′22"E | |
| Rubicon Power Station penstock | 37°19′59"S 145°51′23"E | |
| Rubicon Power Station | 37°19′38"S 145°51′38"E | 9.2 MW, 2 turbines |
Lower Rubicon Power Station
Water discharged from the Rubicon Power Station flows along a 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) aqueduct, then through a 320 metres (1,049.9 ft), 51 inches (1,295.4 mm) diameter penstock to the Lower Rubicon Power Station. This comprises a single 2.6 MW horizontal generator. The discharge water from the power station is returned to the Rubicon River.| Component | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Rubicon aqueduct | 37°18′42"S 145°50′58"E | 10500 feet (3,200.4 m) |
| Lower Rubicon Power Station forebay | 37°18′20"S 145°50′42"E | |
| Lower Rubicon Power Station penstock | 37°18′17"S 145°50′43"E | 1045 feet (318.5 m) of 51 inches (1,295.4 mm) diameter riveted steel pipeline |
| Lower Rubicon Power Station | 37°18′10"S 145°50′45"E | 2.7 MW, 1 turbine |
Rubicon Falls Power Station
The Rubicon Falls Dam is on the Rubicon River below the Rubicon Dam. It diverts water around the Rubicon Falls into the Rubicon Falls Power Station through a 420 metres (1,378 ft) penstock. This power station has a single 0.3 MW horizontal twin-jet Pelton wheel.| Component | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rubicon Falls Dam | 37°20′35"S 145°51′0"E | 106 feet (32.3 m) concrete slab and buttress dam |
| Rubicon Falls Power Station penstock | 37°20′30"S 145°50′57"E | 1400 feet (426.7 m) reinforced-concrete and steel pipeline |
| Rubicon Falls Power Station | 37°20′24"S 145°50′52"E | 0.3 MW, 1 turbine |
Tramway
A two foot gauge steel tramwayTramway
Tramway may refer to:* Tramway , a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A system of trams * Aerial tramway...
was built for construction access between Rubicon Power Station and Rubicon Dam, with timber trestle bridges at Fifteen Thousand Foot Siphon, Royston Power Station, Beech Creek and Lubra Creek. The tramway remained in operation until the 1990s. Additional tramway was built for construction of the Royston power station and dam and removed on completion.
The trestle bridges were replaced after their destruction in the 1939 Black Friday bushfires, were again replaced as part of the maintenance program in 1960s, and the Royston and Lubra Creek bridges were replaced in 1987 and 1991 respectively. The Beech Creek bridge was destroyed in February 2009 by the Murrindindi Mill fire, one of the Black Saturday bushfires.
The Victorian Government agreed to rebuild the bridge in October 2011.
| Component | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 15000 foot trestle bridge | 37°22′15"S 145°51′49"E | 15000 feet (4.6 km) along aqueduct |
| Beech Creek trestle bridge | 37°23′14"S 145°51′45"E | Destroyed in 2009 Black Saturday bushfires |
| Lubra Creek trestle bridge | 37°23′22"S 145°51′37"E |
Heritage Values
The Scheme is on the Victorian Heritage RegisterVictorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
and the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
,
and the surrounding state forest is set aside for its protection.
The historical significance of the scheme is increased by its continuous and ongoing use in essentially original form.