Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Great Pipeline to Kalgoorlie
The year 1890 also saw the introduction of representative government, a full generation
after democracy had arrived in the east. The first elected premier was a tough, capable
bushman named John Forrest, who borrowed courageously in order to finance vast public
works to encourage immigrants and private investors. He was blessed with the services of a
brilliant civil engineer, CY O'Connor. O'Connor oversaw the improvement of the Fre-
mantle harbour, and built and ran the state's rail system. But O'Connor's greatest feat was
the construction of a system of steam-powered pumping stations along a mighty pipeline to
drive water uphill, from Mundaring Weir near Perth to the thirsty goldfields around distant
Kalgoorlie.
By the time Forrest opened the pipeline, O'Connor was dead. His political enemies had
defamed him in the press and in parliament, falsely accusing him of incompetence and cor-
ruption. On 10 March 1902, O'Connor rode into the surf near Fremantle and shot himself.
Today, the site of his anguish is commemorated by a haunting statue of him on horseback,
which rises out of the waves at South Beach.
Ironically, just as the water began to flow, the mining industry went into decline. But the
'Golden Pipeline' continues to supply water to the mining city of Kalgoorlie, where gold is
once again being mined, on a Herculean scale unimaginable a century ago. Today you can
visit the No 1 Pump Station at Mundaring Weir and follow the Golden Pipeline Heritage
Trail as a motorist from Perth to Kalgoorlie, where you can visit the rather astonishing Su-
per Pit.
