The South Esk catchment in northern Tasmania covers an area of 9000 square kilometres (about 12 percent of the whole State). The river rises on the eastern slopes of Ben Lomond and flows for 190 kilometres in a wide sweep to the south. It is joined by two major tributaries, the Lake and Meander Rivers, before flowing into the Tamar River estuary at Launceston.
The Duck Reach Power Station
The South Esk River was the scene of one of Australia's earliest hydro-electric developments. In 1895 the Launceston City Council began generating electricity from a power station at Duck Reach. The scheme went ahead after considerable controversy and early opposition. Much of the dissent stemmed from suspicion of the new technology but some people suggested it was to be constructed in an area prone to flooding. In 1929 floodwaters rushed down the gorge of the South Esk and destroyed the power station.
As early as 1906 a second higher-level development of the South Esk was proposed. The Launceston City Council decided instead to increase the capacity of Duck Reach. By 1919 it reached a maximum of 2 megawatts but demand for electricity continued to rise and by 1923 the Council was buying power from the then Hydro-Electric Department. The Duck Reach station was rebuilt after the 1929 floods. It was bought by Hydro Tasmania in 1944 and continued operating until after the commissioning of the Trevallyn Power Station in 1955.
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Duck River Power Station
in the early 1970s |
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Just prior to destruction during the 1929 floods |