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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Subjects
Engineering and Infrastructure
Infrastructure
Electricity

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Electricity

Subject

Balmain Power Station

Casula Powerhouse: Celebrating Art, Community and Cultural Diversity

McKenzie, Violet

White Bay

White Bay power station

Borough of Balmain Electric Lighting Act 1906

Casula Powerhouse

Ultimo power station

Associated General Electric Industries Limited

Australian Gas Light Company

Balmain Electric Light Company

Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation

Electric Power Transmission Pty Ltd

Electrical Association for Women

Electricity Commission of New South Wales

Endeavour Energy

Katoomba Electric Company

Pacific Power

St George County Council

Sydney County Council

Hinks, Harold

McKenzie, Cecil Roland

McKenzie, Violet

Balmain Power Station

Bunnerong Power Station

Katoomba powerhouse

Pyrmont Power Station

White Bay Power Station

Ultimo Power House chimney, August 1898

Aims and objectives of the Electrical Association for Women 1936

Architect's drawing of the Bunnerong Power Station 1926

Bunnerong Power Station, Botany

Casula Powerhouse 28 March 2012

Casula Powerhouse 31 March 2011

Cecil McKenzie in Australian Air League uniform at Blacktown Shire Council's Electrical Exhibition c1940

Cooking demonstration at the Royal Easter Show March 1940

Cover of 'Report on the proposed electric railways for the City of Sydney' by JJC Bradfield, published in 1916

First electric train on main span of Sydney Harbour Bridge 11 March 1932

Lady electrician [Violet McKenzie installing light fitting at the Electrical Association for Women's rooms] June 1935

Machinery room showing motors and gears at Ultimo Power Station, Ultimo c1899

Pages from book The Electric Imps 1937

Paying Passengers on the Electric Service 1 March 1926

Sutherland station with first single deck electric train to Cronulla 15 December 1939

The all electric cookery book compiled by Mrs FV McKenzie for the Association for Electrical Development 1949

View from Pier Street towards Ultimo Power Station 24 June 1937

View of Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction at night, showing lights on c1931

White Bay power station c1930

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Electricity

Balmain Power Station

Originally supplying the inner-west with electricity, this icon of Balmain's industrial heritage ultimately gave way to demand for waterfront property.

Casula Powerhouse: Celebrating Art, Community and Cultural Diversity

From a pleasure garden and riverside retreat to a heavily polluting industrial power station and flourishing arts centre, the history of Casula Powerhouse is a celebration of culture, diversity and community identity.

McKenzie, Violet

A pioneer in Australian radio and electrical engineering, Violet McKenzie had a lifetime commitment to technical education and training, especially for women.

White Bay

Long a centre of waterfront industry, including a saw mill, a power station, an oil terminal, and a container wharf, White Bay is now a more peaceful place, with Birrung Park preserving some industrial heritage.

White Bay power station

In operation from 1917 to 1984, the White Bay Power Station helped to power Sydney for most of the twentieth century. The site is now the last remaining example of a coal-dependent, harbourside, industrial complex, once common in Sydney.

Borough of Balmain Electric Lighting Act 1906

Legislation that enabled Balmain council to generate power for supply to neighbouring areas. The privately owned Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation was contracted to build a power station which commenced operation in September 1909.

full record »

Casula Powerhouse

Powerhouse erected to supplement electricity production during winter and power shortages. In 1955 the 250 foot stack was erected, replacing four shorter chimneys.

full record »

Ultimo power station

full record »

The Ultimo Power House on the corner of Harris and William Henry Streets was built in 1898 'in the Italian Renaissance style of architecture' to supply Sydney's new electric tram system, and opened in 1899, producing choking clouds of coal dust over Ultimo. After the trams stopped in 1961, the building became redundant. In 1988 it was modified to house the Technological Museum and reopened as the Powerhouse Museum.

Associated General Electric Industries Limited

British-owned company which established a manufacturing site in Lidcombe that became a world leader in the manufacture of electric tram motors.

full record »

Australian Gas Light Company

Energy supply company formed in Sydney in 1837 which supplied gas to Sydney street lights from 1841. It oversaw the conversion to natural gas in 1976, and diversified into electricity before merging with Alinta in 2006. AGL Energy is still a power retailer.

full record »

Balmain Electric Light Company

Company which established Balmain Power Station to provide electricity to customers in Sydney's inner west.

full record »

Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation

Privately owned electricity supply company which was nationalised in 1956.

full record »

Electric Power Transmission Pty Ltd

Electricity supply company established in 1951

full record »

Electrical Association for Women

Educational association founded by Violet McKenzie to promote the use of electricity to make women's household work easier.

full record »

Electricity Commission of New South Wales

Statutory body responsible for the generation of electricity and its bulk transmission. In the 1990s the industry was deregulated and transmission assets and power stations were sold to a variety of entities.

full record »

Endeavour Energy

Electricity supply company in the Blue Mountains, Southern Highland, Western Sydney and the Illawarra.

full record »

Katoomba Electric Company

Electricity company established in about 1910 using coal from the Katoomba Colliery.

full record »

Pacific Power

State-owned electricity generator formed from the NSW Electricity Commission in 1995

full record »

St George County Council

Electricity supply company established in 1910.

full record »

Sydney County Council

Body formed to assume control of the Electricity Department previously part of the Municipal Council of Sydney, supplying electricity to the city and other municipalities. In the 1950s its generating stations were transferred to the Electricity Commission but it continued distributing power until it was dissolved with the Sydney Electricity Act 1990.

full record »

Hinks, Harold

Child found electrocuted in the front garden of Cyril and Violet McKenzie's home in Greenwich in 1934.

full record »

McKenzie, Cecil Roland

Electrical engineer employed by the Sydney County Council.

full record »

McKenzie, Violet

full record »

Florence Violet McKenzie was an electrical engineer who taught thousands of women, and soldiers, to use radio for signalling, founded the Wireless Weekly and pioneered technical education for women.

Balmain Power Station

Power station at Iron Cove that operated from 1909 to 1976. It was partially demolished and incorporated into a residential development in 1998.

full record »

Bunnerong Power Station

Coal powered electric power stations in Matraville. Once able to supply a third of the state's electricity, it was closed after concerns with ash pollution and the construction of Lake Macquarie power stations.

full record »

Katoomba powerhouse

Coal operated power station at Katoomba. now closed and converted to generating solar energy.

full record »

Pyrmont Power Station

Steam driven station which powered Sydney's first electric street lights. By the 1970s it became an emergency generator as new power stations were bought into use. The original façade is preserved on Pyrmont Street.

full record »

White Bay Power Station

full record »

Heritage listed former coal-fired power station at White Bay, Rozelle, which operated from 1917 to 1983.

Ultimo Power House chimney, August 1898

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[ NRS-4481-2-[4/8645]-1218]

Aims and objectives of the Electrical Association for Women 1936

full record »

Contributed By

Private collection

(Electrical Association for Women Cookery Book, compiled and published by Mrs FV McKenzie, Director of the Electrical Association for Women (Australia) Sydney, published by The Electrical Association for Women (Australia), Sydney 1936, p 16-7)

Architect's drawing of the Bunnerong Power Station 1926

full record »

By

Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[020602]

(SRC354)

Bunnerong Power Station, Botany

full record »

Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[047\047982]

Casula Powerhouse 28 March 2012

full record »

By

Newtown graffiti

Contributed By

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/newtown_grafitti/6877468514]

(CC BY 2.0)

Casula Powerhouse 31 March 2011

full record »

By

Newtown graffiti

Contributed By

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/newtown_grafitti/5576092053]

(CC BY 2.0)

Cecil McKenzie in Australian Air League uniform at Blacktown Shire Council's Electrical Exhibition c1940

full record »

Reproduced courtesy of the

Ex-Wrans Association NSW

Cooking demonstration at the Royal Easter Show March 1940

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a4423001 / ON 204 Box 87/94]

(Mitchell Library)

Cover of 'Report on the proposed electric railways for the City of Sydney' by JJC Bradfield, published in 1916

full record »

By

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[Nf 625.6099441 B799]

First electric train on main span of Sydney Harbour Bridge 11 March 1932

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[12685_a007_a00704_8735000064r]

Lady electrician [Violet McKenzie installing light fitting at the Electrical Association for Women's rooms] June 1935

full record »

By

Charles E Wakeford

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[ON 388/Box 044/Item 054]

(Mitchell Library)

Machinery room showing motors and gears at Ultimo Power Station, Ultimo c1899

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[4481_a026_000878]

Pages from book The Electric Imps 1937

full record »

By

Violet McKenzie

Contributed By

Private collection

Paying Passengers on the Electric Service 1 March 1926

full record »

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[The Sun, 1 March 1926 (Final Extra), p14 via Trove]

Sutherland station with first single deck electric train to Cronulla 15 December 1939

full record »

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[PIC P861/839 LOC Box N1 Folder 3 ]

(Photo by CC Singleton)

The all electric cookery book compiled by Mrs FV McKenzie for the Association for Electrical Development 1949

full record »

By

Violet McKenzie

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[a3112001 / ML 641.586/22]

View from Pier Street towards Ultimo Power Station 24 June 1937

full record »

Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[071268]

(SRC22902)

View of Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction at night, showing lights on c1931

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[V1/Bri/Syd Har/9]

(Mitchell Library)

White Bay power station c1930

full record »

Contributed By

City of Sydney Archives

[SRC352]

Infrastructure