Duck Reach Power Station
Tasmania, Australia
The Duck Reach Power Station was the first publicly-owned hydroelectric power station in the Southern Hemisphere. Completed in 1895, the conventional plant provided power to Launceston, in northern Tasmania, Australia. Formed by the Duck Reach Weir across the South Esk River and a diversionary penstock, the plant operated until 1955. The site was repurposed as a technology museum in 1995. The power scheme was built by the Launceston Town Council to provide electric street lighting to replace gas lights. The station generated direct current (DC) for arc lamps and alternating current (AC) for both incandescent lamps and electric motors. The former power station, now museum, is located within the Cataract Gorge Reserve, listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.
Power station data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).