ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collection
HMSS 0301 Ron Moore Bendora Gravity Main Photographs
Call Number |
HMSS 0301 |
Collection |
Ron Moore Bendora Gravity Main Photographs |
Date Range |
1966-1967 |
Quantity |
0.01 (1 folder |
Access Conditions |
open |
Copying conditions |
with attribution |
Related Collections |
Ron Moore, who took these photographs, was the resident engineer on the Bendora Gravity Main. He graduated in 1955 from the University of Sydney, worked initially for the Sydney Water Board and then on the trans-Canada gas pipeline 1957-1963. Back in Australia, with the Commonwealth Department of Works, he was involved with construction of the Bankstown Airport runway and then the Bendora gravity main. He left Works in 1968 to work with the National Capital Development Commission until 1988, and then as a consulting engineer until retirement in 1997.
Ron tells the story of the Bendora pipeline in Dams on the Cotter, an oral history project conducted in 1997-1998 by Matthew Higgins for the Institution of Engineers, Australia, Canberra Division Heritage Panel (ACT Heritage Library H 994.7 HIGG). Some of his photographs, with more extensive captions, are included in that book. This collection of 82 35mm colour slides documents the construction of the gravity main through difficult country, heavily timbered and with few, mostly inadequate, access tracks, with slopes up to 55 degrees, and requiring numerous creek crossings. The project began in wet weather and ended in extreme drought. Canberra’s existing water storage, the Cotter Dam, was depleted on 4 January 1968 so final testing of the pipeline was shortened to permit commissioning of Bendora the next day. After sixty years, the idea of bringing water to Canberra by gravity was a reality.
BOX LIST
Image no. |
Caption |
Date of image |
1 |
Downstream from 9m 2500 |
1/11/1966 |
2 |
Downstream from 1m 300 |
1/11/1966 |
3 |
Access crossing to Area 3A (flood damage) |
10/11/1966 |
4 |
Access road |
11/11/1966 |
5 |
Access road |
11/11/1966 |
6 |
River crossing to camp |
11/11/1966 |
7 |
River crossing to camp |
11/11/1966 |
8 |
River crossing to camp |
11/11/1966 |
9 |
Downstream from 9m 2400 |
11/11/1966 |
10 |
Downstream from B78 |
11/11/1966 |
11 |
Unidentified |
11/11/1966 |
12 |
Unidentified |
11/11/1966 |
13 |
Unidentified |
11/11/1966 |
14 |
Downstream from 9m 2490 |
11/11/1966 |
15 |
Upstream from 9m 2490 |
11/11/1966 |
16 |
Upstream from 9m 2490 |
Nov 1966 |
17 |
Trench drilling and blasting upstream from 9m |
Nov 1966 |
18 |
Trench drilling and blasting upstream from 9m |
Nov 1966 |
19 |
Pipeline ch. 1m |
22/11/1966 |
20 |
Pipe handling 9m 1720 |
Dec 1966 |
21 |
Downstream from 9m 2428 |
Dec 1966 |
22 |
Trenching upstream from 9m 1720 |
7/12/1966 |
23 |
Trenching upstream from 9m 1720 |
7/12/1966 |
24 |
Upstream from ch. 1m 2990 |
13/12/1966 |
25 |
Downstream from 9m 2428 |
Dec 1966 |
26 |
Upstream Pierces Creek |
7/2/1967 |
27 |
Cotter crossing no. 8 |
13/2/1967 |
28 |
Rocks in trench upstream to 8m 5000 |
13/2/1967 |
29 |
Upstream to Uriarra Crossing |
13/2/1967 |
30 |
Upstream from Murrumbidgee |
Feb 1967 |
31 |
Cotter crossing no. 8 |
Feb 1967 |
32 |
Upstream at Uriarra Road crossing |
Feb 1967 |
33 |
Upstream to Cotter Crossing |
Feb 1967 |
34 |
Downstream to crossing no. 5 |
Feb 1967 |
35 |
Benching downstream to Tidbinbilla Road |
Feb 1967 |
36 |
Murrumbidgee River crossing |
28/2/1967 |
37 |
Excavating Murrumbidgee crossing |
28/2/1967 |
38 |
Bedding, upstream Cotter crossing no. 8 |
Feb 1967 |
39 |
Cotter crossing no. 8 |
28/2/1967 |
40 |
Downstream creek crossing area ch. 2m 4000 |
1/3/1967 |
41 |
Downstream to Cotter crossing no. 5 |
1/3/1967 |
42 |
Downstream Murrumbidgee crossing |
3/3/1967 |
43 |
Concreting Murrumbidgee crossing |
4/3/1967 |
44 |
Completed benching upstream towards Pierces Creek |
14/3/1967 |
45 |
Bend B18 being laid |
14/3/1967 |
46 |
Scaffolding for creek crossing 2m 4000 |
14/3/1967 |
47 |
Upstream to Cotter crossing no. 2 |
18/3/1967 |
48 |
Upstream to Cotter crossing no. 2 |
18/3/1967 |
49 |
Truck in trench, pouring of B18 |
18/3/1967 |
50 |
Drilling Cotter crossing no. 1 |
27/4/1967 |
51 |
Upstream to Cotter crossing no. 3 |
27/4/1967 |
52 |
Upstream to Cotter crossing no. 3 |
27/4/1967 |
53 |
Upstream to Cotter crossing no. 4 |
27/4/1967 |
54 |
Downstream to Cotter crossing no. 6 |
27/4/1967 |
55 |
Downstream to Cotter crossing no. 7 |
27/4/1967 |
56 |
Upstream to Cotter crossing no. 6 |
27/4/1967 |
57 |
Upstream towards Pierces Creek |
9/5/1967 |
58 |
Downstream Cotter crossing no. 4 |
10/5/1967 |
59 |
Cotter crossing no. 1 |
22/5/1967 |
60 |
Cotter crossing no. 1 (pour has stopped) |
26/5/1967 |
61 |
Cotter crossing no. 1 (pour has stopped) |
26/5/1967 |
62 |
Cotter crossing no. 1 |
26/5/1967 |
63 |
Upstream from crossing no. 7, pipe out of ground |
26/5/1967 |
64 |
Trenching downstream from 4m 3760 |
6/6/1967 |
65 |
Gully crossing ch. 4m 500 |
6/6/1967 |
66 |
Upstream from 3m 3800 |
6/6/1967 |
67 |
Upstream from 8m 3261 B68 |
7/6/1967 |
68 |
Upstream from 8m 3261 B68 |
7/6/1967 |
69 |
Upstream from 8m 1900 |
20/6/1967 |
70 |
River blocked from benching, upstream camp at 5m 2400 |
20/6/1967 |
71 |
Downstream from 5m 500 |
20/6/1967 |
72 |
Upstream from 4m 4600 |
20/6/1967 |
73 |
Additional anchorage Cotter crossing no. 4 |
27/6/1967 |
74 |
Downstream at gully crossing 4m 500 |
27/6/1967 |
75 |
Upstream from 4m 4600 |
18/7/1967 |
76 |
Downstream from 6m 1950 |
20/7/1967 |
77 |
Hydraulic operated compactor, Pierces Creek |
20/7/1967 |
78 |
Pipe damaged by scammel B35 |
28/7/1967 |
79 |
Gully crossing 4m 500 |
28/7/1967 |
80 |
Downstream from 6m 3888 |
28/7/1967 |
81 |
Unloading Y5 at Area 11 |
31/8/1967 |
82 |
Downstream from 6m 1900 |
12/9/1967 |