Scenic Hydropower station surrounds (note low water flow in drier season), Queensland, Australia
The Barron River is located on the Atherton Tablelands inland from Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia. With its headwaters below Mount Hypipamee, the 165-kilometre long river with a catchment area of approximately 2,138 square kilometres forms through run off from the Mount Hypipamee National Park, flows through Lake Tinaroo, and eventually empties into the Coral Sea near Smithfield.
The conceptualisation for construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Barron River was first suggested in 1906. It was nearly 30 years before completion was realised. The 3.8 MW plant was the first underground power station in Australia and supplied the Cairns area with electricity for 28 years. The site presented many challenges including precipitous cliffs, torrential rain, and raging floods. The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station (or Barron Gorge Hydro) in Queensland, Australia is an electricity power station commissioned in 1963 with a maximum capacity of 66 megawatts. It is located in the locality of Barron Gorge in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area 20 kilometres north-west of Cairns. It replaced an earlier station which was the first underground power station in the country and the first hydroelectric station in Queensland. The power station was refurbished in 2006. 23541
Scenic Hydropower station surrounds (note low water flow in drier season), Queensland, Australia
The Barron River is located on the Atherton Tablelands inland from Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia. With its headwaters below Mount Hypipamee, the 165-kilometre long river with a catchment area of approximately 2,138 square kilometres forms through run off from the Mount Hypipamee National Park, flows through Lake Tinaroo, and eventually empties into the Coral Sea near Smithfield.
The conceptualisation for construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Barron River was first suggested in 1906. It was nearly 30 years before completion was realised. The 3.8 MW plant was the first underground power station in Australia and supplied the Cairns area with electricity for 28 years. The site presented many challenges including precipitous cliffs, torrential rain, and raging floods. The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station (or Barron Gorge Hydro) in Queensland, Australia is an electricity power station commissioned in 1963 with a maximum capacity of 66 megawatts. It is located in the locality of Barron Gorge in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area 20 kilometres north-west of Cairns. It replaced an earlier station which was the first underground power station in the country and the first hydroelectric station in Queensland. The power station was refurbished in 2006. 23541