AUGUSTA's WATER WHEEL
by Akita Olsen
Don't take your drinking water for granted.
| If you head towards the Cape
Leeuwin Lighthouse down Leeuwin Road from the
town of Augusta WA you will come across a sign
to the Leeuwin Water Wheel. It's to the right
before you reach the lighthouse. There you will
see a large water-wheel surrounded by fantastic
views of the ocean, rocks and the Leeuwin-Naturaliste
National Park.
The water-wheel sytem was built in 1895 to
supply water for the stone masons of the lighthouse
(builders were Wishart & Davies) and water
to the lighthouse-keepers' cottages. The water
is supplied by a natural fall from a spring
that exists in marshland approximately 330
metres away, which in turn created a flow
over the wheel which revolved and activated
a ram pump to deliver water by pipe to the
lighthouse area.
It probably delivered about 1 litre (wasting
8 litres) every stroke, but it operated continuously
day and night. Because the level of the spring
has subsided over the years, the water is
now electronically pumped to the end of the
Aqueduct. It quickly
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became encrusted with a coating of limestone
and is now frozen in rock. As the water is
now pumped electronically you can see how
the water flows over each section/filter of
the aqueduct and eventually flowing over the
stationary wheel creating a lovely waterfall.
The lighthouse is still being supplied water
from the spring, but through mains pipes now
- along with half of the town.
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Restoration work was carried out on the waterwheel
from October 2001 to December 2001 by Doug Miller,
who is a member of the Augusta Historical Society.
To maintain the needed levels of water, work was done
to alter the aqueduct/flue channel using donated materials
from Brian Webster (a businessman who spends his holidays
in Augusta - and why not!) and donations from the
Lions Club. With this assistance, the Historical Society
was able to complete the resoration work at no cost.
It is great to see the water flowing and the work
has maintained another historical asset in Augusta.
While you are down that way there is a one hour walk
called Water Wheel to Skippy Rock which is fairly
short walk leading you through beach, rocks and bush.
This walk begins at the Leeuwin waterwheel and passes
Quarry Bay and Gour Pools and then ends at the Skippy
Rock car park. It's around 3 kms, and if no one wants
to pick you up at Skippy Rock then it is an hour walk
back again. Details and brochures of this walk may
be available from local CALM offices and tourist outlets
for a nominal fee. It is suggested that if you want
to view a lot of running water during your walk the
best season would be late winter to spring.
It is funny to have a piece of history just sitting
there all alone surronded by rocks and bush - something
we shouldn't take for granted, nor the water that
comes out of our taps when we turn the handle.
For further details about the water wheel visit the
site or contact Augusta's Muesum & Historical
Society 9758 1371 (Secretary Kay Craze). Thanks to
the Historical Society and Doug Miller for assistance
in providing details for this story.
April 2002
