Leeuwin waterwheel awarded heritage listing

26/7/01
The waterwheel that once supplied fresh spring water to lighthouse keepers at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in Augusta has been entered on to the State's Register of Heritage Places.
Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards said the Cape Leeuwin Waterwheel was an essential part of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse operations before the lighthouse and quarters were connected to the Augusta town water supply.
"Waterwheels were used widely in the South-West during the 1850s to power simple flour mills, but few survived the introduction of steam power," Dr Edwards said.
"The waterwheel at Cape Leeuwin, situated at the mouth of a freshwater spring at Quarry Bay, is thought to be the only waterwheel that was built to provide power to pump fresh water for human consumption."
Dr Edwards said the Cape Leeuwin Waterwheel was a popular spot visited regularly by tourists from Australia and overseas, and its preservation was due largely to the ongoing efforts of the local community.
The waterwheel was constructed in 1895 by pioneering timber merchants Malcolm Davies and John Wishart, who won the Government contract to build the lighthouse and quarters.
Construction of the lighthouse and waterwheel was undertaken on the initiative of Mr Davies, who established a number of timber mills in the area from the 1880s.
Several small towns grew up around the mills including Karridale, Boranup, Hamelin and Jarrahdene. To export the timber, jetties were established at Hamelin Bay (used in summer) and Flinders Bay (used in winter).
In 1873, at an inter-colonial conference, colonial representatives met to discuss coastal lights and colonial responsibility. At this conference it was noted that there was a need for two new lighthouses along the Western Australian coast, one on Cape Naturaliste and the other on Cape Hamelin.
"Mr Davies urged the Government to built another light near Cape Leeuwin, as his mills exported large quantities of timber from ports in this area," Dr Edwards said.
"However, it was not until 1893 that the WA Government was able to afford the cost of establishing a light at Cape Leeuwin."
Cape Leeuwin was a remote location in the 1890s and the only reliable water source was a freshwater spring located to the north of the lighthouse site. Davies and his partner won the tender to erect a lighthouse, quarters and a waterwheel to supply water to the site, for the sum of ?7,782.11s.6p.
In the mid-1920s, an oil engine was used to help pump water to the lighthouse quarters and in later years the wheel was completely bypassed.
In 1978, the lighthouse and quarters were connected to the Augusta town water supply, which took its water from the same spring. In 1982, the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was automated and the keepers withdrawn.

Media contact: John Carey- 9220 5050