General News
19 December, 2024
Sad demise for Warrack’s water tower on the hill
Over 100 years of history went under the jackhammer/wrecking scissors of a giant excavator early this week on a hill overlooking Warracknabeal.
The Warracknabeal water tower, which replaced the Phillips Street brick water tower, which was heritage listed in 1970, was built in 1916 according to Grampians Water records.
Ausdecom contractors from Melbourne for GWMWater started the demolition on Monday morning and had half the 400 tonne concrete water tower structure demolished by that night.
This demolition follows the removal of similar towers of that era, in Rupanyup and Minyip in recent weeks. (More information in next week’s Rupanyup pages in the Herald).
Contractors said the ‘spalling’ of the reinforcing steel inside the concrete walls, pushed concrete off the walls of the old town water storage, which meant that the water tower was no longer serviceable, even as a backup to the new higher 700 kilolitre tower in the middle of town, which went into service in the mid 1980’s.
The 400 plus tons of concrete rubble and steel reinforcing was expected to be trucked to Horsham for disposal.
GWMWater believes the concrete ‘Warracknabeal Tank’ was built in 1916, originally to service the Warracknabeal hospital, and eventually to service the entire town.
This would’ve been then handed over to the local council’s Warracknabeal Water Trust for operation and at the disaggregation of water functions from councils, the tank and its infrastructure was transferred to the relevant water authority, of which GWMWater are the current iteration.
GWM Water said, “the tank is being removed as it is no longer in service, due to its condition, and if left to continue to deteriorate, could pose a risk to public safety.
Since work started on the demolition this week the Herald has heard of numerous anecdotes and memories surrounding the old water tower on the hill, these include fishing in the tower, rather brave people riding bicycles around its circumference and even kids swimming in the water tower.
Do you have any memories to share with our readers on the old water tower?
Email us your memories to news@wmnews.com.au