Outback Boilers at Wilcannia and White Cliffs (Birdsville) SAA 6/11/2020

1  Scope  This brief note about 2 boilers was stimulated by a great recovery 2600 km outback trip with Greg, my eldest son, in October 2020 to Ivanhoe, Menindee, Broken Hill, Mutawintji, White Cliffs and Wilcannia in western NSW.

   It was great to get into the dust and recall visits with Barb and the boys in about 1972 when we crossed the Darling river by car over the Menindee road/rail bridge; and with Barb in January about 1983 when returning by car from a SA Committee ME/1 Boiler meeting in Melbourne. We diverted to investigate the failure of the Wilcannia Hospital boiler and see the new solar boiler and power station at White Cliffs. We stayed at the

White Cliffs pub.

.1 In about June 1982, the Department (DIR) heard of the boiler failure at the Wilcannia Hospital which had been built in about 1879 .

.2 The boiler was a small to medium under-fired multitubular horizontal type using drift wood from the Darling river. It had tube failures due to lack of water when the town diesel powered electricity supply gave excess voltage which blew out lights and alarms. Thus no-one was alerted to protect the boiler. The boiler attendant was 90 km away fixing the nurse’s quarters at White Cliffs and a gardener fed wood into the boiler. Thus fortunately there were no injuries. (Note: The boiler was thus “un-attended” – later recognised if it had self-checking controls for which the Australian Standard is currently being improved)

.3 The over-voltage evidently occurred a few times due to speed governor problems with the diesel engines. The hospital superintendent said the hospital was one of the biggest users of fluorescent light tubes in NSW. He added the tubes still came from South Australia like all supplies had originally came from there by river steam boat.

.4. Wilcannia was a stop-over for Bourke & Wills, proclaimed a town in 1864, had shipping wharves, once was the third largest port in AU, and could get to 50C. It was still very remote in 1983 when its time zone was Adelaide’s, TV came from Queensland, diesel was its power base and the Darling a source of water. The power house was one of only two privately controlled public generating stations in NSW.

.5 Being remote, nearly 1000 km by road from Sydney, the town was illegal as the boiler attendant and engine driver were not certificated and the boiler did not comply with regulations.

.6 As no DIR inspector had been to Wilcannia and no-one was hurt, I advised the Superintendent the boiler attendant needed a certificate, we would send literature for him to study, and an inspector would visit the hospital and “power station” to certificate both operators, check the boiler and make the town reasonably legal. This was done in one visit in the next 12 months. Now in 2020 the town is linked to the grid. I have not heard of any more failures or if the boiler is still used.

.7 Before leaving for Sydney in our un-air conditioned car, I swam in the Darling (lightly flowing, warm and brown) with a few Aboriginal nippers on a 40C day. It was great.

Barb and I need a swim at Wellington to cool down after more than 600 km into the sun and before continuing to Sydney nearly 400 km away.

.1 The 2020 brochure on White Cliffs reports:

“ Welcome to one of Australia‘s significant industrial heritage sites.

In 2006 the site was recognized by Engineers Australia Heritage Committee as being the world‘s first commercial solar power station”.

Photographs showed a number of dishes about 4m in diameter with the PV surface in place of the earlier mirrors. This eliminated steam and its hazards and operator.

.2 The brochure also reports White Cliffs was the first commercial opal field accidentally discovered by drovers in 1880. It is located 240 km NE of Broken Hill and over 1000km by road from Sydney. Outside the temperature ranges from 0 to 50C, so many live underground.

.3 In 1983 the purpose of the visit after Wilcannia was primarily of tech interest, if it was safe and complied with regulations, and how might it affect AU PE Standards in future.

Unfortunately there was a fog from the drying out of ground around the town because of recent rare rains, and so no inspection in operation. The operator was enthusiastic and like many outback people who have a lot of sense especially with their equipment. He had been well trained. The rear of the dishes were colored yellow to blend into the environment, but because of the recent rain they looked like big daisies on rare green background.

The dishes focused solar heat onto a small “boiler” of stainless steel which could reach 500C. Small bore SS piping supplied the steam to a 3 cylinder engine converted for steam to produce 25kWe. It had some back-up batteries. The quality of the installation and whole setup was excellent. Some funding had come from the government to ensure success.

.4. The concept and system design was by a Professor at the ANU and an excellent idea for a small very remote outback town. It saved the town expensive diesel and had worked satisfactorily. Also because it was considered safe, of limited size and also a research setup in a special location, I as Chief Inspector gave verbal approval of the boiler and its operator. I was poor on paperwork and I don’t think the boiler was ever registered. You must remember the new idea, remote location and resourceful people have an affect on you.

There must have been very many lessons learnt from this boiler which impacted on the 2020 solar power stations – ideal for AU with lots of sun and open land. Solar boilers were then recognized in Australian Standards. SAA

.1 BirdsvIlle Hydro-Power Station. This outback power station over 1000 km NNW of White Cliffs contrasts with the above two thermal boilers.

I was intrigued to seen in a Commonwealth Year Book a hydro-power station in the middle of AU. So on the way to work at Mt Isa for 2 days in 1976, Barb, my youngest two boys and I drove about 2500 km to Isa across a couple of deserts via Innaminka and BirdsvIlle.

The hydro station was there alright, housed in a small tin shed about 3 x 3m. It used vertically UP hot bore water to drive a small water turbine and an electric generator of about 8 kW – significant for a small town then of about 30 people, one pub, a police house, a trading post and a simple petrol station. See Story Trip to Mt Isa.

Later technology and human developments replaced all 3 power sources.

.2 Love of AU and it’s People . “Great shot of Bourke with water and no rain. AU is a marvelous country and shows how good the Abos are to live in it- not like the poms or eskimos.” This comment related to news from Alex today that Bourke is flooding again from Queensland water and the Darling is starting to fill the Menindee Lakes for the first time in 5 years.

Traveling outback and seeing how fantastic and tough AU nature is, and the really difficult conditions that people have lived and survived in for thousands of years, each time increases my greatest respect for all of them. Also Bourke & Wills etc and other explorers did it tough learning.