Mount Helena to Chidlow It’s full steam ahead on this straight section between Mt Helena and Chidlow. You can appreciate the relationship between the railway line and the original pipeline route. Spare a thought for CY O’Connor too as you travel next to the pipeline. Pipeline Many myths surround the engineer in charge of the pipeline, Charles Yelverton O’Connor, in particular the reason for his suicide. It’s appropriate that you’ll travel next to the pipeline in this particular section which has associations with that tragic death. [more]
Railway Line The importance of the railway line as a means of transport for the goldfields water supply pipes should be made clear in this section. And there is an opportunity to make a side-trip to a railway dam now used for recreation. [more]
Like Mt Helena, Chidlow was a timber-cutting settlement. But it was also associated with the supply of water for travellers and was known originally as Chidlow’s Well. A railway dam was built here to supply trains with water for steam. [more]
Pipeline Many myths surround the engineer in charge of the pipeline, Charles Yelverton O’Connor, in particular the reason for his suicide. It’s appropriate that you’ll travel next to the pipeline in this particular section which has associations with that tragic death. O’Connor’s death Many people believe CY O’Connor killed himself because the water did not arrive at the expected time. In some versions the water arrived a day or two later because of a miscalculation or blocked valve. A leaking joint discovered during a test of the pipeline near Chidlow on Saturday, 8 March 1902 may be the basis for this myth. O’Connor made an appointment to inspect the joint on the Monday, the day of his suicide.
Controversial machine It was on the pipeline between Mount Helena and Chidlow that a controversial mechanical caulking machine that became the focus of a Royal Commission was first used. It was invented to speed up the process of waterproofing the pipe joints by mechanically, rather than manually, plugging them with lead. In his last note, O’Connor referred to having to attend to three commissions.
The Kep Track passes a booster station at Chidlow. The number of pump stations on the pipeline has more than doubled since the days of steam if you include the boosters that operate in times of peak demand. The wall of the booster station facing Kep Track has been painted with delightful scenes that commemorate the town’s history.
Railway line The importance of the railway line as a means of transport for the goldfields water supply pipes should be made clear in this section. And there is an opportunity to make a side-trip to a railway dam now used for recreation. Newsworthy A correspondent to the Inquirer newspaper reported in April 1884 on the newly-opened Guildford to Chidlow’s Well line. He travelled from what was to become Mount Helena along “a straight piece of line … that would do credit to any part of the world” to Chidlow’s Well Station. However, to make it straight took some effort, as the height of embankments will attest. Earth to form these was brought in by horse and cart. Pipeline line The Interim Report of the Commission of Engineers appointed by the Government of Western Australia to inquire into the project for providing a permanent water supply to the Coolgardie Goldfields, 1897 stated “We are of the opinion that the aqueduct should follow generally the line of railway, on account of the facility for conveying the pipes and machinery ....” You’ll be able to see this close relationship in this section.
Railway Dam The original well at Chidlow’s Well was not all that reliable. Train engines needed water to keep them steaming up and down the line between the goldfields and Perth so an earthen dam wall with a clay core was constructed in 1897 to hold 520 million litres of water for this purpose. Water was pumped to two immense water towers in the Chidlow stationyard. A pumper stationed at the lake kept the wood-fired boilers fed to supply the pump with steam. By the 1930s it was no longer suitable for its original purpose because clearing of the catchment had made the water too saline for train engines.
In 1966 the railway line was closed and the station which had been the hub of the town for 82 years was demolished. A sculpture, in what was the railyard precinct and what is now a park, is a reminder of the town’s railway past. It commemorates the train that brought the Proclamation in 1890 heralding self-government for Western Australia with the establishment of a new colonial parliament.
Like Mt Helena, Chidlow was a timber-cutting settlement. But it was also associated with the supply of water for travellers and was known originally as Chidlow’s Well. A railway dam was built here to supply trains with water for steam. Time out at Mt Helena The railyard precinct in the centre of Mt Helena has been converted into a pleasant park and you can take some time out here. The tavern is on one side and on the other is a general store which is open on a Sunday. The trail passes an aquatic centre on the eastern outskirts of the town so you could even stop for a little longer and cool off. Chow at Chidlow “.. a sumptuous spread of roast beef and roley-poley” was enjoyed by the Inquirer newspaper correspondent reporting on the newly-opened Guildford to Chidlow’s Well line in April 1884. This was the start of a long tradition of supplying food for railway passengers. Although the railway kiosk has now gone you can get refreshments at the hotel, soft drinks at the post office if it is open, or groceries at the shops which are just over half a kilometre from Kep Track.
Today Chidlow’s railway dam is known as Lake Leschenaultia and is a favourite spot for picnics, walks and water based activities. The road to Lake Leschenaultia, just over 2 km from Kep Track, is well-marked. The dam is named after the flower because of the brilliant blue of its surface on hot summer days. Swimming was forbidden in the 1900s but today you can swim, boat and camp there. |
