Yanco Powerhouse

The Yanco Powerhouse was built in 1912 for the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission and is typical of the many coal fired powerhouses built across NSW in the early days of electrification (1888 to 1950). Very few of these regional powerhouses survive to the present day, and the co-location of Yanco Powerhouse with the adjacent water canal and rail siding is still evident today. Whilst none of the generating equipment remains, the ‘evolution’ of the building is still evident as it was modified and expanded to house increasingly larger generators, boilers and associated equipment over the five decades that it was operation (1912 to 1958).

The Powerhouse was in continuous operation until connection was made to the Southern Electricity System on 18th December 1945. It continued to operate in parallel with the Grid as required (generally during peak periods) until it ceased generating altogether in 1958. The Yanco Powerhouse today houses the collection of the Yanco Powerhouse Museum Incorporated, that includes not only the social history of the area but items and artifacts of engineering interest including agricultural machinery and electrotechnology (computers, phones, radios etc.) and a model of the Blowering Dam.