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Designed by Canadian Engineer George Chaffey, and manufactured by Tangyes of Birmingham, UK, the pumping station was first commissioned in 1890. It operated for 70 years, lifting water from the River Murray into Kings Billabong to provide water for the Mildura Irrigation Scheme.
In 1886 George and William Chaffey arrived in Victoria, Australia, with plans to establish an irrigation settlement. At that time the land around Mildura was described as being “… hideously barren mallee country”. Their irrigation scheme would eventually transform this area into the fertile land that it is today, producing citrus and grape crops. Irrigated blocks on the Chaffey’s Mildura Irrigation Colony were sold to would-be migrants as far away as Europe.
In order to provide water for irrigating the settlement, the Chaffey brothers placed a large order for pumping equipment with Tangye Brothers. The largest of the items ordered were two large pump sets, driven by identical triple expansion steam engines of novel design. One of the pump sets can still be found on its original site at Psyche Bend. The other, which lifted water from Kings Billabong into the irrigation channels, was removed from its site some years ago. The steam engine from it has been put on static display near the Mildura Rowing Club.
The Psyche Bend Pumping Station operating under full steam on presentation day, observed by members of the public
The Psyche Bend Pumping Station consists of three, large diameter centrifugal pumps, directly connected to a steam engine. Four were provided but only three were ever used. George Chaffey’s design for the steam engine used a vertical layout, similar to those found in marine engines of the day. This was perhaps not so surprising given he had spent his early career in his father’s boat yard on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes and then later designed and worked on paddle steamers in British Columbia. Although, his engine design was unique enough to cause much speculation when it was announced. One critic speculating, in correspondence to “Engineering” magazine, that it would suffer from severe vibration problems due to out-of-balance forces. The high pressure and intermediate pressure cylinders are direct coupled and drive the centre crank of the engine. The two low pressure cylinders drive the cranks on either side.
Other novel features of the setup, compared with other pumping stations built around that time, were: having the three 42” centrifugal pumps directly coupled to the engine crankshaft, rather than using belt drives; and using pumps with horizontally split casings, which were thought to be difficult to seal.
After operating successfully for almost 70 years, the pumping station was decommissioned in May 1959. The station has since been preserved and is operated by the Sunraysia Steam Preservation Society. It is regularly open to the public. The pumps are periodically operated under steam.
George Chaffey was elected a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1894.