The New Boulder Power Station Information Pamphlet
In 1899, Boulder constructed its own power station on Piesse Street, supplying electricity to the town until a new facility was commissioned in 1940. The new station officially opened on 18 April 1940, inaugurated by the Hon. Philip Collier.
Located on Hamilton Street beside the Railway Reserve, the new power station featured a steel-framed main engine room built by J. Flett of Kalgoorlie for Harris, Scarf & Sandovers Ltd., with plans prepared by Hobbs and Winning Architects. The engine room measured 36 by 75 feet and incorporated reinforced concrete flooring raised 12 inches above ground level, along with Fibrolite walls and roofing. A five-ton, hand-operated double-gantry crane operated on rails positioned 14 feet 3 inches above the floor. Substantial reinforced foundations supported four generating units, with provision for a fifth if required.
A lean-to wing housed offices, a meter testing room, a store, and a fitting shop, while the entire structure was finished with a brick façade.
The plant comprised four Ruston & Hornsby diesel engines (11-inch bore, 14½-inch stroke, 428 rpm), each directly coupled to Lancashire Dynamo & Crypto D.C. generators producing 480 volts. Units 1 and 2 were three-cylinder engines rated at 165 brake horsepower (104 kW) each, while Units 3 and 4 were six-cylinder engines rated at 330 brake horsepower (212 kW) each, providing a combined output of 990 brake horsepower (632 kW). The engines featured enclosed forced-lubrication systems, filtration, thermostatic controls, and instrumentation. All units were spaced at 12 feet 6 inches between centres.
In 1972, the Boulder Shire Council closed the station, and the Kalgoorlie Town Council became the twin towns’ sole public utility provider, operating the Boulder system under a franchise arrangement.
In 1984, State Energy Commission of Western Australia (SECWA) extended its grid to Kalgoorlie by constructing a 220,000-volt transmission line from Muja Power Station to Kalgoorlie via Merredin, spanning 635 kilometres. At the time, it was the longest radial transmission line in the world.
In 1996, the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society relocated from its former headquarters at the old Fimiston Fire Station to the power station. The building’s internal machinery was removed, and remodelling was completed by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines. Only the façade and the gantry crane remain from the original structure.
On 16 June 1996, Kalgoorlie Mayor Ron Yurevich formally handed the keys of the former power station to then-president Pam Whiteford-Hey. She informed attendees that the Society had been required to vacate its Fimiston premises to allow for the expansion of the Super Pit and acknowledged KCGM’s commitment to refurbishing and renovating the long-dormant Boulder Power Station, which had been inactive for approximately 30 years.
