Pieman River
Encyclopedia
The Pieman River is a river on the West Coast
of Tasmania
, Australia
. It was dammed with the 122m high Reece Dam in 1986 - creating Lake Pieman
.
who was responsible for one of the few recorded instances of cannibalism
in Australia, is not correct. "The Pieman" was in fact Thomas Kent of Southampton, a pastry-cook who was transported to Van Diemen's Land
in 1816. After a long series of offences in the colony, he was sent to the Macquarie Harbour penal settlement
in 1822 but subsequently escaped, and was recaptured near the mouth of the river which now bears his nickname. The river has significant timber, mining and industrial heritage along its shores.
and Peter Dombrovskis
, together with John Hawkins and Howard Dean, canoed and photographed the Pieman. The damming of the river was the subject of a struggle between conservation groups and Hydro Tasmania
, similar to Lake Pedder
. The struggle went relatively unnoticed on mainland Australia - and it was the proposed Franklin Dam
issue that was to catch a much wider Australian audience than the damming of the Pieman or King Rivers.
The Pieman River Power Development was approved by the Tasmanian government in 1971 and completed in 1987. The development included three power stations and five dams. It also included the two major tributaries of the Pieman, the Mackintosh and the Murchison rivers.
It remains Hydro Tasmania
's most successfully multi-dammed catchment on the West Coast, and it was developed after the Upper Gordon Scheme (Lake Pedder
) and was being completed in the era of the Franklin River
controversy. It could be seen as the last major Power Development Scheme undertaken by the Hydro during its stage as an expanding dam-making enterprise. The King River and Henty River
developments that followed required specifically challenging engineering on the part of Hydro, but were smaller projects in duration.
or North Farrell Tramway line.
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was dammed with the 122m high Reece Dam in 1986 - creating Lake Pieman
Lake Pieman
Lake Pieman is a lake created by the damming of the Pieman River West Coast, Tasmania.It is a long narrow lake following the line of the Pieman River from Reece Dam back to Rosebery and the Bastyan Dam-Further reading:* Tasmania. Hydro-Electric Commission...
.
Name
The once-common suggestion that it was named after a convict "The Pieman" Alexander PearceAlexander Pearce
Alexander Pearce was an Irish convict who was transported to Van Diemen's Land for theft. He escaped from prison several times, but eventually was captured and was hanged and dissected in Hobart for murder....
who was responsible for one of the few recorded instances of cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
in Australia, is not correct. "The Pieman" was in fact Thomas Kent of Southampton, a pastry-cook who was transported to Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
in 1816. After a long series of offences in the colony, he was sent to the Macquarie Harbour penal settlement
Sarah Island
Sarah Island may refer to:*Sarah Island , an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts*Sarah Island , the remnant site of the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station in Van Diemen's Land in Australia...
in 1822 but subsequently escaped, and was recaptured near the mouth of the river which now bears his nickname. The river has significant timber, mining and industrial heritage along its shores.
Hydro scheme
In 1964, well-known photographers Olegas TruchanasOlegas Truchanas
Olegas Truchanas was a Lithuanian-Australian conservationist and nature photographer.He was a key figure in the attempt to stop the damming of the ecologically sensitive Lake Pedder in South West Tasmania by the Hydro Electricity Commission...
and Peter Dombrovskis
Peter Dombrovskis
Peter Dombrovskis was an Australian photographer, most notably of Tasmanian scenes. In 2003 he was the only Australian photographer inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame....
, together with John Hawkins and Howard Dean, canoed and photographed the Pieman. The damming of the river was the subject of a struggle between conservation groups and Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as The HEC, is the government owned enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia...
, similar to Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder was once a natural lake, located in the southwest of Tasmania, Australia but the name is now used in an official sense to refer to the much larger artificial impoundment and diversion lake formed when the original lake was expanded by damming in 1972 by the Hydro Electric Commission of...
. The struggle went relatively unnoticed on mainland Australia - and it was the proposed Franklin Dam
Franklin Dam
The Franklin Dam or Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.The dam was...
issue that was to catch a much wider Australian audience than the damming of the Pieman or King Rivers.
The Pieman River Power Development was approved by the Tasmanian government in 1971 and completed in 1987. The development included three power stations and five dams. It also included the two major tributaries of the Pieman, the Mackintosh and the Murchison rivers.
It remains Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as The HEC, is the government owned enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia...
's most successfully multi-dammed catchment on the West Coast, and it was developed after the Upper Gordon Scheme (Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder
Lake Pedder was once a natural lake, located in the southwest of Tasmania, Australia but the name is now used in an official sense to refer to the much larger artificial impoundment and diversion lake formed when the original lake was expanded by damming in 1972 by the Hydro Electric Commission of...
) and was being completed in the era of the Franklin River
Franklin Dam
The Franklin Dam or Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.The dam was...
controversy. It could be seen as the last major Power Development Scheme undertaken by the Hydro during its stage as an expanding dam-making enterprise. The King River and Henty River
Henty River, Tasmania
Henty RiverIs a river in West Coast, Tasmania Tasmania to the west of the West Coast Range.Very close to its source - at the headwaters - is the Henty Gold Mine, which is north west of Mount Tyndall....
developments that followed required specifically challenging engineering on the part of Hydro, but were smaller projects in duration.
Railways
The construction of the scheme also altered the route of the Emu Bay Railway, and submerged a variety of rail heritage sites in the vicinity of the river, notably parts of the Wee Georgie Wood RailwayWee Georgie Wood Railway
The Wee Georgie Wood Railway is a narrow gauge tourist tramway that runs from Tullah to near the Melba Line on the West Coast of Tasmania. It is named after its narrow gauge steam engine, which was named the Wee Georgie Wood due to its diminutive size...
or North Farrell Tramway line.
Maps
- Tasmania. Hydro-Electric Commission. Survey Section.(1982) Pieman River power development map [cartographic material] / H.E.C. Map reproduction Survey Section. Ed. 1, 1982. Scale 1:60 000 (E 145°05'--E 145°46'/S 41°37'--S 42°00') Tourist map on orthophoto base, showing power developments, for the area Corinna-Lake Mackintosh-Trial Harbour. Includes power stations, tourist facilities, and historical notes.