Take a tour at Tarraleah tomorrow

THE last in the special series of Hydro Tasmania power station open days will take place at Tarraleah tomorrow (Sunday) in the finale of the company's centenary celebrations. The free guided tours of Tarraleah Power Station will reveal amazing feats of engineering and show how the water in our rivers and lakes ends up powering Tasmania every day.

Located about an hour north-west of Hobart, the Tarraleah Power Station was commissioned over a period of 13 years with machines 1, 2 and 3 coming online in 1938 and numbers 4, 5 and 6 from 1943 to 1951. Water flows from Butlers Gorge Power Station via a series of tunnels, canals and pipes to Tarraleah. The water drops 290 metres through penstocks (steel pipes) to the power station. Find out more in the Tarraleah Power Station fact sheet.

Tomorrow's tours will run every 20 minutes between 10am and 2pm, departing from Tarraleah village from where visitors will be transported by bus to the Tarraleah Power Station. Buses will depart outside the 100 Years of Hydro exhibition, next to the Highland Store reception area. Following the tours, visitors will be transported back to the village.

There is no need to book for a tour, but tour group sizes will be limited so there may be a short wait between tours. Delays may be longer during peak times and the Hydro suggests taking the opportunity to stroll around Tarraleah village, visit the Penstock Lookout and enjoy the 100 Years of Hydro exhibition while waiting.

Visitor parking is available in and around Tarraleah village. For safety reasons, parking will not be permitted at Tarraleah Power Station or in the vicinity of the power station.

There is a cafe at Tarraleah Village but the Hydro suggests taking your own refreshments as well, due to the anticipated large number of people attending. Long sleeves and closed-toe shoes must be worn in the power station.

Bags, food and drinks are not permitted inside the power station and would be best left in your car. Cameras, phones and jackets may be taken into the power station. Water and toilets are available at the power station. There is limited disabled and wheelchair access. The guided tour will involve accessing parts of the station by climbing up and down stairs. Mobile phone and internet coverage is not available at Tarraleah village or Tarraleah Power Station.

More power station tour safety information can be found here.

Find out more about Tarraleah village today.