![Geelong Gas Works](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Geelong_Gas_Works.jpg)
The Geelong Gas Company was a private company set up to produce and distribute
town gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
in the city of
Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
. From a
gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is an industrial plant for the production of flammable gas. Many of these have been made redundant in the developed world by the use of natural gas, though they are still used for storage space.
Early gasworks
Coal ...
in
North Geelong
North Geelong is a suburb of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria. The suburb was bypassed by traffic from Melbourne coming from the Princes Freeway by the creation of the Geelong Ring Road, which was complete in 2009. At the , North Geelo ...
it converted coal into town gas for use in homes and industry. The company was founded in 1858 and existed until 1971 when Geelong was converted to
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
and the company was bought out by the
Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria.
Establishment
The first attempts at establishing a reticulated gas supply in Geelong were made in 1854. However, it was not until July 1857 that a meeting was held at the National Hotel to establish a gas company in Geelong. The first official meeting was held on 20 August 1857.
The company was established by Act No. 57 in 1857 "''to promote the convenience of the inhabitants of the Town of Geelong and the municipal district of Newtown and Chilwell.''"
The company planned to build a plant capable of producing of gas a year. To distribute this gas to customers, of gas mains was planned, made of to pipes.
[The Geelong Gas Company 1858 - 1958: 100 years of public service and progressive development]
April 1858 saw the company start its search for land to erect the
gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is an industrial plant for the production of flammable gas. Many of these have been made redundant in the developed world by the use of natural gas, though they are still used for storage space.
Early gasworks
Coal ...
on. The first site chosen was in central Geelong. bounded by Bellarine Street,
Corio Bay
Corio Bay is one of numerous internal bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes its name from Corio Bay.
Etymology
When Hamilton Hume and Will ...
, Corio Street and Corio Terrace (now Brougham Street). This site was rejected by nearby homeowners, as well as government representative, MLC
M.J. Strachan, due to health issues having the plant in the city. The Gas Company Act of 4 June 1858 prohibited gas production in the
Corporation of Geelong leaving the company to find another site.
Land on the western side of the railway station at
North Geelong
North Geelong is a suburb of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria. The suburb was bypassed by traffic from Melbourne coming from the Princes Freeway by the creation of the Geelong Ring Road, which was complete in 2009. At the , North Geelo ...
was purchased from the
Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company
The Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia.
Alexander Thomson, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, introduced and mentored a bill to incorporate the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company. ...
for the gasworks. The sale was accepted in March 1859, for £200 an acre, for a total of . A railway siding for the gasworks was provided in September 1859, and was the first private siding in the area.
On 10 February 1860 the foundation stone was laid. A
time capsule
A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ba ...
was also laid with newspapers, coins, a copy of the constitution of company, and a list of those involved with the gasworks construction. This capsule was recovered in 1924 and presented to the company. The original cost of the scheme was not exceed £25,000. The final price was £24,135.
The first gas lamp connected to the system was tested on 3 May 1860. Three weeks later on 24 May there was an official event marking the first gas lamp in Geelong.
Expansion
In the first year of operation for the company, a ten per cent
dividend
A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, it is able to pay a portion of the profit as a dividend to shareholders. Any amount not distributed is taken to be re-in ...
was paid to
shareholder
A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...
s from profits.
By 1894 13 per cent of business and street lighting in Geelong was gas powered. In the
City of Geelong there were 263 street gas lamps, in the
City of Newtown and Chilwell there were 48, in the
City of Geelong West
The City of Geelong West was a local government area about west of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1875 until 1993.
History
Geelong West was first incorporated as a borough ...
there were 45, and there was a single lamp in the
Shire of South Barwon.
The street lights used gave the equivalent light of 15 sperm candles for each of gas burnt. However, by 1913 most of the major street lighting contracts had been lost to electricity.
By the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
capacity at the gasworks was stretched, so in 1924 the works were rebuilt with new technology. 1925 was the first industrial use of gas, before this time it was primarily used in households. The company built new offices at 161 Ryrie Street in 1920.
In 1957 the No. 5
gas holder
A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressu ...
was erected in Riversdale Road
Newtown at a cost of £110,000 pounds to serve proposed gas main extensions south of
Barwon River. By 1958 the company had 18,000 customers and of gas mains throughout Geelong.
In 1963 it had grown to of gas mains, 46 per cent being less than 10 years old, and 30 per cent less than 5 years old. A new gas holder of capacity was also commissioned during 1964, built by the Power-Gas Corporation (Australia) Pty Ltd.
[Geelong Gas Company: Annual Report 1963]
Obsolescence
By the 1960s production of gas from coal was an obsolete technology. By 1963 the Geelong Gas Company had changed production methods, using an
Onia Gegi reforming plant to convert
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...
gases from the
Shell
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
** Thin-shell structure
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard o ...
oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...
at
Corio into town gas. The new reforming plant was visited by many other gas companies as an example of modern
Syngas
Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, in various ratios. The gas often contains some carbon dioxide and methane. It is principly used for producing ammonia or methanol. Syngas is combustible and can be used as ...
technology. The former coal carbonising equipment was only used when
coke (a by-product of the gasification process) was required.
The discovery of abundant reserves of
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
in
Bass Strait
Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...
shook up town gas production. On 16 March 1967 a letter of intent was signed by the Geelong Gas Company with the
Esso Exploration and Production of Australia Ltd and
Haematite Petroleum Pty Ltd to buy natural gas from their
Bass Strait
Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...
gas fields for a 20-year period.
[Geelong Gas Company: Annual Report 1967]
The cost of conversion of the Geelong system to natural gas was estimated at $2.5 to $3 million, with a likely completion date of 1971.
The conversion entailed building a new pipeline from Melbourne, purging the old gas from the mains, change over of all burners in all gas appliances, changes to valves in the distribution network to permit the higher pressures, and removal of the now-unneeded gasworks.
The main natural gas pipeline between Geelong and Melbourne was finished in February 1971. Costing $1.7 million, the pipeline was designed to operate at a maximum pressure of 1000psi, and carry of gas a day. Conversion of homes to natural gas commenced on 15 March 1971, starting at suburbs furthermost from the gasworks, and was completed by the end of August 1971.
The end
A takeover bid for the Geelong Gas Company was issued on 11 December 1964 when the company was served with a notice of acquisition by the
Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria. At this time the 20 shilling ($2) shares in the company were valued at one pound, 16 shillings and sixpence ($3.65), with a total of about 800 shareholders in the company. The takeover bid was later withdrawn.
A takeover bid by the Gas and Fuel Corporation was made in 1970 when a Bill was passed in the State Parliament, with shareholders offered $3.40 a share. The takeover was ratified when 70%
of shareholders accepted the offer, and the Geelong Gas Company ceased to exist on 30 June 1971.
deListedL GEELONG GAS COMPANY LIMITED
There was some controversy over the takeover, with it being revealed that a senior accountant with the Gas and Fuel Corporation had bought 11,000 shares in the Geelong Gas Company shortly before the takeover was made public. It was proved that the accountant had used insider knowledge to buy the shares, but the State Government was told no action could be taken. The issue remained alive until late 1971 when then Opposition Leader Mr Clyde Holding
Allan Clyde Holding (27 April 193131 July 2011) was an Australian politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in Victoria for ten years, and went on to become a federal minister in the Hawke Government.
Early life and education
Holdin ...
called for a further investigation. This move was quashed by then Premier Sir Henry Bolte on the advice of the Victorian Auditor General.
The gasworks themselves were demolished in September 1972, but the railway siding and the concrete foundations of a gas holder are still visible on the site today. The company offices at 161 Ryrie Street are now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...
.
Notes
References
{{EnergyVictoria
Energy companies established in 1858
Energy companies disestablished in 1971
Defunct utility companies of Victoria (Australia)
Economy of Geelong
Australian companies established in 1858
Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 1971
Australian companies disestablished in 1971
Defunct oil and gas companies of Australia