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Post date: Apr 13, 2013 10:32:5 AM
During the dry season of 1943 Kim and Bill Durack continued their work on the "Ord River Experimental Station," which had been set up late in 1941 at Carlton Reach using the waters of the Ord. More information is available about the 36 HP Petters "Atomic" diesel pump engine, used to raise the water for these first major experimental attempts at irrigation, at the twenty acre farm site. available from the Carlton Reach Pump Engine (on this site).
Before the engine was officially donated to KHS, Vanessa Mills of ABC Broome did a radio segment, "What's That Thing?", featuring KHS research on the Carlton Reach Pump Engine - See the web page - ABC Kimberley Radio Interview in March 2013 - About the "Petters Atomic Diesel Engine and listen to the audio from there. [See http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/03/18/3718139.htm?site=kimberley]1943 (Dry Season) - 70 Years ago at Carlton Reach (Ord River Experimental Station)
At present the engine is at the old KRS site in view of the Ord River - You can see photographs of it as it is now on the KHS Carlton Reach Pump Engine page. KHS has plans to display this original Carlton Reach pump engine by the entrance gate of the Kununurra Museum before July 20th 2013 commemorations of 50 years, since the Official opening ceremony of the Ord River Diversion Dam and Ord Stage I by Sir Robert Menzies.What's That Thing? - ABC Kimberley - Web Page and Radio Interview [March 2013]
Since locating and researching the provenance of the 36HP "Petters Atomic Diesel Engine," KHS member volunteers have worked at trying to make the engine more accessible (to all! :-), by wishing to display the engine at the Kununurra Museum, to help show the local, State and National significance of tropical agriculture on the Ord and in the Kimberley Region.
This week (ending April 12th 2013), that research work and persistence, has resulted in great success, when the 36 HP "Petters Atomic Diesel Engine" was donated to the Kununurra Historical Society by the Department of Agriculture and Food WA - Frank Wise Institute of Tropical Agriculture, formerly the Kimberley Research Station (KRS), where the engine was also in use until the 1950s.
Why is this engine significant?
For detailed information on this part of our history go to the KHS Carlton Reach Pump Engine page.
Where is the engine now and where will it go (and how)?
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