West End Gasworks, Industrial heritage site in West End, Australia
West End Gasworks is a large industrial complex on Montague Road featuring cylindrical storage tanks and mechanical equipment used to produce gas. The site contains multiple structures that once worked together to generate, store, and distribute this fuel across the city.
The South Brisbane Gas and Light Company established the gasworks in 1885 to meet the growing energy demands of Brisbane as the city expanded. The facility operated for many decades, supplying the fuel that powered the city's streets and homes.
The site shows how gas once powered street lighting and homes across Brisbane, revealing the central role this facility played in the city's daily infrastructure. Visitors can see the remnants of a technology that sustained an entire urban system.
The site is an outdoor industrial area, so sturdy footwear with good grip is recommended, especially during wet conditions. Visitors should allow time to walk around and take in the different structures and scale of the facility.
The complex houses the last remaining spiral guide gasholder in Queensland, a rare example of this storage technology from industrial history. This structure reveals how engineers of that era solved the challenge of storing large quantities of gas efficiently.
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