Cultural heritage

Hydro Tasmania’s hydropower schemes are a living example of the continuing development of engineering knowledge and hydropower technology.

Village sites and the remnants of construction activities carry information about the cultural values of the time and the places in which they were built.

As the custodian of around 111 600 hectares of land, numerous rivers and lakes Hydro Tasmania also manage many sites of heritage significance for the Aboriginal community.

Hydro Tasmania is aware of the value of its heritage to the community. It has identified the heritage values of the generation system (the schemes, sites and components), developed a model for predicting whether Aboriginal heritage values will be found on its land or waterways, trains staff in cultural awareness and is raising the awareness of stakeholders in our cultural heritage values. For more information on specific sites see our Conservation management plans.

We also publish a regular cultural heritage newsletter, you can view the latest version and an archive here.

As part of it commitment to being a sustainable organisation, Hydro ensures that its sites and assets are managed in accordance with the Burra Charter 1999.

Lake Margaret is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register as a highly significant historical power scheme. It is the oldest operating hydropower station in Australia.