🌧️ Rain couldn’t stop the crowds! Despite the rolling scuds of rain, Glen Innes locals — joined by curious visitors — streamed into the Old Glen Innes Power Station on Saturday. By 9:30am, the building was alive with a fantastic turnout, all eager to marvel at the technology that once powered our town through the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The undisputed stars of the show? Two enormous engines, still as impressive today as they were nearly a century ago.
Guests were handed a vintage brochure from the History House, written and edited by Ivan March, recounting the story of the engines, tools, and machinery which was a part of the Glen Innes Powerhouse Museum Tour conducted during the 1990s. (A copy is included in the gallery.)
But this event wasn’t just about seeing history — it was about feeling it. The sights, the sound that must have been generated with the power that was generated, and especially the unmistakable smell of oil and grease instantly transported many back to their youth: to Dad’s workshop, to a factory floor, a shed full of engines, or perhaps the hum of an old generator that once powered their world. One visitor summed it up perfectly: “Imagine the crowds if we could fire up these engines regularly — what a boost that would be for tourism!”
👏 A huge thank you goes to Council for opening the building, and to the tireless volunteers who dusted and cleaned, and set up displays, so the past could once again shine under lights.
And there’s more to this opening than nostalgia and history. The event is a “tour of an empty building” — an initiative designed to spark entrepreneurial imagination.
Alongside the museum lies a cavernous open space and a sprawling carpark. The question hangs in the air: what could this become? Could the right entrepreneur step forward to transform it into something bold, creative, and uniquely Glen Innes? Could this be a Powerhouse museum and a….. venue for part of the Celtic Festival, ….. display area for Minemara, …… boutique brewery …… cafe ….. there must be a hundred potential uses!
The question now is — who’s ready to dream big and make something happen here?
👉 If you have an idea, get in touch with Council. Your vision could be the spark that lights up this site’s future.
For further information see https://haveyoursay.gisc.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say-on-the-future-of-the-former-glen-innes-power-station
