Photo: Connell, Steve, donor, Picture Bundaberg, bun01088
Constructed in 1902, East Water Tower is the tallest circular brick water tower remaining in Queensland and was a key element in Bundaberg’s first reticulated water system.
The tower stands 35.5 metres high and has eight internal levels containing 138 steps.
It has a base diameter of 9.5 metres, and the thickness of the exterior walls tapers from 91.5 centimetres at the base to 35.5 centimetres at the top of the structure.
The tower is topped by a steel water tank with a capacity of 182 kilolitres, which was constructed in place by the Bundaberg Foundry.
Considered a masterpiece of brickwork, the tower’s innovative engineering design offered a solution to increasing water pressure to allow a reticulated water supply system to operate effectively over Bundaberg’s very flat terrain.
The tower was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992, and most maintenance and conservation work undertaken on the site must be assessed to protect its heritage value.
Does the BRC have tours for groups who would like to visit and climb the stairs to the water tower