White Bay Power Station was one of the longest serving power stations in Sydney. The Power Station was constructed between 1912 and 1917 to power Sydney’s tram system and later, its rail network.
Placemaking NSW has undertaken extensive remediation and conservation works to repurpose White Bay Power Station as an arts, cultural and community hub. The Power Station is significant as it is the only one retaining machinery and equipment from before the 1950s, demonstrating the process of electricity production and its use throughout Sydney’s extensive rail network. It is listed on the NSW State Heritage, National Trust of Australia and National Estate registers.
Power Up Festival – Expression of interest
Power Up is a festival of local art, culture, food, and entertainment held at White Bay Power Station from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 September 2024.
Expressions of interest are now closed. Applicants will be notified of the outcome in late June 2024.
For enquiries or to discuss your EOI, email [email protected].
Restoration
The heritage-listed White Bay Power Station is one of the most recognised landmarks in Sydney’s inner west. Remediation and conservation work was completed in accordance with the site’s Conservation Management Plan to ensure that the heritage integrity of the power station is maintained.
Work included:
- repair to the roofing and guttering, to ensure buildings are watertight and protected from deterioration
- treatment of corroded structural steel and replacement of cladding and damaged timber framing to the external building structures
- stabilisation of the 2 external landmark chimney structures.
Story of White Bay Power Station
White Bay Power Station was one of the longest serving power stations in Sydney. It was constructed between 1912 and 1917 to power the tram system and the later rail network. It supplied power to the electricity grid after 1958. The power station remained in service until 1984 when it was decommissioned. The buildings are now over 100 years old, with significant upgrades completed in the 1920s and 1950s.
The power station is significant because it is the only station retaining machinery and equipment from before the 1950s, demonstrating the process of electricity production at that time. The site is listed on the NSW State Heritage, National Trust of Australia and National Estate registers.
In 2000, the NSW government through the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (now Place Management NSW) transferred the 4 ha site from Pacific Power. The government confirmed that the White Bay Power Station would be retained for cultural and creative purposes as part of the Bays West Place Strategy and precinct planning.
Remediation works started in 2021. There has been significant investment from government to restore the power station to a point where the community can enjoy it. The power station will attract local visitors from across Sydney, Australia and throughout the world.
Conservation will allow the White Bay Power Station to become a focal point for the transformation of the Bays West precinct.
Aboriginal Cultural heritage
The stretch of Country now known as Bays West has been known for millennia as Gari Gurad/Nura (Saltwater Country) and Nattai Gurad/Nura (Freshwater Country). This Country is celebrated for vast expanses of garaban (rock and sandstone) that provides gibbaragunya (stone/cave shelters) and yiningmah (steep cliffs).
Country and its significance within Aboriginal cultures is informing all planning for the Bays West Precinct, including the power station. As part of the Bays West Place Strategy, we developed a Bays West Connecting with Country Framework to establish the importance, relevance and power of connecting with Country. This approach will be embedded in all phases of the Bays West development.
First day of operation in a temporary structure at White Bay Power Station, 3 July 1913. The brick walls of the Turbine Hall and Switch House are under construction on the left. (Railway Department archive, 0363-004. NSW State Archives) 
Construction of the Turbine Hall, c1916-17 (Railways Department archive, 127-2706. NSW State Archives) 
Turbine Hall, 1925. The administration wing is under construction in the distance. (Railway Department archive, 0363-083. NSW State Archives) 
Boiler House 2 under construction, mid-1920s. (Railway Department archive, 0363-090. NSW State Archives) 
Aerial view of White Bay Power Station and the broader area, circa 1931. (City of Sydney Archives, A-7796) 
The newly completed Control Room, 1949. From here power to the Sydney Suburban Railways, and to Sydney in general, was controlled. This room survives almost intact to as it appears in this image. (Electricity Commission archive. NSW State Archives) 
The new Boiler Hall under construction in 1951 (replacing the 1917 Boiler Hall). (Railways Department archive. NSW State Archives) 
The 1954 Boiler House, Northern Chimney and Coal Conveyor and Ash Handling Plant soon after completion. (Electricity Commission archive. NSW State Archives) 
New turbine installation, 1950s (Electricity Commission archive, NRS 20347/1/42/1843. NSW State Archives) 
Nos 1 and 2 Parsons Steam Turbines, 1956. The one in the foreground can still be seen at White Bay. (Electricity Commission archive, 00937. NSW State Archives) 
Workshop in 1959. Spaces such as this are preserved at White Bay Power Station; some with graffiti and work timetables written on the walls in chalk. (Electricity Commission archive, NRS 20347/1/1950. NSW State Archives) 
View from the silos on Glebe Island, 1960s. The 1920s boiler house can still be seen to the left of the chimneys. This was demolished in the early 1970s. (Electricity Commission archive, NSW State Archives) 
Cavernous spaces of the Turbine Hall mezzanine level, 2021. Extensive peeling of lead paint has been remediated as a key part of the critical heritage repairs. (PMNSW)
Future uses
White Bay Power Station has been zoned for predominantly cultural and community use and the future purpose presents an extraordinary opportunity.
Placemaking NSW will be engaging with the community and cultural sector (big, small, local and regional) over coming months to share an overview of the building and spaces, consider what is possible in each space and to hear about requirements and needs.
The vision is for White Bay Power Station to be a multi-purpose cultural facility suitable for a range of cultural, artistic and commercial functions, including First Nations programming.
Help us plan the future of White Bay Power Station
Help us plan for the future of White Bay Power Station as an arts, culture, creative industries and community hub. We want to understand what cultural activities you’d like to see in this iconic space and how we can bring your ideas to life.
White Bay Power Station has mainly been zoned for arts, culture, creative industries and community use, presenting a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a venue like no other.
Our online survey and submission portal was open from Friday 19 April to Tuesday 11 June 2024 and is now closed. There will be further opportunities to share your thoughts throughout the year.
The ideas gathered will be consolidated into a report that will help inform the future use of the White Bay Power Station as Sydney’s newest cultural beacon. A summary of community engagement findings will be published online later this year.
For more information on:
- venue hire email [email protected]
- general queries email [email protected]
- media enquiries email [email protected]
White Bay Power Station on social media: