Spotswood Pumping Station

The Spotswood Pumping Station artwork by Kerrie Gottliebsen celebrates the stunning Pumping Station. The architectural designs were prepared by Design Engineer Christian Kussmaul based on a classical revival style known as French Empire. While the Pumping Station no longer operates today, about a quarter of Melbourne’s sewage still passes through the site on its way to Werribee.

Today, the Pumping Station is owned by the Museum of Victoria and has become a centerpiece of Scienceworks and an excellent venue hire location, especially the engine room. The wall art print comes in A4, A3 and A2, A1 and A0 and would make a perfect gift for lovers of Melbourne’s west, architecture or Spotswood.

Built in the 1890s and operational until the mid-1960s, the Spotswood Pumping Station was the heart of Melbourne’s sewage system. During its lifespan, all waste collected in the city’s underground sewers passed through the pumps at Spotswood, before continuing on to treatment works at Werribee.

Added to the Victorian Heritage Register in December 1988, the site has been acknowledged as an important part of Melbourne’s history, playing a vital role in improving public health and sanitisation.

You can tour the site on a visit to Melbourne’s Scienceworks Museum, or look out for it on both the silver and small screen. The pumping station is a bit of a pop culture icon, having made appearances in several music videos, Mad Max (1979), the iconic TV show Prisoner (1979-1986), the movie Spotswood (1992) and slightly more recently, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2011).

Content: Visit Victoria

You can read more about the Spotswood Pumping Station here.