It used to produce around 1/5 of the shale oil in Australia which was originally developed for national security purposes. Back around the war, there were concerns that Australia would be cut off from imported oil which necessitated the need for Australia to produce its own.
The shale oil works were originally owned by a private company (headed by Davis Gelantine) however it was eventually taken over by the Government for "public interest" purposes. Apparently they appointed an American to oversee the works and he created a lot of problems due to modifications to the infrastructure. The locals apparently believe that under undisclosed circumstances, he was removed from the position. However apparently there was an article in LA which stated that he left Australia due to awkwardness after he rejected a knighthood offer!
Eventually the works were closed down due to low output, high costs and overall bad circumstances. It was built on a flood plain and apparently in one year they experienced 18 floods; it is common for the area to flood however the tour guide said it only happens once every few years. The area also did not have a constant supply of water as the river dried up in the summer and they ended up building a pipe that ran from a town many many kilometres away!
I cannot recall the original name of the village anymore but it was only named Glen Davis in honour (and with respect to) Davis Gelantine.
This was a very wonderful information session. I really enjoyed the history and walking through the ruins. The lookout was also just beautiful; the place just felt as though it was a world away.
This was my eighth trip as part of #take12trips. To see previous trips please click here.
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