Visitors and locals have been watching and wondering what is happening to the Old Butter Factory’s historic pump house in Forest Road.
“Rest assured that it is not being demolished, just repaired,” said May Leatch, secretary of the Orbost and District Historical Society.
“We are proud to be sponsoring this work which is being done under the careful eye of Geoff Stevenson, assisted by Robert Greenwood and Brian Hodge.
“Over the years, this pump house has become a flood marker for some of the Snowy River’s largest floods, with the biggest one being in early 1971.
This flood came to the top of the small window on the northern side of the pump house.
“This small wooden structure was constructed on top of a large square concrete tank which was built deep into the ground. The pump house is largely intact apart from the loss of an access door and the ladder that went with it.
“This door seems to have been removed during a previous repair,” Ms Leatch said.
“Built in 1916, the pump house provided water used within the adjacent Orbost Butter Factory. This water was not used for the township of Orbost.
“Water was pumped from the nearly Snowy River into a 20ft deep well. From here it was raised into a 3000 gallon tank on a 20ft frame.
“This water was only suitable for the boiler and maybe for cleaning but not for processing butter or cheese.
“I am assuming from the description above that the 20ft. deep well is the concrete one below the pump house.
“During the next few weeks, the pumphouse will receive some new iron on the roof, along with guttering of the old style,” Ms Leatch said.
