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O'Connor came from Ireland to Australia via New Zealand in 1862. He became a legendary figure in early colonial civil engineering. The roads he surveyed in NZ in what was then known as 'The Middle Island' are still in use today. He also worked in the Greymouth and Hokitika areas, surveying the roads and the harbour. He was invited to Western Australia by the then Premier, John Forrest (known as 'Big John' and later Sir John). It was C.Y. O'Connor's work which saw the goldfields pipeline scheme completed 100 years ago. This brought water 560 kilometre Arouse eastern desert goldfields of WA from Mundaring Weir to Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. He was also responsible for making the port at Fremantle and also at Carnarvon.
And now a story within a story. My grandfather worked as a blacksmith in the WA Government Railways from 1869 when the shops were in Fremantle. To make the railway line to Coolgardie, the shops were moved to Midland Junction, so the family moved to Bayswater. My grandfather and his bride lived in a tent city in Fremantle for the first two years of their married life and their first daughter, my aunt, was born whilst they lived there. |