Tamworth in Tamworth Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia — Oceania

Electric Street Lighting

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, December 31, 2005

1. Electric Street Lighting Marker

Inscription. Tamworth N.S.W. was the first town in Australia to introduce electric street lighting by means of two 18kw steam driven Crompton dynamos. Electricity was supplied to 52 street lights using 140 Swan incandescent lamps and 7 Crompton carbon arc lamps.

9th November 1888

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is November 9, 1888.

Location. 31° 5.223′ S, 150° 55.609′ E. Marker is in Tamworth, New South Wales, in Tamworth Regional Council. Marker is on Peel Street just north of Darling Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 216 Peel Street, Tamworth NSW 2340, Australia. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within walking distance of this marker. Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 0.4 kilometers away).

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Electric Street Lighting Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, December 31, 2005

2. Electric Street Lighting Marker - Wide View

The Tamworth Powerstation Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer

3. The Tamworth Powerstation Museum

Tamworth was the first town in Australia to be lit by electricity, in 1888, just nine years after the invention of the incandescent electric light bulb, first by the Englishman Joseph Wilson Swan, who demonstrated his invention in December 1878, followed (independently) by the American Thomas Edison in October 1879. It was also one of the early centres to be connected to the telegraph, in 1861, just seven years after the first telegraph came into use in this country. The Tamworth Powerstation Museum was opened on 9th November, 1988, the centenary of the installation of electric lighting in Tamworth. It was the first Australian all-electric museum. - from the museum brochure

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 691 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.