Maitai Water Scheme Progress

Not very far from Brook Street and in among the hills four men are burrowing their way through the Tantaragee Saddle. Using blasting powder and an ingenious compressed-air shovel loader the men have excavated about 500ft of the 800ft long tunnel which, when completed, will carry part of the Maitai water supply pipeline from its source along 23,000ft of track to the water main in Brook Street. With all the heavy rain we've had, their job has been a damp one. Nor has the weather been of any help to the truck drivers who have had to drive their heavy pipe-laden vehicles up a tortuous and very soft track to the pipeline head.