Public Works Department (Western Australia)

History

The Public Works Department (P.W.D.) is a now defunct government of Western Australia which was charged with providing and maintaining public infrastructure such as dams, water supplies, schools, hospitals, harbours and other public buildings.The department is no longer operational, having its responsibilities re assigned to numerous other departments and corporate entities.

The history of the department is difficult to accurately describe given the broad range of tasks performed by the department and also the evolutionary development of the organisation. The Department was instrumental in the success of Western Australia, aiding in transforming it from a colonial settlement to a prosperous state. Given the remoteness of Western Australia, the importance of the P.W.D. with its self sufficient design and construction skills will probably never be fully appreciated.

Pre P.W.D.

Construction of infrastructure in the Swan River colony was originally overseen by Henry Willey Reveley,Ray Oldham, Reveley, Henry Willey (1788 - 1875), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition, ISSN 1833-7538, published by Australian National University an English civil engineer. Reveley arrived at the colony in 1829 and was initially employed without pay, however in 1830 the matter was raised and a salary awarded retrospectively. He continued in this position until 1839, completing structures such as the Round House in Fremantle and...
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