The forgotten Wangi Wangi Power Station

Lake Macquarie is home to several of the original power stations that have powered our homes and businesses for years. Most people are familiar with the power station at Eraring but few outside of locals will have heard about Wangi Power Station.

The heritage listed site was in operation between 1956 and 1986 and was once the largest in the state of New South Wales. In fact, it was the largest power station in NSW for its first five years of operation. The power station was the first in Australia to be built on the site of a coal seam and is thought to have been one of the most ambitious and architecturally significant pieces of industrial architecture in Australia.

Its construction took over ten years to complete and is one of only a few examples in Australia that combines hybrid steel and masonry constructions at this scale.

The site is now a state heritage listed monument with national significance for its architectural and geological significance. Since its sale to private owners in the early 1990’s it has fallen into a state of disrepair through vandalism and lack of maintenance over the years.

The abandoned power station has even been the location of an episode of Australian TV show Home and Away in 2013 and features in many “lost Newcastle’ blogs and Youtube videos.

In 2021 the Newcastle Herald reported that the site was put up for sale with the thought that it would likely be redeveloped into a large scale residential, retail, commercial or even tourism site however the 22.3 hectare site has yet to see any change over the years since.