"Buildings of the past"
This is a series of caches that was started by Team_Macdonald and Rayzr2 to remember old buildings that once had a purpose in their day and are now either, abandoned and forgotten or no longer used as they used to be.
To find out more about this series, Click on the following link:
"Buildings Of The Past Facebook"
The Pipe Shed:
The Pipe Shed consists of one of the giant concrete pipes made for the grand RDR irrigation and hydro power scheme (1937-45). Pipes like this were constructed to siphon water around the impinging foothills and under the intervening waterways. They were remarkable for their construction and size, the largest made in the southern hemisphere at the time.
The shed, built in 1940 on the site of the Public Works Department's headquarters and the workers' accommodation camp at Methven was needed a secure place to store explosives. The required storage place was formed from available items. The twelve feet (3.65 metres) diameter pipe was set on a concrete foundation slab that was a pre-cast control gate for the water race and timber wedges were added to keep the cylindrical structure stable. With concrete ends added to enclose the space and a timber internal floor inserted, a secure storage area was created.
On what was once a bustling area with a large number of buildings associated with the RDR scheme this is the only remaining item. Because the c. 800 pipes used in the diversion race are not visible the Pipe Shed is an indication of the whole project as an engineering accomplishment. The Pipe Shed is also an unusual example of adaptive reuse; no other buildings constructed of pipes are known.
Access to The Pipe Shed is on Private land and public access is not allowed so this park was the closest that we can get to it to admire its amazing beauty.
This cache is located in the garden of harmony in Methven and is the only spot to view this shed from decently.
Cache is a 200ml snaplock containing logbook and pencil