The four smokestacks of Pyrmont B power station

By Martin Wale, 2007

The four smokestacks of Pyrmont B power station are conspicuous in this meticulously detailed painting. Its predecessor, on the same site, had opened on 8 July 1904 to supply electricity to Sydney city and by the year’s end was serving a total of eighty-six customers. Progressive expansions to increase generating capacity ultimately led to construction of Pyrmont B. Completed in 1955, it was the last coal-fired steam generator built in Sydney. However, it was soon obsolete and was unpopular with residents due to excessive pollution. It was demolished in 1991, its site now occupied by the Star City casino.