Australia has a rich natural and cultural heritage that underpins our sense of place and national identity and makes a positive contribution to the nation’s wellbeing. Included in our cultural heritage is an important contribution from engineering.
Recording and understanding this contribution helps us to:
- improve on and design better for future generations
- conserve, maintain and manage our heritage assets, places and items
- support sustainability initiatives and conserve natural resources through repurposing and adaptive reuse.
Our work
Engineering Heritage Australia’s (EHA) vision is to be recognised as the expert group for the practice of heritage and conservation engineering and on all aspects of Australian engineering heritage and history.
EHA has four main areas of activity:
We perform important work by:
- Developing heritage engineering short courses in collaboration with the University of Canberra.
- Managing the Engineering Heritage Recognition Program, bringing public recognition to significant works.
- Contributing to the Heritage and Conservation Engineering area of practice.
- Delivering the biennial Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference.
- Conferring the John Monash Medal and the Colin Crisp Award.
- Facilitating an Australian engineers oral history program.
- Providing continuing professional development on heritage engineering best practice, facilitating site visits and conducting engineering heritage walks
- Producing and publishing newsletters, bulletins and magazines.
Leadership
EHA’s activities are supported by volunteers. There is a national committee and branches in every state and in the Australian Capital Territory. Branches develop and deliver programs locally, promoting the conservation of engineering heritage and representing Engineers Australia in state heritage matters.
Current members of the national committee are:
- Michael Taylor FIEAust CPEng(Ret) – Chair
- Eamon Madden FIEAust CPEng – Deputy Chair
- Barry Finlay FIEAust CPEng(Ret)
- Mervyn Lindsay FIEAust CPEng NER
- Richard Muncey MIEAust CPEng(Ret)
- Ben Skerman MIEAust CPEng NER
- Robert Taaffe FIEAust
- Philip Willis FIEAust CPEng(Ret)
- Geoffrey Anderson – Corresponding member
- Gregg Klopp – Corresponding member
- Ian Newnham – Corresponding member
EHA’s wiki provides a wealth of information on engineering heritage including details of 150-plus places of engineering interest, biographies of more than 500 Australian engineers and an interactive map showcasing the 250-plus items recognised by the Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.
Engage with us
Join EAXchange to view our resources, heritage information and publications. You can also network with other technical society members on this interactive forum.
To keep up to date with the latest news and events, join our Engineering Heritage Australia Group on LinkedIn.
Related groups
- Engineering Heritage New Zealand
- Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) – Conservation Accreditation Register for Engineers
- Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) – Panel for Historical Engineering Works
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK) – Engineering Heritage Awards
- American Society of Civil Engineers – Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers – Landmarks Program
- The Newcomen Society (UK)
Our publications
EHA Magazine, volume 4, edition 1
This edition looks at Sydney’s Balls Head coal loader, Canberra’s ill-fated railway, the Lake Canobolas Pump House, and A.T. Harman’s Port Melbourne Engineering Works.
EHA Magazine, volume 4, edition 2
This edition covers the 90th birthday of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the refugee aeronautical engineer Fred David, the mysterious Bradfield Cylinder, and A Crossley Model XA gas engine at Swift’s Creek.
EHA Magazine, volume 4, edition 3
This edition covers the Engineering Heritage of the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, the Amiens Gun from World War 1 and CSIRO’s Parkes Telescope.
EHA Magazine, volume 4, edition 4
This edition includes the Duck Reach Hydroelectric Power Scheme, Harris Creek Railway Bridge, Catalina PBY Flying Boats and the Belconnen Naval Transmitter Station.
Engineers Australia submission to the Audit Office of NSW
Engineering Heritage Australia call on the Audit Office of NSW to address an imbalance in NSW state significant items to include all forms of heritage, movable and immovable and tangible and intangible from all eras.