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Centenary of Observation—Sebastopol
No. 101 December 1964, Item 773To coincide with the centenary celebrations of Sebastopol, Ballarat, the Regional Director Victoria, Mr. Keith Hannay, forwarded the Ballarat "Courier" a brief summary of the history of meteorological observations at Sebastopol, the site of Ballarat's main weather observations. These, he said, have made a considerable and important contribution to the weather records of the Commonwealth.
Early records show that some yearly rainfall totals were kept by a Mr. Bath of Craig's Hotel from 1840 to 1860, but the first official records were taken at the district survey office from 1856 to 1889. A weather station was established at Mt. Pleasant Observatory in 1886 and four years later the instruments from the district survey office were transferred to the
Another station was established at the Ballarat Botanic Gardens in 1881 but only rainfall readings were made until it was made into a climate station in 1904. In 1952 it reverted to rainfall readings only which are still carried on today.
In 1908 a climate station was established at the home of Mr. G. J. Kennedy, in Redan, and he carried on the observations until his death in 1947 when he was succeeded by his daughter for 12 months. In 1948 the instruments were transferred to Mr. G. M. McLachlan's home in Howitt Street, about 2¼ miles away, until his death in 1953. The station was then transferred to the Sebastopol Post-Office where the postmaster, Mr. J. McNamara, took over and has carried out the daily observations ever since.
People in Bright Sparcs - Hannay, Alexander Keith (Keith)
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/1474.html