An original piece of the Duck Reach Power Station flying fox was successfully recovered from the South Esk River. 

The 100-year-old, half tonne carriage was washed away in Launceston’s 1929 floods and has spent nearly its entire life underwater. 

The carriage, which supported the flying fox and served as a pulley for the operation, was retrieved by a helicopter before being transported by truck to Glasgow Engineering.

It will now be fully restored, alongside the flying fox, before being returned to the disused power station as part of a heritage display.

Duck Reach Historical Group chairman Shane Dennington said the recovery represented a significant “piece of the puzzle”. 

“We have known it was there for quite some time, but the question was how to get it out,” he said. 

“We didn’t know it was going to weigh half a tonne, so that added to the logistics a little bit.

“This project has been in the works for about five years, so it is good to see it finally falling into place.”

Built in 1895, the Duck Reach Power Station was the first publicly owned hydroelectric power station in Australia, perched on the steep banks of the Cataract Gorge.

The flying fox was originally used to transport workers and equipment to and from the station. 

Mr Dennington said the carriage was was found about 200 metres downstream from its original location, with its wire cables acting as guide to its final resting point. 

Glasgow Engineering general manager John Hutton said it was in a remarkable condition considering the amount of time it spent underwater. 

“At its core, it still seems to be operational,” he said. 

“It is hard to imagine how it could have gotten so far downstream. The force of the water must have been significant.

“It was certainly a bit bigger than we expected when we looked at getting it out, but we won’t need to do too much to it.” 

The carriage’s retrieval was made possible by funding, including a $51,000 state government commitment to help upgrade the Duck Reach Power Station interpretation centre.

Mr Dennington said the project represented a significant part of Launceston’s history.

“We want it to be a visual reminder of what was. It won’t be operational, but I think people will still be able to appreciate it for what it is,” he said.