BAMOS Sep 2020
16
Article
The Old Met Building
Bureau of Meteorology History in NSW
The first formal weather observations taken in Australia originated from Dawes Point near the southwest pylon of today ' s Sydney Harbour Bridge . These were taken by Lieutenant William Dawes , an Officer of the First Fleet .
For many years after that , the Sydney Observatory , constructed atop the adjacent hill , was the meteorological centre for Sydney with the Government Astronomer performing both astronomical and meteorological roles .
When the Bureau of Meteorology was established as a Commonwealth entity in 1908 both Bureau staff and those of the Government Astronomer operated from the same office at the Observatory . The relationship between the two groups gradually soured and by 1916 had developed into an all‐out turf war .
The Bureau ' s NSW Head at the time , Divisional Meteorologist Stewart Wilson , clashed openly with the Government Astronomer , Professor Ernest Cooke . In a letter from Wilson to the Commonwealth Meteorologist Henry Ambrose Hunt in 1916 , Wilson stated :
" I believe Professor Cooke has started another crusade to obtain the whole of the Observatory for astronomical purposes ..." 1 .
It was decided that the two groups had to be separated and very much against Wilson ' s wishes the Bureau staff were relocated to the nearby " Messengers Cottage "— a small house that was once the home for the Government Astronomer ' s messenger . This was a temporary arrangement to be kept in place only until a permanent building could be constructed for the Bureau .
The Bureau building photographed on 25th June 1932 . Anemographic instruments are visible on the roof to the right . The Messengers Cottage is to the left . The Divisional Meteorologist ’ s flat occupied the top floor . Source : Fairfax archives