Station History
This page provides a brief history of our PWS and website.
1 January 1981
The PWS was established in Werribee equipped with an aneroid barometer; raingauge; ex-BoM maximum, minimum, dry bulb and wet bulb thermometers; and an ex-BoM Stevenson Screen in need of repair. The daily data were recorded on paper, however only the rainfall data from January 1981 to May 1989 were retained and later digitised.
1989 - 2010
The PWS was non-operational from Jume 1989 to January 2010 apart from the occasional extreme weather event worth recording.
26 January 2010
With renewed interest, the PWS became operational again. A marine aneroid barometer was acquired as the primary barometer.
26 June 2010
The PWS was upgraded with the installation of a wireless La Crosse WS2355 automatic weather station (AWS). The thermo-hygro sensor was installed inside a marine Stevenson Screen at a height of approximately 3 m, alongside the electronic rain gauge. The wind sensors were installed on a 10 m mast with good exposure in all directions. Data from the AWS were displayed on an indoors console that was connected by cable to a computer, enabling the WUHU weather station software to display the data on the screen and store it on the hard drive. The manual instruments were retained, with some designated as check instruments.
The upgrade enabled us to share our real-time data with national and international weather exchange networks as Werribee Weather. The upgrade coincided with the launch of the Werribee Weather website to display our daily weather data; our long-term climate data, including the digitised 1981-1989 rainfall data; and a range of complementary weather products from the BoM.
2012 - 2015
The website expanded with the addition of new climate statistics, local fire danger indices, and informational web pages under the Weather Education heading.
28 February 2017
The PWS was disassembled ahead of a move to Truganina. Major repairs were carried out on the Stevenson Screen, which included fitting a new roof and a complete repaint.
1 April 2017
The PWS was re-established at Truganina and commenced operating online as Truganina Weather with a new website (www.truganinaweather.com). The AWS thermo-hygro sensor was installed inside the Stevenson Screen with the ex-BoM thermometers. The AWS rain gauge was fixed to the Stevenson Screen at a similar height to the standard rain gauge. The AWS wind sensors were not installed due to the lack of a site with good exposure.
2020
The website expanded to include web pages for projects undertaken during the COVID-19 lockdown under the Projects & Development heading.
26 December 2020
The ex-BoM mercury-in-glass maximum thermometer was accidentally broken, thereby stopping any further comparisons against the maximum temperature from the AWS.
16 March 2025
A wireless all-in-one multi-sensor Tesa WS1081V3 AWS replaced the 15 year old wireless La Crosse WS2355 AWS, and Weather Display software replaced the WUHU software.
5 April 2025
A homemade naturally aspirated radiation shield was installed to protect the AWS temperature sensor from direct solar radiation and other sources of radiated heat.
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