Six teams of four highly trained technical staff worked in shifts to operate the ANSTO HIFAR reactor, with the control room desk manned 24/7 to ensure constant monitoring of every critical function. Every decision made here was guided by precise instrumentation, with alarms, gauges, and system diagrams providing real-time oversight of reactor operations.
The carefully arranged panels and analog controls reflect an era when human expertise and mechanical precision worked in tandem to manage one of Australia’s most significant research reactors. While technological advancements have transformed modern systems, this control room remains a preserved example of mid-to-late 20th-century reactor management.
For those fascinated by industrial control systems, nuclear history, or vintage technology, this print captures the essence of scientific heritage and precision engineering.