Allan Knight – A Biography

Allan Knight was born in Launceston on 26 February 1910.

Between 1929 and 1935, he received a diploma in electrical and mechanical engineering from Hobart Technical College, completed a Bachelor of Engineering as well as a Bachelor of Science at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and gained a Master of Engineering. During this period, Knight also assisted in the development and validation of composite beam theory, a major innovation in bridge engineering at the time.

In 1932, Knight joined the Tasmanian Public Works Department (PWD) as an engineer and worked on early composite beam bridges and welded steel girder bridges, which were among the earliest of their kind in Australia.

He was promoted to Chief Engineer of PWD in 1937 – at the young age of 27. He was then sent to North America for three months to study modern bridge technologies, with the expectation of applying his new knowledge and skills to planned bridges in Tasmania.

After returning to the state, Knight designed and supervised the construction of the new bridges, which included the now-old Bridgewater Bridge (finished in 1942) and the floating Hobart Bridge (completed in 1943; pictured above). At the same time, he helped introduce modern bridge engineering techniques to Australia.

During World War II (1939-45), Knight served with the Royal Australian Engineers while simultaneously continuing to work for PWD.

In 1946, he completed a Bachelor of Commerce at UTAS and was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), a position he’d hold for the next 30 years.

During his tenure at the HEC, Knight oversaw a massive hydro-electric expansion and the construction of major dam and power stations.

He received a knighthood in 1970 and then became embedded in environmental controversy, especially when Lake Pedder was flooded in 1972.

After the Tasman Bridge collapse in January 1975, Knight was put in charge of its reconstruction, which turned out to be one of the most complex engineering challenges of his career. Most engineering projects optimise one variable (cost, design, or time), but this reconstruction in particular demanded all three simultaneously.

He retired from the HEC in 1977, but remained involved with engineering bodies and public service. In 1990, he became a Honorary Doctor of Engineering at UTAS.

Knight passed away on 14 May 1998, aged 88.

References & Bilbliography

• Allan Knight (Companion to Tasmanian History)
• Knight, Allan Walton (1910-1998) (The Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation)
• Sir Allan Knight (Engineering Heritage Australia)
• Bridgewater Bridge, Tasmania
• Hobart Floating Bridge (Engineers Australia)
• ‘Designed a Bridge of Sighs’, Smith’s Weekly, 8 January 1944, page 11

Tas That Was is a column that includes:

• anecdotes of life in Tasmania in the past;
• historical photographs of locations in Tasmania; and/or
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Callum J. Jones is passionate about telling stories. He studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania and lived in Western Sydney from 2022 to 2024 while working as a journalist for Professional Planner, a leading online publication for financial planners. Callum has written for Tasmanian Times since 2018 and has also been published in a range of other outlets, including Quadrant and the BAD Western Sydney anthologies.