Surveying instrument museum
Over the years the School of Surveying and Geospatial Engineering (formerly Schools of Surveying, Geomatic Engineering, and Surveying and Spatial Information Systems) of the University of New South Wales has collected a number of valuable instruments both from donations and in-house collection.
Our collection contains 194 valuable instruments from the 19th and 20th centuries grouped into four categories: Scientific and Mathematical Instruments, Theodolites, Levelling Instruments, and Electronic Distance Measurements (EDM) Instruments. This virtual museum has historical instruments such as the first commercial electro-optical distance meter (AGA Model NASM-2A Geodimeter), the Geodetic Micrometer Theodolite used for setting-out of the Sydney Harbour bridge, and a number of instruments donated by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electro Authority (SMHEA).
Unfortunately these instruments are not publicly accessible, however, from time to time, they are loaned to museums to display at public exhibitions. In the meantime take a look at this virtual museum for a comprehensive catalogue of the instrument collection.
- Scientific and Mathematical instrument
- Theodolites
- Levelling instruments
- EDM instruments
- Reference materials
Scientific and Mathematical Instrument
The instruments listed below are identified by their unique catalogue numbers. Click on the instrument for more information.
| Name of instrument | Maker | Catalogue number |
| A. Tornaghi, England | 0101 | |
| 听Chesterman, England | 0102 | |
| Troughton & Simms, England | 0103 | |
| Unknown | 0104 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍听 | 0105 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0106 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0107 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0108 | |
| 听H. Hughes & Sons Ltd., England | 0109 | |
| 听Grey & Rushton, England | 0110 | |
| Wild, Switzerland | 0111 | |
| 听J. W. Handley, Australia | 0112 | |
| 听Wallace & Tierman, USA | 0113 | |
| Omega Watches, Switzerland | 0114 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0115 | |
| 听Lab-Tronics, Australia | 0116 | |
| 听Thomas Mercer Ltd., England | 0117 | |
| 听Thomas Mercer Ltd., England | 0118 | |
| 听 | 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0119 |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0120 | |
| FAVAG, Switzerland | 0121 | |
| Tamaya & Co, Japan | 0122 | |
| Tamaya & Co, Japan | 0123 | |
| A. Tornaghi, England | 0124 | |
| Facit AB, Sweden | 0125 | |
| Brunsviga, Grimme Natalis & Co, Germany | 0126 | |
| 听Facit AB, Sweden | 0127 | |
| 听A. Tornaghi, England | 0128 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0129 | |
| Troughton & Simms, England | 0130 | |
| 听A. Tornaghi, England | 0131 | |
| Sextant Marine | 0132 | |
| *听 | E. R. Watts & Son, England | 0133 |
| 听Hilger & Watts Ltd., England | 0134 | |
| 听鲍苍办苍辞飞苍 | 0135 | |
| 听Fennel, Germany | 0136 | |
| Kelvin & Hughes Ltd., England | 0137 | |
| Facit AB, Sweden | 0138 | |
| Stanley, England | 0139 | |
| Precision Instrument Co, Australia | 0140 | |
| Chesterman, England | 0141 | |
| Chesterman, England | 0142 | |
| 听J. Y. C. Richmond | 0143 | |
| 听John Rabone & Sons, England | 0144 | |
| Unknown | 0145 | |
| Canon, Japan | 0146 | |
| Toshiba, Japan | 0147 | |
| Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0148 | |
| William Ford Stanley (W. F. S), England | 0149 | |
| Esdaile & Sons, Australia | 0150 | |
| Hilger & Watts Ltd, England | 0151 | |
| E. R. Watts & Son, England | 0152 | |
| Unknown | 0153 | |
| Raytheon Marine, England | 0154 | |
| Wild, Switzerland | 0155 | |
| Rollei Fototechnik, Germany | 0156 | |
| Unknown | 0157 | |
| Esdaile | 0158 | |
| Sokkisha | 0159 | |
| WRP | 0160 | |
| Keuffel & Esser (K & E) | 0161 | |
| Casella | 0162 | |
| Tamaha | 0163 | |
| Allbrit | 0164 | |
| Haag & Streit | 0165 | |
| Stanley | 0166 | |
| Stanley | 0167 | |
| Mechanism | 0168 | |
| Thommen | 0169 | |
| Thommen | 0170 | |
| Trimble Navigation | 0171 | |
| Wild | 0172 | |
| Esdaile & Sons | 0173 | |
| Topcon | 0174 | |
| R. Reiss | 0175 | |
| Zeiss | 0176 | |
| Wild | 0177 | |
| Sokkisha | 0178 | |
| Cortina Ltd. | 0179 | |
| Stanley | 0180 | |
| Precision Instrument Co. | 0181 | |
| Hilger & Watts Ltd. | 0182 | |
* This instrument was missing from the collection during the relocation of the School of Geomatic Engineering in July 2000. Please inform the School and the NSW Police if you come across any instruments marked with an asterisk. | ||
Theodolites
The instruments listed below are identified by their unique catalogue numbers. Click on the instrument for more information.
| Instrument | Model | Maker | Catalogue |
| Everest | Troughton & Simms, England | 0201 | |
| T12 | Wild, Switzerland | 0202 | |
| Th 1 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0203 |
| 听 | Carl Bamberg, Germany | 0204 | |
| 听 | E. R. Watts & Son, England | 0205 | |
| T12 | Wild, Swtizerland | 0206 | |
| T3 | Wild, Switzerland | 0207 | |
| ST156 | Hilger & Watts Ltd., England | 0208 | |
| 听 | Troughton & Simms, England | 0209 | |
| 听 | Stanley, England | 0210 | |
| 听 | Breithaupt, Germany | 0211 | |
| RDS | Wild, Switzerland | 0212 | |
| P30 | Wild, Switzerland | 0213 | |
| T1 | Wild, Switzerland | 0214 | |
| K1-S | Kern & Co., Switzerland | 0215 | |
| RDH | Wild, Switzerland | 0216 | |
| 听 | Hilger & Watts Ltd., England | 0217 | |
| B236 | W. F. S., England | 0218 | |
| 听 | E. R. Watts & Son, England | 0219 | |
| 听 | Troughton & Simms, England | 0220 | |
| T4 | Wild, Switzerland | 0221 | |
| 听 | B. A. C., England | 0222 | |
| Theo 010 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0223 | |
| T2 (E) | Wild, Switzerland | 0224 | |
| T16 (E) | Wild, Switzerland | 0225 | |
| DKM2-AEM | Kern & Co., Switzerland | 0226 | |
| Th 2 | Car Zeiss, Germany | 0227 | |
| Th 4 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0228 | |
| T2 attachment | Wild, Switzerland | 0229 | |
| T2 attachment | Wild, Switzerland | 0230 | |
| T2 attachment | Wild, Switzerland | 0231 | |
| T0 | Wild, Switzerland | 0232 | |
| TM3000 D | Wild, Switzerland | 0233 | |
| for Theo 010 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0234 | |
| for Theo 010 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0235 | |
| for Theo 010 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 0236 | |
| 听 | Cooke, Troughton & Simms Ltd., England | 0237 | |
| 听 | HP 11426A | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0238 |
| HP 11425A | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0239 | |
| HP 11424 A | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0240 | |
| (with tilting plate) | Kern, Switzerland | 0241 | |
| Part of PZ equipment | Kern, Switzerland | 0242 | |
| Part of PZ equipment | Kern, Switzerland | 0243 | |
| 听 | Kern, Switzerland | 0244 | |
| for Wild T2 | Wild, Switzerland | 0245 | |
| B3 | Wild, Switzerland | 0246 | |
| for Th 2 | Zeiss, Germany | 0247 | |
| for Th 2 | Zeiss, Germany | 0248 | |
| GIF 10 | Wild, Switzerland | 0249 | |
| GIF 12 | Wild, Switzerland | 0250 | |
| (small) | Kern & Co., Switzerland | 0251 | |
| for Theo 010 | Zeiss, Germany | 0252 | |
| GIF-2 (GRE3) | Wild, Switzerland | 0253 | |
| BL 16-21 | Wild, Switzerland | 0254 | |
| (2 m) | Wild, Switzerland | 0255 | |
| T1A | Wild, Switzerland | 0256 | |
| ST200-3 | Hilger & Watts, England | 0257 |
Leveling instruments
The instruments listed below are identified by their unique catalogue numbers. Click on the instrument for more information.
| Instrument | Model | Maker | Catalogue number |
| 听 | 听Baker, England | 0301 | |
| 听 | 听E. R. Watts & Son Ltd., England | 听0302 | |
| 听 | 听Hilger & Watts Ltd., England | 听0303 | |
| 听S.500-109 | Cooke, Troughton & Simms Ltd., England | 听0304 | |
| 听 | 听Hilger & Watts Ltd., England | 听0305 | |
| 听 | 听E. R. Watts & Son Ltd., England | 听0306 | |
| NK 2 | Wild, Switzerland听 | 听0307 | |
| 听Ni 2 | 听Carl Zeiss, Germany听 | 听0308 | |
| 听for Ni 2 | 听Carl Zeiss, Germany | 听0309 | |
| 听S27 | Vickers, England | 听0310 | |
| 听NA3000 | 听Carl Zeiss, Germany | 听0311 | |
| 听 | 听Leica, Switzerland | 听0312 | |
| 10 mm, for Ni 2听 | 听Carl Zeiss, Germany | 听0313 | |
| 5 mm, for Ni 2听 | 听Carl Zeiss, Germany | 听0314 | |
| 听 | 听Carl Zeiss, Germany | 听0315 | |
| 听Autoplumb ST555-2 | Watts Ltd., England | 听0316 | |
| 听Ni 007听 | Carl Zeiss, Germany | 听0317 | |
| 听 | Cooke, Throughton & Simms Ltd., England | 0318 |
EDM instruments
The instruments listed below are identified by their unique catalogue numbers. Click on the instrument for more information.
| Instrument | Model | Maker | Catalogue number |
| DM 501 | Kern & Co. Switzerland | 0401 | |
| Geodimeter 14 | AGA, Sweden | 0402 | |
| HP 3820A | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0403 | |
| HP 3800B | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0404 | |
| HP 3800B | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0405 | |
| MRA 101 | Tellurometer,听South Africa | 0406 | |
| MRA 101 | Tellurometer,听South Africa | 0407 | |
| MA 100 | Tellurometer,听South Africa | 0408 | |
| CA 1000 | Tellurometer,听South Africa | 0409 | |
| CA 1000 | Tellurometer,听South Africa | 0410 | |
| Geodimeter NASM-2A | AGA, Sweden | 0411 | |
| Geodimeter 6A | AGA, Sweden | 0412 | |
| Geodimeter 6A | AGA, Sweden | 0413 | |
| GTS-2 | Topcon, Japan | 0414 | |
| for HP3805 | Hewlett Packard, USA | 0415 | |
| 听 | AGA, Sweden | 0416 | |
| 听 | AGA, Sweden | 0417 | |
| TC-1600 | Wild, Switzerland | 0418 | |
| ET-1 | Topcon, Japan | 0419 | |
| GDR-11 | Wild, Switzerland | 0420 | |
| SRC-3 | Topcon, Japan | 0421 | |
| Wild TC1610 | Leica, Switzerland | 0422 | |
| GDR-31 | Leica, Switzerland | 0423 | |
| DTM-821 | Nikon, Japan | 0424 | |
| BC-10 | Topcon, Japan | 0425 | |
| AC-5 | Topcon, Japan | 0426 | |
| Disto Classic 5 | Leica, Switzerland | 0427 | |
| SET3 | Sokkisha, Japan | 0428 | |
| SDR | Sokkisha, Japan | 0429 | |
| GDR-11 | Wild, Switzerland | 0430 | |
| GDR-11 | Wild, Switzerland | 0431 | |
| GDR-3 | Wild, Switzerland | 0432 | |
| 听 | OMNI, USA | 0433 | |
| 571125740 | Geotronics AB, Sweden | 0434 | |
| JR | OMNI, USA | 0435 |
Reference materials
Links to virtual museums and relevant websites containing information on historical surveying instruments:
(formerly the Lady Denman听Heritage Complex) Surveyor's Gallery:听a collection of surveying equipment and tools. Addess: 11 Dent Street, Huskisson, NSW 2540 | Antique Surveying Instruments at 'oobject' (blog/directory) | Study Collection of Kern & Co, im Stadtmuseum Aarau Schlossplatz 23, 5000 Aarau, Switzerland |
Hewlett-Packard Archive
| Virtual Archive of Wild Heerbrugg | Maison du Geometres 79, Cours Charlemagne 69002 Lyon, France |
Macleay Museum University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia | The Whipple Museum of the History of Science Cambridge, England | National Technical Museum Prague |
Science Museum Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England 听 | F枚rderkreis Vermessungstechnisches Museum e.V. Museum fur Kunst und Kulturgeschichte 听 | 听 |
| 听 | 听 | 听 |