In the 1890s, the discovery of the gold brought thousands of people to the poor colony of Western Australia. However, the goldfields were short of water. Miners died of thirst and disease, and the mining was slow. Engineer C. Y. O'Conner designed a solution: the world's longest pipeline, to transport water from the coast. Many people opposed the project, but the pipeline was a brilliant success, helping Australia to become a wealthy modern nation. This is the story of the people, the ideas and the events behind the goldfields pipeline, and how it changed Australia forever.