No. 1 Dam

Values

Demonstrates the importance of water supply in the goldfields area

High social value as the primary town water supply for Norseman for thirty years 1906 to 1936.

Physical Description

Concrete-lined dam with earth bund. Timber framed corrugated iron roof remains, in very poor condition. The original fabric remains largely intact. The pump-house has been removed, but evidence of the pipeline into Norseman remains. Water collection channels directing water into the dam remain.

History

The Norseman area was thinly populated by pastoralists from the 1870s. With the discovery of gold in the 1890s, population increased, and towns were established. Norseman townsite was settled in 1894, although it did not become the major centre for the area until the late 1890s, when the town of Dundas was surpassed.

Water supply was a constant problem. In the 1890s, a limited number of condensers were used to produce drinking water from the local salt lakes. Run-off from rock gullies in the area was also carted to be sold in Norseman. Number One Dam was constructed in 1906, but problems of water supply remained well into the 1920s. Locals complained at the high cost of water in the district, and the OK mine closed for lack of fresh water. In 1936, a pipeline from Coolgardie to Norseman was constructed, linking the town to the Mundaring Water Supply, reliving the pressure on Number One Dame as primary water supply for the town. However, it continued in use until 1960, when Number Two Dam was built. The dam has been stocked with Gilgies, which can still be caught.

The second dam near to Norseman townsite, Tin Dam, was constructed in 1913. It is also a concrete-lined dam with a timber-framed corrugated iron cover but is reported to be in a dangerously poor condition, with it iron sheets rusted and loose.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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