Railway Dam, Merredin

Author

Shire of Merredin

Place Number

13523

Location

Gravel Trk, cont Benson St Merredin

Location Details

Continuation of Benson Street North side of road

Other Name(s)

Durdgutling; Durdgutting
Merredin Peak Dam (Well No.8); Quarries, Wall

Local Government

Merredin

Region

Wheatbelt

Construction Date

Constructed from 1930, Constructed from 1893

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
State Register Registered 07 Dec 2007 HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
Statewide Railway Heritage Surve Completed 01 Mar 1994
Wells of Explorer Charles Hunt Survey Recorded 01 Nov 1991
Municipal Inventory Adopted 16 Apr 1999 Category 2

Statement of Significance

In a feat of engineering that was bold, imaginative and efficient, Merredin Peak was surrounded by a rock wall arid network of channels to direct run-off from the rock into Railway Dam. It was one of the first rock catchment dams in the state and at the time of its construction was an engineering show-piece, being modelled in clay and exhibited in the museum. Originally built in 1893 by J. McDowell, a railway contractor, it was enlarged in the 1930s and presently has a capacity of around 30 million litres. Even after Merredin was connected to water from the Goldfields Pipeline, the Railway Dam continued to be used to supply water for steam engines, until the 1960s, because of its purity. The children of Merredin used to swim in the dam before the Town's Olympic Pool, the second in Western Australia, was opened in 1955. The channel connecting the dam with Merredin Peak is some 100 metres along and is made from rock taken from the Peak itself. Walking along the channel you can see variations in colour and texture where the rock was taken from different parts of the Peak and holes drilled in the rock during the process of removing it in blocks. A sluice gate at the entrance of, the channel was used to control the flow of water into the dam in conjunction with a second gate to the left of the channel along the rock wall. This ensured that the town would not be flooded in the event of exceptional rainfall. The rock wall feeds run-off water into the channel and dam. The enterprising use of indigenous material in the wall's construction has been described as one of the best examples of this kind ever built. 45,000 cubic metres of run-off is channelled into Railway Dam annually and is now used to water the parks and gardens of Merredin. The rock used to build the dam, wall and channels was taken from a number of sites on the Peak. Wooden pegs were driven into the rock and moistened with water, and as they expanded the rock was fractured. One such quarry site is near the southern end of the Peak and has been included in a heritage trail. North of this quarry is the foundation of the reservoir which supplied water to the war time hospital complex. Still visible are remnants of the pipe which carried water from the reservoir to the base.

Physical Description

Situated on the north-eastern edge of the townsite is Merredin Peak, a granite outcrop. A retaining wall and water channels have been constructed to direct run-off water into a holding dam situated on the south-west corner, referred to as Railway Dam because its purpose was to supply railway engines with water. A wall on the northern side of the Peak bears the initials of a railway contractor "W.H.S. AD 1896". Stone to construct the walls was taken from various quarries on the Peak. The dam holds about 30 million litres and is still used to irrigate sporting facilities in the town and supply the "waterfall".

History

Themes: Population Settlement and Mobility - Water Source Transport and Communications - Rail

Integrity/Authenticity

The original fabric is in place providing a very high integrity.

Condition

Good

Associations

Name Type Year From Year To
William Herbert Shields, Public Works Department engineer Architect - -
Public Works Department (PWD) Country Water Supply Architect - -

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
"Merredin Tourist" booklet Merredin Tourist & Information Centre (Inc) 1979
"Merredin Peak Heritage Trail" booklet WA Heritage Committee 1988

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
8904 Merredin Peak Reserve [WA] : interpretation plan. Heritage Study {Other} 2007

Place Type

Other Built Type

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Original Use GOVERNMENTAL Reservoir or Dam
Present Use SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL Other
Original Use GOVERNMENTAL Other
Original Use Transport\Communications Rail: Other

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall STONE Granite

Historic Themes

General Specific
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Aboriginal Occupation
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS Rail & light rail transport
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Exploration & surveying
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Community services & utilities
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Resource exploitation & depletion

Creation Date

20 May 1999

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

31 Dec 2016

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.