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Mundaring Weir, Gardens and Village Precinct

Author

Heritage Council

Place Number

08538
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

Mundaring Weir Rd Mundaring

Location Details

Includes: Air Raid Shelter

Other Name(s)

Coolgardie/Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
Mundaring Weir & Gardens

Local Government

Mundaring

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1898 to 1903

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
Heritage List YES 08 Mar 2016 Shire of Mundaring

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
RHP - To be assessed Current 31 Jan 2003

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
Municipal Inventory Adopted 22 Apr 1997 1 - Exceptional significance

1 - Exceptional significance

Rare or outstanding example; essential to the heritage of the locality Expectations: The place should be retained and conserved. Any alterations or extensions should reinforce the significance of the place and be in accordance with a Conservation Plan if one is in place.

Shire of Mundaring
Register of the National Estate Indicative Place

Values

· The place was a crucial aspect of the Coolgardie Water Supply Scheme, a unique and groundbreaking project in Australia. The place is connected to the importance of the goldrushes of the 1890s to the growth of the state and specific region of Mundaring.
· The place stands as a marker of the work of C.Y. O’Connor and his almost mythic-like status in WA. The place is also associated with those who supported the project, including John Forrest.
· The place reflects technological advances of the time and the large degree of scepticism with which they were met.
· The place is an important tourist destination, and has been so since it’s opening.

Physical Description

A walkway and Valve tower cap the concrete spillway. The wall is 308m long and almost 40m high and was raised in 1947. The impounded lake formed by the dam extends 16kn back into the Helena Valley. The No.1 pump station (now C.Y. O’Connor museum) is at the base of the weir wall. Situated 8 km south of Mundaring. The gardens are on the northern hillside.

History

Prior to the implementation of the Coolgardie Water Supply Scheme, the population of the goldfields relied on carted water. The government explored means of sourcing water supplies until the P.W.D.’s engineer in chief C.Y. O’Connor came up with the scheme in the late 1890s. His estimates were presented to Parliament in July of 1896 and approved in September. A great deal of scepticism surrounded the proposal, despite Premier John Forrest’s support. Construction began in April 1898. The concrete wall was finished in early 1902, but further work remained on the pipeline and pumping stations. The pipeline utilised locking bar pipes that were invented for the project. Pumping tests began in March 1902. Water reached Coolgardie in November of that year, and the extended line reached Kalgoorlie in January of 1903. C.Y. O’Connor committed suicide on the 9th of March 1902. The opening ceremony saw Lady Margaret Forrest start the No.1 pump at Mundaring Weir on January 22 1903 and Premier John Forrest turn on the taps in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie 2 days later. The place was a population tourist destination from its opening and excursion trains that began in 1907 ran almost continuously until WW2. It is thought that the Weir Gardens were laid out by Paddy Dawson in the 1920s. The railway was closed in 1952. In 1947 the pipeline was extended north and south to supply agricultural areas in keeping with the post-war Soldier Settlement Schemes undertaken by the government. The Weir Wall was extended by a further 9.8 metres, trebling its capacity. In 1959 the erection of adjustable steel gates further increased capacity. Electrification of the pumping stations began in 1954 and was completed in 1970. The O’Connor Museum was opened in the old No.1 Pumping Station in 1964. In 1971 the Lower Helena Pipehead Dam was completed. The place continues to function as a water storage facility and a tourist destination.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

Associations

Name Type Year From Year To
C.Y. O'Connor Architect - -
John Oldham - landscaping Architect - -

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
3825 Mundaring centenary, 1898-1998. Brochure 1998
10181 Mundaring Weir: photographic record Archival Record 2013
9899 Mundaring Weir water supply improvement project: heritage management strategy. Heritage Study {Other} 2011
3824 Mundaring Weir among the hills. Book 1978
6675 Mundaring Weir : conservation plan (draft). Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} 2000
9936 Remnant pump foundation & pipeline. Mundaring Weir, Mundaring Archival Record 2011
6972 Perth ... and South-Western Australia in natural colour. Book 1960
9692 Remnant pump foundations and pipeline, Mundaring Weir: heritage impact statement. Heritage Study {Other} 2010
11575 A history of dam technology in Australia 1850 - 1990 Electronic 1999
8351 Mundaring Weir : proposed operational access into upper gallery - options summary report. Heritage Study {Other} 2006
9933 Air raid shelter, Mundarind Weir. 341 Mundaring Weir Road, Mundaring Heritage Impact Statement Heritage Study {Other} 2012
9806 Mundaring Weir water Supply interpretation precinct design. Book 2010
6452 Mundaring Weir Precinct masterplan : final master plan report. Heritage Study {Other} 2002
9984 Perth's early water supplies. Australian Heritage Engineering Record. Book 1984
10001 Mundaring Weir water supply improvement project - historial atrefact curation project report. Heritage Study {Other} 2012

Place Type

Precinct or Streetscape

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use GOVERNMENTAL Reservoir or Dam
Original Use GOVERNMENTAL Reservoir or Dam

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Warehouse
Federation Bungalow

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron
Wall TIMBER Weatherboard
Wall CONCRETE Other Concrete

Historic Themes

General Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS Technology & technological change
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Community services & utilities

Creation Date

18 Jun 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

07 Jul 2022

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.