Local Government
Wagin
Region
Wheatbelt
Wagin
Wheatbelt
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 28 Sep 2018 |
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09023 Badgarning Dam & Puntapin Dam/Rock Reserve
• The place is a representative example of the use of rock catchment dam technology, originally developed for railways, for a rural water supply.
• The place is associated with the growth of regional infrastructure in the early twentieth century.
P26014 Puntapin Rock Catchment Dam Reserve is a rock catchment dam system and (now demolished) town water supply infrastructure built on a granite dome southeast of Wagin. The dome, known as Puntapin Rock, is approximately 800 m north-south by 600 m at its widest points, and sits approximately 20-30m than the surrounding area. The dome lies in a rural landscape with a waterway approximately 1.3 km northwest and patches of remnant bush along its southeast flank. This area includes a parking area, toilets and barbeque facilities. Infrastructure that had previously sat atop Puntapin Rock (removed July 2018) included a 15.7 m diameter concrete water tank, capable of holding 675 m³ of water. This tank was connected to the puddle dam via two metal water pipes extending north from the tank for 200 m (also removed), then north-northeast to the southwest corner of the dam. Other infrastructure known to be on top of Puntapin Rock included a metal information sign, again now removed. Infrastructure that is understood to still exist includes small granite rock walls ringing the base of the dome, which are still capable of collecting rainwater and channelling it towards the dam.
The use of granite domes as water catchment areas was widely utilised by Aboriginal groups living in arid areas, who maintained and preserved the gnamma holes on granite domes that collected water after the rains. This use was noted by Charles C Hunt on his failed expeditions to establish a stock route into the state’s interior during 1864-1866, as his team was led from gnamma hole to gnamma hole by Aboriginal guides George Mundale and Tommy Windich. The use of the granite domes was later recognised by prospectors travelling into the state’s interior, and Engineer-in-Chief C Y O’Connor tasked Assistant Engineer William Shields with developing these domes to provide reliable water for the railway line that was slowly penetrating into the newly-discovered Goldfields. Shields constructed a test dam in the Yilgarn (P10065 Moorine Rock Dam), designing a low ring wall of granite sourced off the rock, sealed with bitumen that channelled the water into a spillway and from there a puddle dam. The scheme was successful and multiple rock catchment dams were established along the Goldfields railway line. From 1905 the state’s wheat belt rapidly expanded, fuelled by the demand for grain and sheep from the state’s booming population. As the cultivated areas extended into semi-arid regions, the rock catchment dam model was utilised by farmers to provide a reliable source of water in places such as Kulin. In addition to farming, the Public Works Department utilised the rock catchment dam model for town water supplies, which began in the 1920s and continued up until 1971.
Other Built Type
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