Local Government
Wyndham-East Kimberley
Region
Kimberley
Location
Ivanhoe Rd Kununurra
Location Details
Construction Date
Constructed from 1930 to 1953
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory Heritage Listings
| Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
Other Heritage Listings and Surveys
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Description | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 20 Feb 1997 |
|
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Statement of Significance
Ivanhoe Crossing was an essential crossing over the Ord River, and was part of the Darwin to Wyndham Beef Road initiated in 1948. It was also useful for the pastoralists on Ivanhoe Station. It was superseded when the Diversion Dam was built and opened in 1962. When the new Victoria Highway between Wyndham and Kununurra was completed, a concrete beacon, called Pilot Rock, engraved by Elizabeth and Mary Durack, was in the vicinity. It is now under water.
Physical Description
This concrete crossing over the Ord River was constructed in about 1953 to raise and improve an existing causeway built around 1930. One hundred and four petrol drums with the bottoms cut out were welded together to make culvert pipes for the water to flow through.. The roadway was 16 ft wide. The use of the old drums saved £6,000 worth of concrete. Prior to being raised the crossing was impassable for three months each year when the Ord river was flowing strongly.