Local Government
Collie
Region
South West
333 Wellington Forest Rd Wellington Forest
Wellington Weir, Hydro-electric Station
Collie
South West
Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
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Heritage List | Adopted | 14 Nov 2017 | ||
State Register | Registered | 03 Feb 2009 |
Register Entry Assessment Documentation |
Heritage Council |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
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Category | Description | ||||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 30 Apr 1996 |
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Heritage Council | |
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 01 Aug 2017 | Exceptional significance |
Exceptional significance |
Wellington Dam Precinct, comprising Wellington Dam, a solid concrete gravity dam constructed in 1933, and enlarged in 1945 and 1960, No 1 Pumping Station and associated Chlorine Store and Chlorinator (1953, 1963), 2kW Hydroelectric Station (1956), Caretaker’s Quarters & Kiosk (1966), landscaped Quarry, and roads, landscaping and facilities for public use and recreation, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
• The place is the only example in Western Australia of a combination of water supply facilities for irrigation, domestic use and hydroelectric power couple with a solid concrete gravity dam;
• The Hydroelectric Station is a rare example of its type in Western Australia and has value as a demonstration site;
• The place is a fine representative example of a solid concrete gravity dam of considerable size in the south west of Western Australia;
• The place is a significant recreation landscape formed by a combination of the natural vegetation and landscaping which is a representative example of late Twentieth Century Bush Garden style and was designed by John Oldham who was influenced by the work of Edna Walling;
• Wellington Dam was built in 1933 to form the headworks of the Collie River Irrigation Scheme, one of the largest users of water for irrigation in Western Australia;
• The place contains an important collection of functional industrial structures and recreational buildings exhibiting elements of the Post War International style;
• The place provided direct employment for a large number of men under the sustenance program of the 1930s Depression and was a major employer of immigrant labour, particularly southern Europeans, in the 1950s;
• The raising of the wall of Wellington Dam in 1960 provided a reservoir to supply the Comprehensive Water Supply Scheme for the ongoing development of southwest towns;
• The place has the potential to yield archaeological information relating to the workers encampments of the 1930s and 1950s, the equipment and machinery used, and the construction processes;
• The place is associated with Sir Russell Dumas as Chief Engineer, and Chief Hydraulic Engineer of the Public Works Department, and with landscape architect John Oldham; and
• The place is highly valued for its associations with farming in the region since 1933 and for its attractions as both a passive and active recreation venue.
The site of the former Workers’ House and Single Men’s Quarters (now demolished) is of little significance.
Wellington Dam Precinct comprises Wellington Dam, a solid concrete gravity dam constructed in 1933, and enlarged in 1945 and 1960, the No. 1 Pumping Station, Chlorine Store and Chlorinator (1953, 1963), 2kW Hydroelectric Station (1956), Caretaker's Quarters & Kiosk (1966), landscaped Quarry, and roads, landscaping and facilities for public use and recreation.
The structures exhibit elements of Post War International Style.
A full Historical Description is available here: Assessment Documentation
Link to inherit database: http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Content/PdfLoader.aspx?id=09900b8c-92fd-47d6-9cd9-e790765cda08&type=assessment
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
7779 | Landscape of water resources. | Other | 0 |
8670 | Wellington Dam proposal. | Video | 2007 |
8819 | Wellington Dam. Archaeological survey and recording of development area. | Heritage Study {Other} | 2007 |
9641 | A rich and diverse heritage: a snapshot of Collie 1898 - 2010 | Book | 2010 |
9220 | Wellington Dam upgrade project: Wellington Dam Rd Collie, archival record. | Archival Record | 2008 |