The History of Melbourne's Water Supply
James Blackburn
The original settlement in Port Phillip was at Sullivans Bay, near Sorrento, in 1803. Water was supplied to the 400 marines, convicts and settlers via 6 wooden barrels sunk into the ground to capture groundwater.
In 1835 John Batman officially claimed the establishment of the Town of Melbourne. Within 5 years the population of the town was 7,000 and water pumps were installed on the northern bank of the Yarra River, above the falls (the falls prevented salt water flowing further up the river). Men with water carts travelled the town door-to-door selling water at three shillings a barrel.
As the town continued to grow it became apparent that pollution from human settlement and the limited availability of good quality drinking water were presenting significant health issues and would limit the future growth of the settlement.
In 1842 the newly-formed Town of Melbourne Council was given responsibility for water and sewerage for the Town but it did not have the taxing or borrowing powers or resources to be able to carry out the undertaking effectively. The Council lobbied the Government (then based in Sydney) for funds but they were loathe to hand over such large amounts to the new body.
By late 1849 James Blackburn's privately owned Melbourne Water Company was pumping water from the Yarra River into large iron tanks in the City. The water was filtered though charcoal and sand and sold to water carriers for distribution in horse-drawn water carriers. The system is described in more detail as follows: "In 1849 James Blackburn and J. W. Peppers formed a partnership known as the "Water Company" to construct a water works at the junction of Elizabeth and Flinders Street. A large trunk brought water from the Yarra to a reservoir in the centre of their premises. From there a steam engine pumped the water to another reservoir at one end of the building which was raised about six feet from the ground. From there it was filtered through sand and charcoal and passed into a tank from which it was able to flow by means of tubes into water carts below. Eight carts could be loaded at once, with each cart being filled in 30 to 40 seconds. The planned price per load was said to be one penny. However when operations commenced in early September 1849 the price was set at
a halfpenny more".
Blackburn was an experienced engineer from London who had been transported to Tasmania as a convict but earned his freedom. He designed and supervised the construction of Launceston's water supply system and devised a plan for Hobart's water supply system, before moving to Melbourne in 1849. He was probably the most innovative and skilled engineer in the Colony at the time and was soon appointed to the position of City Engineer at the Town of Melbourne Council.
Blackburn began surveying sites for possible future water supplies for Melbourne in the late 1850's. Initially, Blackburn chose the Plenty River as the next supply source for Melbourne's water - he was planning for a population of 70,000 people requiring 40 gallons per day each (Melbourne's population at the time was only 23,000 and the rapid growth resulting from the gold influx had not yet occurred).
Blackburn was distrustful of "modern machinery" and preferred to use the simple and time-proven method of moving water by gravitation "as extensively practiced by the ancients". He sought to find a water source at sufficient elevation then "diverting the same from its natural course and by means of an aqueduct, open or closed, leading it on a series of inclines to its destination". It was this view that provided the foundation for the subsequent development of Melbourne's extensive network of aqueducts. The capital cost of such a system would be greater than other alternatives but the operating costs and reliability of such a system were considered to be much preferred.
In 1835 John Batman officially claimed the establishment of the Town of Melbourne. Within 5 years the population of the town was 7,000 and water pumps were installed on the northern bank of the Yarra River, above the falls (the falls prevented salt water flowing further up the river). Men with water carts travelled the town door-to-door selling water at three shillings a barrel.
As the town continued to grow it became apparent that pollution from human settlement and the limited availability of good quality drinking water were presenting significant health issues and would limit the future growth of the settlement.
In 1842 the newly-formed Town of Melbourne Council was given responsibility for water and sewerage for the Town but it did not have the taxing or borrowing powers or resources to be able to carry out the undertaking effectively. The Council lobbied the Government (then based in Sydney) for funds but they were loathe to hand over such large amounts to the new body.
By late 1849 James Blackburn's privately owned Melbourne Water Company was pumping water from the Yarra River into large iron tanks in the City. The water was filtered though charcoal and sand and sold to water carriers for distribution in horse-drawn water carriers. The system is described in more detail as follows: "In 1849 James Blackburn and J. W. Peppers formed a partnership known as the "Water Company" to construct a water works at the junction of Elizabeth and Flinders Street. A large trunk brought water from the Yarra to a reservoir in the centre of their premises. From there a steam engine pumped the water to another reservoir at one end of the building which was raised about six feet from the ground. From there it was filtered through sand and charcoal and passed into a tank from which it was able to flow by means of tubes into water carts below. Eight carts could be loaded at once, with each cart being filled in 30 to 40 seconds. The planned price per load was said to be one penny. However when operations commenced in early September 1849 the price was set at
a halfpenny more".
Blackburn was an experienced engineer from London who had been transported to Tasmania as a convict but earned his freedom. He designed and supervised the construction of Launceston's water supply system and devised a plan for Hobart's water supply system, before moving to Melbourne in 1849. He was probably the most innovative and skilled engineer in the Colony at the time and was soon appointed to the position of City Engineer at the Town of Melbourne Council.
Blackburn began surveying sites for possible future water supplies for Melbourne in the late 1850's. Initially, Blackburn chose the Plenty River as the next supply source for Melbourne's water - he was planning for a population of 70,000 people requiring 40 gallons per day each (Melbourne's population at the time was only 23,000 and the rapid growth resulting from the gold influx had not yet occurred).
Blackburn was distrustful of "modern machinery" and preferred to use the simple and time-proven method of moving water by gravitation "as extensively practiced by the ancients". He sought to find a water source at sufficient elevation then "diverting the same from its natural course and by means of an aqueduct, open or closed, leading it on a series of inclines to its destination". It was this view that provided the foundation for the subsequent development of Melbourne's extensive network of aqueducts. The capital cost of such a system would be greater than other alternatives but the operating costs and reliability of such a system were considered to be much preferred.
Continuing growth of Melbourne
Melbourne and suburbs in 1890
The separation of Victoria from New South Wales in 1851 did not bring many of the benefits Melbournians had been hoping for and the newly-formed Victorian Government was distrustful of the Melbourne City Council. The Government believed the Council had neither the expertise or the political accountability to devise and manage such a complex and expensive undertaking as creating an efficient water and sewerage supply for Melbourne. The Government created a new body, the Commission of Sewers and Water Supply, to undertake this task. They also apointed a Select Committee to investigate in detail the various schemes and ideas that had been proposed by Blackburn and others over the years. The Select Committee recommended that the Commission (a paid body of "experts") should oversee the design and construction of the undertaking. A young local draftsman and engineer, Matthew Jackson, was chosen as the architect of the system (the older and more experienced Blackburn was subsequently appointed as consulting engineer to the project).
Jackson's plans were based on an earlier proposal by Blackburn to tap the Plenty River about 25 miles north of the City by building an embankment across the outlet of Yan Yean swamp and so create a water storage reservoir at Yan Yean. The reservoir would be filled by an aqueduct 2 miles in length from the Plenty River offtake. As the storage was at a higher level than the City, water could then be piped to Melbourne, powered only by gravity . It was anticipated that this would provide enough water for a City of 200,000 people (such was the speed at which Melbourne was growing). Construction of Yan Yean began in December 1853 and water flowed from the system in December 1857. The system removed the need for all pumping of water and relied only on gravity feed - thereby demonstrating the benefits of gravity suppy and establishing a principle followed in supplying water for Melbourne during subsequent years.
Melbourne's first public water supply came from a 150,000 gallon cast iron tank mounted on a bluestone base built by John Davis on the corner of Albert and Gisborne Streets, East Melbourne (Eastern Hill). It first held water pumped from the Yarra River, and after 1857, water from Yan Yean (the tank was moved to Werribee in 1892/3 and was finally emptied in 1929).
Yan Yean was to be the centrepiece of Melbourne's water supply system for the next 50 years, and the reservoir still exists today, although it was decommissioned in the 1960's.
The Yan Yean scheme was both visionary and controversial in that few cities in the world at the time had such an innovate and extensive water supply system - where water was carried from a source some 25 miles (40km) away and conveyed to the metropolis (now 100,000 strong) via a nework of smaller pipes, canals and holding reservoirs. After the system was completed in 1857 and demonstrated that large Cities could be effectively fed water by gravity rather than by steam pump, other cities in the world soon followed Melbourne's example. The quality of the water coming from Yan Yean was always questioned however.
The continued rapid growth of Melbourne took planners by surprise and Melbourne, as a result of the gold influx, had become one of the fastest-growing (and wealthiest) Cites in the world. In the following decades, it became a constant challenge to keep up an adequate water supply for the ever-growing metropolis. Because of the ready availability of land, Melbourne was growing at relatively low densities over vast tracts of land, stretching infrastructure (especially water, sewerage, electricity, roads and rail lines) to the limit.
By 1860 Blackburn's target population of 200,000 had been reached and water shortages, especially in summer, had begun to occur. The Commission requested the Government to reserve new tracts of land to establish new reservoirs and supply systems. In 1875 Melbourne's population was 250,000 and 45,000 houses were connected to mains water. The 30 inch pipe to the City from Yan Yean was replaced by an open aqueduct that could carry more water. But by 1879 a series of droughts had drastically reduced the levels of water in Yan Yean and alternative water sources, further afield, were actively investigated.
A number of other reservoirs were completed during the 1880's and in 1886 the Maroondah scheme, east of Melbourne, was conceived. This involved the creation of a major new storage and diversion of the Watts River by a series of open channels/aqueducts from the Watts River near Healesville east of Melbourne to Preston Reservoir, some 66 kilometres away. The system could carry 28 million gallons per day and included a number of tunnels, bridges and siphons to carry water under roads, bridges and valleys and was officially opened on 18 February 1891 by His Excellency the State Govenor, Lord Hopetoun (Maroondah Dam was not actually built until many years later). The Maroondah plan further demonstrated the benefits and feasibility of sourcing water from a pristine mountain catchment remote from the City and conveying it by gravity to the point of consumption, thereby providing a constant, reliable and very pure water supply. The system also employed a number of other important innovations that were to set the benchmark for subsequent water supply systems. Up until this time, all weirs open channels and tunnel lining for water works were of cut stone construction (and some brickwork); after 1886 concrete and wrought iron became available and were then primarily used in water supply structures. Wrought iron was however soon replaced by use of mild steel (lock bar and riveted steel pipes were used).
Melbourne still struggled to maintain adequate water and sewerage infrastructure however and in 1891 an independent statutory authority, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), was formed and charged with the task. Melbourne's population at the time was 486,620 the City was provided with water via a system comprising 1,130 miles (1,819 km) of aqueducts, pipes and mains. There was one storage reservoir at Yan Yean and seven reservoirs (the service reservoir at Surrey Hills was supplied via 20 mile (32km) long pipe direct from Yan Yean to supply the higher eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The Surrey Hills reservoir was later to become the end-pont of the O'Shannassy system).
Until 1906-7 (Melbourne's population was then 530,655) there were no clear signs that any substantial population increase would necessitate major additions to Melbourne's water supply system in the short term future.
Jackson's plans were based on an earlier proposal by Blackburn to tap the Plenty River about 25 miles north of the City by building an embankment across the outlet of Yan Yean swamp and so create a water storage reservoir at Yan Yean. The reservoir would be filled by an aqueduct 2 miles in length from the Plenty River offtake. As the storage was at a higher level than the City, water could then be piped to Melbourne, powered only by gravity . It was anticipated that this would provide enough water for a City of 200,000 people (such was the speed at which Melbourne was growing). Construction of Yan Yean began in December 1853 and water flowed from the system in December 1857. The system removed the need for all pumping of water and relied only on gravity feed - thereby demonstrating the benefits of gravity suppy and establishing a principle followed in supplying water for Melbourne during subsequent years.
Melbourne's first public water supply came from a 150,000 gallon cast iron tank mounted on a bluestone base built by John Davis on the corner of Albert and Gisborne Streets, East Melbourne (Eastern Hill). It first held water pumped from the Yarra River, and after 1857, water from Yan Yean (the tank was moved to Werribee in 1892/3 and was finally emptied in 1929).
Yan Yean was to be the centrepiece of Melbourne's water supply system for the next 50 years, and the reservoir still exists today, although it was decommissioned in the 1960's.
The Yan Yean scheme was both visionary and controversial in that few cities in the world at the time had such an innovate and extensive water supply system - where water was carried from a source some 25 miles (40km) away and conveyed to the metropolis (now 100,000 strong) via a nework of smaller pipes, canals and holding reservoirs. After the system was completed in 1857 and demonstrated that large Cities could be effectively fed water by gravity rather than by steam pump, other cities in the world soon followed Melbourne's example. The quality of the water coming from Yan Yean was always questioned however.
The continued rapid growth of Melbourne took planners by surprise and Melbourne, as a result of the gold influx, had become one of the fastest-growing (and wealthiest) Cites in the world. In the following decades, it became a constant challenge to keep up an adequate water supply for the ever-growing metropolis. Because of the ready availability of land, Melbourne was growing at relatively low densities over vast tracts of land, stretching infrastructure (especially water, sewerage, electricity, roads and rail lines) to the limit.
By 1860 Blackburn's target population of 200,000 had been reached and water shortages, especially in summer, had begun to occur. The Commission requested the Government to reserve new tracts of land to establish new reservoirs and supply systems. In 1875 Melbourne's population was 250,000 and 45,000 houses were connected to mains water. The 30 inch pipe to the City from Yan Yean was replaced by an open aqueduct that could carry more water. But by 1879 a series of droughts had drastically reduced the levels of water in Yan Yean and alternative water sources, further afield, were actively investigated.
A number of other reservoirs were completed during the 1880's and in 1886 the Maroondah scheme, east of Melbourne, was conceived. This involved the creation of a major new storage and diversion of the Watts River by a series of open channels/aqueducts from the Watts River near Healesville east of Melbourne to Preston Reservoir, some 66 kilometres away. The system could carry 28 million gallons per day and included a number of tunnels, bridges and siphons to carry water under roads, bridges and valleys and was officially opened on 18 February 1891 by His Excellency the State Govenor, Lord Hopetoun (Maroondah Dam was not actually built until many years later). The Maroondah plan further demonstrated the benefits and feasibility of sourcing water from a pristine mountain catchment remote from the City and conveying it by gravity to the point of consumption, thereby providing a constant, reliable and very pure water supply. The system also employed a number of other important innovations that were to set the benchmark for subsequent water supply systems. Up until this time, all weirs open channels and tunnel lining for water works were of cut stone construction (and some brickwork); after 1886 concrete and wrought iron became available and were then primarily used in water supply structures. Wrought iron was however soon replaced by use of mild steel (lock bar and riveted steel pipes were used).
Melbourne still struggled to maintain adequate water and sewerage infrastructure however and in 1891 an independent statutory authority, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), was formed and charged with the task. Melbourne's population at the time was 486,620 the City was provided with water via a system comprising 1,130 miles (1,819 km) of aqueducts, pipes and mains. There was one storage reservoir at Yan Yean and seven reservoirs (the service reservoir at Surrey Hills was supplied via 20 mile (32km) long pipe direct from Yan Yean to supply the higher eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The Surrey Hills reservoir was later to become the end-pont of the O'Shannassy system).
Until 1906-7 (Melbourne's population was then 530,655) there were no clear signs that any substantial population increase would necessitate major additions to Melbourne's water supply system in the short term future.
Looking East for More Water
William Davidson
As Melbourne expanded, especially into the higher-level eastern suburbs, the gravity fed system was struggling to supply these higher elevations and it became obvious a greater "head" (higher level water sources) was required to maintain a constant and reliable supply of water at acceptable pressures to the City and suburbs.
MMBW planners looked to the rainforests east of Melbourne to meet the City's long term water needs and plans were drawn up to create a new water source from a reservoir on the O'Shannassy River, several kilometres above its junction with the Yarra River, east of Warburton. The system would be completely independent from Yan Yean and Maroondah and could provide in excess of 20 million gallons of high quality drinking water per day. The system also had the added advantage that it could be expanded at a later date to take in the entire Upper Yarra catchment. MMBW Chief Engineer William Davidson was instrumental in conceiving and designing the system.
A series of droughts further exacerbated Melbourne's water shortages and the situation became critical. In 1909 a Royal Commmission was established to report on the preferred options to secure Melbourne's future water supply. The Commission supported the O'Shannassy Scheme. They also recommended the adoption of a "closed catchment" policy to safeguard the quality of the water. The O'Shannassy watershed was vested in the MMBW in February 1910 (by then there were 123,227 connections to Melbourne's water supply system) and detailed design for the system began in earnest. The first contract to build an aqueduct to carry water from the O'Shannassy River was let on 11 July 1911. The long-awaited project had finally begun!
MMBW planners looked to the rainforests east of Melbourne to meet the City's long term water needs and plans were drawn up to create a new water source from a reservoir on the O'Shannassy River, several kilometres above its junction with the Yarra River, east of Warburton. The system would be completely independent from Yan Yean and Maroondah and could provide in excess of 20 million gallons of high quality drinking water per day. The system also had the added advantage that it could be expanded at a later date to take in the entire Upper Yarra catchment. MMBW Chief Engineer William Davidson was instrumental in conceiving and designing the system.
A series of droughts further exacerbated Melbourne's water shortages and the situation became critical. In 1909 a Royal Commmission was established to report on the preferred options to secure Melbourne's future water supply. The Commission supported the O'Shannassy Scheme. They also recommended the adoption of a "closed catchment" policy to safeguard the quality of the water. The O'Shannassy watershed was vested in the MMBW in February 1910 (by then there were 123,227 connections to Melbourne's water supply system) and detailed design for the system began in earnest. The first contract to build an aqueduct to carry water from the O'Shannassy River was let on 11 July 1911. The long-awaited project had finally begun!