Chaffey Brothers Irrigation Works in Australia
George and William Chaffey made significant contributions to the development of irrigation for agricultural land in dry climates with several successful projects in California and at Mildura and Renmark in Australia.
Their combined skills allowed them to integrate engineering, social, commercial and agricultural techniques to develop irrigation colonies in very aggressive environments. Their work laid down principles which were followed by others enabling large scale irrigation projects which now contribute greatly to agricultural output in many arid and semi-arid parts of the world.
Engineer George Chaffey pushed the limits of the use of centrifugal pumps to achieve efficient, high-volume pumping at an affordable cost for irrigation work. He also developed his skills to lay out efficient channel networks to distribute water over large areas with water delivered to the highest point of each block by gravity.
William pioneered the dried fruit industry and the wine-making industry at Mildura and helped to establish Australian excellence in those industries which continues to the present time.
The Chaffey colonies were, however, subject to serious disputation and public ridicule largely because of flaws in the financial models adopted for the colonies. This led to the establishment of Irrigation Trusts to operate, maintain and expand irrigation systems in return for rates from the landowners. This model proved to be more sustainable and brought stability and prosperity to irrigation areas.
The personal characteristics of the brothers are a model for all engineers. They were hard-working, not deterred by the many setbacks they encountered and they took breathtaking engineering and commercial risks in order to innovate. They combined a wide range of skill and high professional ethics in a way we should all admire.
Early agriculture in Australia centred on the fertile valleys of the east and south coasts whilst grazing of sheep and cattle in the drier areas west of the Great Dividing Range followed close behind. It was not until the 1880s that attention turned to the development of irrigation schemes, primarily in the Murray-Darling Basin. The first such projects were in the Goulburn Valley in Victoria and the Chaffey brothers projects in Mildura in Northern Victoria and Renmark in South Australia.
Whilst there were difficulties in getting early projects operating successfully the legendary persistence of Australian farmers prevailed. Australia now produces about 23% of its gross agricultural product from irrigated farms which together account for only 1% of all land used for agriculture and grazing in Australia. The value of produce from irrigated farms reached A$13.4 billion in 2012/13.
The Chaffey brothers George and William came to Australia in the late 1880s with considerable experience from developing irrigation colonies in California in the United States of America. They negotiated arrangements with both the South Australian and Victorian colonial governments and established successful irrigation colonies at Renmark and Mildura.
Others built on their work, the Murray in particular gradually acquired a high level of flow regulation from a series of weirs and locks and large storages were constructed to supply water over the annual cycles and through droughts. Water is now diverted from the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains via the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme power stations to provide irrigation water along the long course of the Murray River.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage National Marker (EHNM) |
| Award Date | 13 October 2017 |
| Heritage Significance | The Mildura and Renmark irrigation systems are of State Significance in Victoria and South Australia respectively. The position of these two schemes, standing at the very beginning of the irrigation revolution in Australia gives these two sites, along with several other early irrigation schemes in Australia, National Significance. International Significance comes from the overall influence of the Chaffey Brothers in both the United States and in Australia on the early development of sustainable and successful models for irrigation colonies. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Not Available. |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Not Installed. |
