Lower Stony Creek Dam
The Lower Stony Creek concrete dam is a significant achievement for Australian engineering during the period of 1870-1880. As the third oldest concrete dam in the world, after Boyds Corner Dam (New York State, United States of America) and Lac de Perolles Dam (Switzerland), both constructed in 1872, and is the oldest in Australia.
This concrete dam was constructed when Portland cement was not a well-known material. The decision by Edward Dobson and George Gordon, to use Portland cement, was a remarkable step in accepting this material for large scale construction. Their dam design was also a significant move forward in designing a dam using civil engineering principles.
The dam wall is located in the Brisbane Ranges National Park, approximately 33 kilometres north from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The mass concrete gravity dam was constructed over 18 months from 1873 to 1874. The structure stands 16 metres high and has a crest 68 metres long, with a storage capacity of 630 million litres. The reservoir was part of the water supply for Geelong from 1873 to 1998.
The decision to build this reservoir came from the failure in 1872 of the Upper Stony Creek Dam which was built to provide water to the developing town of Geelong.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage National Marker (EHNM) |
| Award Date | February 2018 |
| Heritage Significance | The Lower Stony Creek Dam utilizes theoretically based principles of stability in its design at a time when this was uncommon and just beginning to be the norm. It helped stability analysis and the method of middle third to become the standard for gravity dam design. It was constructed with Portland cement when this material was not common in construction. It is of social importance to the Town of Geelong as it provided the growing city with potable water for many years and allowed the city to grow after the population boom of the Gold Rush period. It is of National historical importance to Australia as our oldest concrete gravity dam. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Not Available. |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Not Available. |
