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Tag: Dam

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Glennies Creek Dam Singleton

Lake St Claire

Glennies Creek Dam Singleton

Recent rain in March 2022 has caused floods along the east coast of Australia, actually the whole summer of 2021/22 has been wet. The resulting damage has been extensive to many communities. Of course, this has followed on from drought, bushfires and low dam levels in previous years. The local Glennies Creek Dam which supplies Singleton dropped to under 35% full at one stage and was back up to 75% in February. The flooding rain has pushed this up to 96% which will be a great relief to everyone in the area, despite the damage caused.

History of Glennies Creek Dam

Due to increasing demand, Glennies Creek was constructed to supplement the Upper Hunter’s water supply from Glenbawn Dam. Glennies Creek Dam is a curved rock-fill embankment wall with a concrete slab on the upstream face. The wall is 535 metres long and 67 metres high.

The dam’s small 233 square kilometre catchment includes the Mount Royal National Park. In comparison, Glenbawn Dam has a catchment of 1,300 square kilometres although it has a capacity of 750GL compared to Glennies’ 283GL.

The water stored behind the dam is called Lake St. Claire.

Photos of the dam and lake in March 2022

Located 25 minutes from Singleton in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, Lake St Claire is popular with locals for boating, camping and fishing. Because of its proximity to Singleton it is a great day trip.

The landscape around Singleton is very green for this time of year. Usually, the end of summer sees the landscape looking dull brown and dead . This year however, because of the rain everything is a lush green.

Driving to the dam wall, we parked at the small carpark and went exploring. You are able to walk over the dam wall to the far side of the lake. This is great as you can take pictures from lots of different angles.

Further along the road is a camping ground and boat ramp, which has become very popular as the water level has risen.

Countryside around Lake St Claire
Countryside around Lake St Claire
Glennies Creek Dam Wall Singleton
Glennies Creek Dam Wall
Glennies Creek Dam Wall Singleton
Looking over Glennies Creek Dam Wall
Glennies Creek Dam Wall Singleton
Glennies Creek Dam Wall
Lake St Claire
Lake St Claire
Lake St Claire
Lake St Claire
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Mount Paris Dam Wall Tasmania

Mount Paris Dam Wall

Mount Paris Dam Wall

Mount Paris Dam Wall, on the Mt Paris Road, is the only surviving pillar and slab dam in Tasmania. Built across the Cascade River using only shovels and wheelbarrows in 1937, it was originally named the Morning Star Dam. An 11 Km water race connected it with the Mt Paris Mine. The mine closed in 1970 and the dam fell into disuse. A hole blasted into the 16 metre high wall in 1985 released the water, improving the flow of the Cascade River. In the middle of the dam, most of the vegetation has now grown back, the only indication it was ever any different is the dam wall which still rises starkly before you in the middle of the bush.

How to Get There

Driving from Launceston is a 90 minute drive, while Hobart is three and a half hour drive away. Our day started at St Helens and the Bay of Fires on the east coast and only took one hour. The final part of the drive on Mount Paris Dam Road is on dirt, so be careful and drive to the conditions. The drive takes you through logging areas which are re-growth managed forests, where you will see clear felled trees. You will also see the stages of re-growth where the forestry management have replanted trees for future use.

Dirt Road
Mount Paris Dam Road

Car Park and Bush Track

A small sign indicated the direction to a carpark along a small dirt track. From here, a short walk takes you to the dam wall and the Cascade River.

Bush Track
Track Down From the Car Park

The Dam Wall

The old dam wall stands in stark contrast to the forest growing around it. Now completely surrounded by tall trees and ferns, the concrete wall looks like something from a lost city. The breaches in the wall allow you to walk through to the other side, where the dam once flooded the forest. This area has also regrown so that it is hard to see where it was flooded.

  • Mount Paris Dam Wall
  • The Dam Wall and Cascade River
  • Hole in the Mount Paris Dam Wall
  • Cascade River Flowing Through the Breach in the Dam Wall
    Cascade River Flowing Through the Breach in the Dam Wall
  • Cascade River Flowing Through the Breach in the Dam Wall
    Ferns Growing Near the Breach in the Dam Wall
  • Cascade River Flowing Through the Breach in the Dam Wall
    Cascade River Flowing Through the Breach in the Dam Wall

What Did We Think?

This was an amazing stop which we were very pleased to have done. The dam area is quite surreal, because of its large concrete structure in the middle of a forest.

To read other posts about Tasmania, click here.

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Aberdare South Abandoned Mine at Abernethy

The Old Ruined Winder House

Aberdare South Abandoned Mine at Abernethy

The Aberdare South Colliery operated from 1913 to 1927, making it long abandoned. All that remains of the old mine are the winder house and chimney, but these make the trip worthwhile, so that you can see some of the original industry of the Hunter Valley.

Getting There

Located in the village of Abernethy, the best place to start the walk is from Abernethy House, an old pub now operating as a guest house. Cars can park in a small cleared area opposite the house. This is convenient, because it is at the start of the walking track. The track is not suitable for two wheel drive vehicles, as the road is not well maintained. When we were there, it was badly rutted and eroded by heavy rain, making four wheel drive vehicle access impossible as well.

Abernethy House From the Car Park near the Aberdare South Abandoned Mine
Abernethy House From the Car Park

The Track

Follow the track until you pass an intersection to the left. At this point, keep walking along the main track until you come to a second track to the left, which you take. This track, will lead you to a dam on the left hand side at which point you will also see a large chimney.

After rain the tack is muddy and rutted by previous traffic, which makes is rough in places. Be careful how you walk as some places are slippery and covered in water. Even if the weather is dry, the road will be badly rutted.

  • Access Track After Rain
    Access Track After Rain
  • Access Track After Rain
    Access Track After Rain

The Old Winder House at the Aberdare South Abandoned Mine

Once an impressive building, the old winder house is now a ruin with the roof and floor collapsed. Even in this state it is fun to look around and take pictures, as long as you are careful.

The interior was overgrown with grass and the collapsed floor and old basement were full of water, so we didn’t go inside. We were also wary of the surrounding area as the grass was very long and we were concerned about snakes.

  • Inside the Winder House
    Inside the Winder House
  • Outside the Winder House Aberdare South Abandoned Mine
    Outside the Winder House
  • The Old Ruined Winder House
    The Old Ruined Winder House

The Chimney

Still standing after 100 year, the chimney is starting to look old, as the brickwork has cracks making it look unstable. Standing in the middle of the bush, it looks out of place, making it a unique and interesting photo opportunity.

Old Chimney at the Aberdare South Abandoned Mine
Old Chimney at the Mine Site

The Dam and Returning to The Start

Once we had looked around the chimney and winder house, we followed the track down to the dam, which was full of water and surrounded by eucalyptus trees. From here, we walked around the dam until we found the track which took us back to our car. This track is the first one we passed on the way in, allowing us to do the walk as a circuit.

View Over the Dam
View Over the Dam

Things to be Aware Of

We aware that snakes are common in the area, so be careful around long grass. The old buildings are not maintained, so are unstable, particularly inside the winder house.

What Did We Think?

This was a great place to visit, because of the unusual sight of abandoned mine buildings. The walk was short and quite easy, despite the wet ground.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.