February 2024 LRRSA Members Zoom meeting - Richard Warwick - An overview of tramways used by the Victorian SRWSC

Richard Warwick will present on the following subject:

An overview of some tramways used by the SRWSC

The State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (SRWSC) was formed in 1905 by the Victorian government to manage the supply of water in the rural areas of the State.  The SRWSC constructed many dams and weirs over the years and many of those employed various forms of tramways in their construction.  This presentation will provide an overview of the tramways used on three of those construction sites.  The  Sugarloaf reservoir (now called Eildon) was constructed between 1915 and 1927 and utilised horse drawn tramways and extensive use of inclines to move large quantities of rock, earth, sand and concrete around the site.  After it was completed there was a major failure of the earth embankment and further earthworks needed to be carried out.  For that work several Malcolm Moore tractors were used.  The Yarrawonga Weir on the Murray River was constructed between 1935 and 1939 and utilised steam, diesel and horse tramways.  The Lauriston Reservoir was constructed between 1939 and 1942 and consisted of an mass concrete arch wall across a valley.  Diesel tractor hauled tramways were used in the initial earthworks stage and then for carting concrete around the site.  The presentation will include many photos taken at the various sites and a discussion of some of the difficulties encountered.