1928 - The O'Shannassy Reservoir
The
Reservoir
This was built in 1928, about 2 km upstream from the Weir, which was
then closed.
There are very few historical or contemporary images available, and there is no public access
to the Reservoir.
It is essentially a diversionary dam, and in times of high inflow from the catchment, increased
overflow (spills) go into the O'Shannassy River, and then into the Yarra.
The present-day O'Shannassy unsealed 5 km vehicular road from the Wood's Point Rd was built by the
MMBW to faciltate the movement of materials to the construction site, replacing an old timber logging track further to the
west. The present-day bridge at the Wood's Point Rd as builtat the same time.
Stream flow into the Reservoir is about 80,000 ML/annum, and daily output is about 3,100 ML.
O'Shannassy Lodge
Set in a lawned clearing amid pristine
bush, O'Shannassy Lodge was built about 1915 by the now defunct Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works to house engineers building
the nearby O'Shannassy Reservoir
It was later transformed into a special retreat for Board of Works commissioners. A short history of
the lodge recalls "hints of controversy over what some saw as a costly luxury" for MMBW chiefs.
So luxurious was it that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed there for a few days during a royal
visit in 1954, the Queen in room 10 and the Prince in an adjoining room.
Yet, tucked away behind a locked gate and up a five-kilometre bush track, the lodge is all but unknown
to the wider community.
The Lodge is now leased to a private organization as a rehabilitation centre and public vehicle
access is prohibited, except on Sundays when approved visitors may drive through the gate, from the Woods Point
Rd, with a special electronic passcard.
Pedestrian acress is allowed at any time, on any day, and it's a 5 km walk to the Centre.
Following Rd 1, about 2 km from the start, a junction is reached at Rd 17, also accessible to walkers,
which leads to the O'Shannassy Lodge, about 1 km further on.
The O'Shannassy River is crossed not far from this junction
Read
more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/scientologists-living-rentfree-in-one-of-victorias-grand-lodges-20080928-4por.html#ixzz2HKWzpH4A
Outflow
From 1928, water
from the Reservoir flowed into the Aqueduct, bypassing the Weir .
Water from the Reservoir
now flows in two underground pipes to the Yarra Silvan and Upper Yarra Conduits, and then
on to the Silvan Reservoir, and are collectively referred to as the O'Shannassy Outlet Mains, known
as M230 and M301 respectively.
M301, built in 1940, was
the original 3 km channel which carried water from the O'Shannassy Aqueduct to the Upper Yarra Conduit. Only 2.4 km of the
original M301 channel remains in service, as 600 m was abandoned in 1996 when the Aqueduct was decommissioned..
M301 is a 1150 mm
diam welded mild steel pipe, enamel-lined.
M230 was built in
1965 and is 1150 mm diam, 4 km length.
These are the onlly
two outlets of the Reservoir.
