The Gold Creek Dam is an earth-fill

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

with an un-gated spillway across the Gold Creek that is located in the

South East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

region of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The main purpose of the dam is for

potable Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

of the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

region. The resultant

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

is called the Gold Creek Reservoir.

Location and features

The Gold Creek Dam is located on the edge of

Brisbane Forest Park Brisbane Forest Park (now officially the southern part of D'Aguilar National Park), is located on parts of the D'Aguilar Range. The large nature reserve lies on the western boundary of City of Brisbane into the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Aus ...

, west of Brisbane, on the Gold Creek, a tributary of

Moggill Creek Moggill Creek is a creek in Brisbane, the largest city in Queensland, Australia. The creek rises on the Taylor Range and runs in a south-easterly direction from the southern edge of Brisbane Forest Park in Kholo and Pullenvale, flowing through ...

, to augment supplies from the recently completed

Enoggera Dam The Enoggera Dam is a heritage-listed dam, which is located within the outer, western suburb of Enoggera Reservoir, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The Enoggera Dam was constructed in 1866, on the upper reach of Breakfast Creek (wh ...

. Unlike Enoggera, the Gold Creek site could supply water to the most elevated parts of the city. The earthfill dam structure is high and long. The dam wall holds back the

when at full capacity. From a

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of , the dam creates an unnamed reservoir with an average depth of . The surface area of the wide reservoir is . The uncontrolled un-gated spillway has a discharge capacity of . Initially managed by the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

up until 2008, the dam is now managed by

Seqwater Seqwater is a statutory authority of the Government of Queensland that provides bulk water storage, transport and treatment, water grid management and planning, catchment management and flood mitigation services to the South East Queensland reg ...

Construction

The Gold Creek Dam was the second oldest large dam in Queensland. Construction of the dam was approved in 1881;

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

began in the same year and was completed by April 1882. The dam wall was built between 1882 and 1885. Due to a lack of water, testing of the facilities was not completed until 1886. Construction was more difficult than expected and caused cost overruns and delays, which led to criticism of the Board of Waterworks. The construction tender was won by Ross and Dunbar based on designs developed by J. B. Henderson. The connection to the growing Brisbane population was by a single , cast-iron, mains pipe that was in length.

Unusual spillway

Originally an unlined chute, the dam spillway was damaged during floods in early 1890. It was replaced by an un-reinforced concrete

stepped spillway A stepped spillway is a spillway with steps on the spillway chute to assist in the dissipation of the kinetic energy of the descending water. This eliminates or reduces the need for an additional energy dissipator, such as a body of water, at the ...

the first of its type in the world and the precursor of modern roller compacted concrete (RCC) stepped spillways. The dam and its spillway system were refurbished several times including in 1974 and 2004. Most of the 1890 concrete stepped spillway cascade is still in use.

Water supply

The council had received complaints about the quality of water it was delivering from as early as 1871. Although water supplied from Gold Creek was deemed to be perfectly drinkable in 1883, dry spring and summer weather resulted in the water being described as discoloured, tainted and foul-smelling. In 1885, the construction of tanks was recommended to allow

aeration Aeration (also called aerification or aeriation) is the Systems engineering process, process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or solvation, dissolved in a liquid or other substances that act as a fluid (such as soil). Aeration proces ...

and

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

. After Gold Creek dam was constructed

filtration Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter ...

was also recommended. However nothing was initiated, partly due to the lack of a suitable location to treat water from both dams, and because wet weather in 1888 resulted in the number of complaints dropping to just a few.

Access

Gold Creek Dam is reached by traveling to the end of Gold Creek Road, off Brookfield Road in Brookfield.

Brisbane Transport Transport for Brisbane, previously called Brisbane Transport'','' is an organisational division of the Brisbane City Council, responsible through its related Council Committee for providing policy and advice to Brisbane City Council, and for de ...

route 435 travels hourly during weekdays from the Indooroopilly Interchange to the Resthaven aged care home at 124 Gold Creek Road, approximately from the Dam. From here to the Dam, Gold Creek Road criss-crosses Gold Creek; it is winding and somewhat narrow but generally flat and suitable for cycling or walking. A steep walking track gives access to the top of the dam at the eastern end; alternatively a gentle vehicle track gives access to the western end of the top of the dam.

Recreation

At the foot of the dam is a public toilet and an information board. The board shows a map of the dam and the

walking track A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

. On water activities are not permitted, even though the water is no longer used for supply.

Walking tracks

The Gold Creek Reservoir track is described as long. It starts and ends at the dam and circumnavigates the reservoir. It is suitable for running, walking, and

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

by a capable rider but not horse riding. Taken clockwise and starting on the western end of the top of the dam, the first (approx) is generally a narrow winding track clinging to steep hillside with some climb. The next (approx) appears to be formed by repeated use of a

quad bike An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is strad ...

and is generally wider and flatter. The next (approx) return path along the eastern side of the reservoir is narrow and fairly rugged, climbing and dropping repeatedly. The final (approx) back to the foot of the dam is well-formed, reasonably wide and gentle with formed steps on the steeper sections. The track finishes from the east by traversing the bottom of the spillway; it is difficult to make out from the foot of the dam. A side-track visiting a

Hoop Pine ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' is a species of '' Araucaria'' known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist ...

plantation is described on the information board, which also describes various notable sights on the track. As of March 2010

lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in ...

growth has made these tough to spot. The track is very overgrown and little used and its route can no longer be seen at the northernmost point. This makes circumnavigation of the dam very difficult. Walking and riding tracks which travel deep into Brisbane Forest Park also begin here. Gold Creek Reservoir is home to the Pinnacles Classic, a small trail running event held in mid-April which uses a hilly, roughly rectangular course which utilises Gold Creek Boundary Break, South Boundary Road and the Gold Creek Trail, starting and finishing at the gate at Gold Creek Road. The event reverses direction each year, with clockwise races held in even numbered years.

Gallery

File:Gold Creek Dam tower.jpg, Gold Creek Dam

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

with Little Black Cormorants File:Gold Creek Dam spillway weir.jpg, Gold Creek Dam

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

File:Gold Creek Dam un-reinforced concrete stepped spillway.jpg, Looking up at the Gold Creek Dam

File:Gold Creek Dam view 01.jpg, Gold Creek Dam trail view in 2018 File:Gold Creek Dam view 02.jpg, Gold Creek Dam trail view in 2018 File:Gold Creek Dam view 03.jpg, Gold Creek Dam trail view in 2018

References

External links

Gold Creek dam and its historical stepped spillway system
(Cick PROCEED at the UQ-ITS advisory webpage) *
Photo of the spillway
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gold Creek Dam Gold Creek Reservoir Geography of Brisbane Buildings and structures in Brisbane Dams in Queensland Embankment dams Earth-filled dams Dams completed in 1882 1882 establishments in Australia