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Wurundjeri Balluk – the Traditional Owners of the Lower Yarra
The traditional landowners of the area around Dights Falls were the Wurundjeri Balluk people, part of the Woiworung language group.
The rocky outcrop at Dights Falls was a natural crossing place used by the Wurundjeri and the nearby junction of the Merri Creek and Yarra River was an important meeting place for trade, marriage, dispute resolution and other ceremonies -
Exploring
In January 1803, Charles Grimes, the deputy surveyor-general of New South Wales, was sent to Port Phillip to survey the area.[3] Sailing on the schooner Cumberland, under the command of Acting Lieutenant Charles Robbins, the party entered Port Phillip on 20 January 1803. Grimes explored the Yarra by boat for several miles until he reached Dights Falls on 8 February. The event is commemorated by a historic marker on a ridge above the falls to the east. -
The first weir at Dights Falls
In 1839 John Dight purchased Melbourne block 88, which included 26 acres of land along the Yarra River for £481 at the Port Phillip land sales held in Sydney.
Dight was already in the business of our milling and had a mill near Campbell Town in New South Wales called ‘Ceres’. In April 1840, he noti ed his customers through The Sydney Herald that he was leaving to go to Port Phillip.
The rst steam powered our mill was constructed in Melbourne in 1841. Dight built his water powered mill. -
The history of the weir as we know it
The existing weir at Dights Falls dates back to 1895 when a timber structure was built to provide water to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company.
The weir has been repaired a number of times in its 100 year history and the structure we see today is a combination of materials added over time -
Change in 1895,1918 and 1967
The weir was upgraded in 1895 for the Melbourne Flour Milling Company, which had acquired the former Yarra Falls Roller Mill, which were the largest capacity water-power system in Victoria at the time of construction, and technically Victoria's first hydro-electric plant.[5] It underwent reconstruction work in 1918, 1940, and 1967, following damaging floods. -
Breaches and repairs – the changing face of Dights Falls
The rst documented reconstruction activity occurred in 1918 when part of the timber weir washed away in ood waters. The Minister for Public Works at the time declared that the weir would be rebuilt, although the extent of these works is not known.
A breach of the weir on 24 December 1940 prompted another rebuild and the distribution of 1.5 tonnes of rock from the edge of the weir downstream.
A further breach of the weir occurred after heavy rainfall in 1967. -
Change in 2010
In 1993, Melbourne Water recognised that the weir was a major obstacle to fish migrate up the Yarra River, and installed a fish ladder. Subsequent research found it "is not functioning adequately and will require modifications to improve its efficiency and effectiveness". Melbourne Water have undertaken works from the end of 2010 to replace the weir and construct a new fishway to address this issue. Current usage Edit -
Is a vertical slot shway really the best option for Dights Falls?
There are three main types of shways – rock ramp, vertical slot and sh locks. Melbourne Water has worked with sh experts in Victoria and interstate to determine the most effective solution to provide sh passage past Dights Falls. A vertical slot shway was identi ed as the preferred and most effective long term solution -
General info
Dights Falls /ˈdaɪts/ is a rapids and weir on the Yarra River Melbourne, Victoria, just downstream of the junction with the Merri Creek. At this point the river narrows and is constricted between 800,000-year-old volcanic, basaltic lava flow and a much older steep, silurian, sedimentary spur. The north side also contains abundant graptolite fossils in sedimentary sandstone. -
Current usage
The area can be readily accessed by walkers and cyclists from the Yarra River Trail. The rapid is often used for canoeing, and has been used many times for the Victorian Canoe Slalom Championships. When in high flood the weir creates a large standing wave which can be surfed by numerous paddlers at once. Magpies occupy the area, and it is said that the Collingwood Football Club's use of the magpie mascot was inspired by the magpies at Dight's Falls
