History of Dights Falls

By milaa22
  • Wurundjeri Balluk
    1 CE

    Wurundjeri Balluk

    The traditional landowners of the area around Dights Fall were the Wurundjeri Balluk, part of the Woiworung language people. This area was an important meeting place for trade, marriage, dispute resolution and other ceremonies. It also provides the people with fish and animals for hunting meaning that they could stay in this area for a number of weeks at a time.
  • 1803

    1803

    Charles Grimes, Surveyor General of NSW, led his survey party on a river expedition to the Yarra Falls (Dights Falls) area.
  • 1835

    1835

    Melbourne was eventually settled in.
  • 1839

    John Dights purchased Melbourne block 88 at the Port Phillip land sales held in Sydney.
  • 1840

    1840

    John Dights notified his flour milling costumers through the Sydney Herald that he was leaving and moving to Port Phillip.
  • 1841

    1841

    The first steam powered flour mill was constructed in Melbourne.
  • 1864

    The Dights Family abandoned flour milling.
  • 1878

    The property was sold to Edwin Trennery.
  • 1888

    The original mill on the river bank remained unoccupied until this date.
  • 1891

    The 'Yarra Falls Roller Flour Mill' was sold to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company.
  • 1895

    1895

    A wooded weir was built at Dights fall to provide water to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company.
  • 1909

    The mill changed owners again before it was destroyed by a fire.
  • 1918

    The first documented reconstruction occurred.
  • 1940

    A gab in the weir needed to be repaired.
  • 1967

    Another gab in the weir occurred after heavy rainfall. Most of the timber decking, waling and rock fill had washed away or were very badly damaged.
  • 1968

    1968

    The timber piles were capped by concrete which replaced the timber deck.
  • 1993

    1993

    Melbourne water recognised that the weir was a barrier to migrating fish and decided to construct a rock fishway to allow fish to move around the weir.
  • 2010

    2010

    Construction began on the new weir and fishway.
  • 2012

    2012

    November, the new weir and fishway was finally completed.