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European Settlement
Charles Grimes, Surveyor General of New South Wales, is believed to be the first European to explore the Yarra River. He led his survey party on a river expedition to the Yarra Falls (Dights Falls) area in 1803 reporting unfavourably on the prospects of settling there. -
Melbourne Settlement
Melbourne was eventually settled in 1835. Land was sub-divided and the first public land sales were held shortly after. -
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 Business
Dight was already in the business of flour milling and had a mill near Campbell Town in New South Wales called 'Ceres'. In April 1840, he notified his customers through The Sydney Herald that he was leaving to go to Port Phillip. -
The First Steam Powered Flour Mill
The first steam powered flour mill was constructed in Melbourne in 1841. Dight built his water powered mill, soon after, from bricks bought over from Tasmania. -
The Changing Ownership of Dight's Mill
The Dight Family abandoned flour milling in 1864 and the property was sold to Edwin Trennery 1878. Trennery subsequently subdivided the land. The original mill on the river bank remained unoccupied until 1888, when flour millers Gillespie, Aitken and Scott, operating under the name of 'Yarra Falls Roller Flour Mills' constructed a new mill and associated buildings at the site. -
The Mill race Rebuilt
The mill race was rebuilt in much the sae position using bluestone blocks from Dight's old mill building, and a new mill and associated buildings were constructed. This enterprise was sold in 1891 to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company. The mill changed hands for a final time in 1909 before it was destroyed by fire. The mill race and ruins of the mill can still be found at Dights Falls today. -
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. -
Breaches And Repairs-The Changing Face Of Dights Falls
The first documented reconstruction activity occurred in 1918 when part of the timber weir washed away in flood 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. -
Weir Breach Rebuild
A breach of the weir on the 24th of December 1940 prompted another rebuild and the distribution of 1.5 tonnes of rock from the edge of the weir downstream. -
After Affects of Heavy Rainfall
A further breach of the weir occurred after heavy rainfall in 1967. Most of the timber decking, walings and rock fill had washed away or were irreparably damaged during this flood. The following year, the original timber piles were capped by concrete, replacing the timber deck and resulting in the weir structure that we see today. -
Weir Fish Migration
In 1993 Melbourne Water, recognising that the weir was a barrier to fish migration constructed a rock fishway to allow fish to move around the weir. Whilst considered best practise at the time, the rock fishway was only partially effective and the Dights Falls Weir continues to act as a major barrier to native fish migration in the Yarra River.
