Dights Falls Weir and Fishway Construction (Yarra River, Abbotsford)
Visitors to Dights Falls please note
We have temporarily closed the grated viewing area of the fish-way to the public. The area will remain closed until important changes are made to visitor access. We anticipate the works to be complete and the area reopened to the public by the start of July 2013.
Thank you for your cooperation.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
The Waterways Alliance, on behalf of Melbourne Water, has completed works to replace the ageing Dights Falls Weir and built a new fishway on the Yarra River in Abbotsford. The new fishway will allow fish to swim past the weir, benefiting 11 species of native migratory fish and unlocking vast reaches of the Yarra and its tributaries upstream.
Construction started in November 2010 and works were completed in November 2012 after the project was heavily impacted by the weather. The project involved four major phases of work;
- Site establishment and preparation
- Weir construction
- Fishway construction
- Demobilisation and landscaping
For more information on the facilities in the park, please contact Yarra City Council.
Project summary
Time lapse of construction
Why is this project important?
The original weir at Dights Falls dated back to 1895 when a timber structure was built to provide water to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company, run by the Hon. James Bell.
Today the weir plays an important role controlling water levels in the Yarra - pooling water for approximately 17 kilometres upstream and protecting important social, economic and environmental values of the river.
It is considered one of the most significant in-stream barriers to native fish passage in Victoria. A rock-fishway constructed at the site in 1993 was no longer effective. The construction of a new and improved vertical slot fishway will directly benefit the Yarra and its upstream tributaries, boosting native migratory fish numbers and species diversity.
The original weir also had historical value and Heritage Victoria approved the replacement of the weir and the fishway construction. A Cultural Heritage Management Plan was also approved for the project, recognising the significance of Dights Falls to the Wurundjeri people; the traditional owners of the area.
Key facts
| Start | November 2010 |
|---|---|
| Finish | November 2012 |
Location
Contact the Waterways Alliance
- call 131 722 and ask for the Waterways Alliance team
- contact us online