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European Settlement
Charles Grimes, was a Surveyor General of New South Wales. He is
believed to be the first European man to explore the Yarra River. Charles Grimes led his survey on a river expedition to the Yarra Falls (DightsFalls) area in 1803 reporting unfavourably on the prospects offsetting there. -
1835
Melbourne eventually settled in 1835. The 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. He was already in the business of flour milling and had a mill close to Campbell Town in New South Wales. -
The first weir at Dights Falls
Dight told his flour milling customers through the Sydney Herald that he was going to Port Phillip. -
The first weir at Dights Falls
The 1st Steam Powered flour mill was constructed in Melbourne. Then shortly after Dight built a water powered Mill which was powered by the river. -
The changing ownership of Dight’s Mill
The dight family abandoned flour milling. -
The changing ownership of Dight’s Mill
dights mill was sold to Edwin trennery in 1878. Trennery then subdivided the land. -
The changing ownership of Dight’s Mill
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 changing ownership of Dight’s Mill
The mill race, rebuilt in the same position using bluestone blocks from Dight’s old mill building. This enterprise was sold in 1891 to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company. -
The changing ownership of Dight’s Mill
The mill changed hands for a final time in 1909, before it was
destroyed by a fire. The mill race and ruins of the mill can still be
found at Dights Falls today. -
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. -
Breaches and repairs – the changing face of Dights Falls
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. -
Breaches and repairs – the changing face of Dights Falls
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. -
Breaches and repairs – the changing face of Dights Falls
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 practice at the time, the
rock fishway way was only partially effective and the Dights Falls
Weir continues to act as a major barrier to native fish migration
in the Yarra River.
