The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1919-07-04
BURRINJUCK DAM,
new SOUTH WALES
One Of the Irrigation Marve|s Of
the World.

'iit'ii ttNi WI tift mum sNoutittIil fdi~
way and reached by one of the most
miniature railways in Australia, is
Burrinjuck Dam. the source Of the
water supply of the Murrumbidgee r.
rlgation Areas.
The surroundings of Burriniuck pre-
sent scene of Wild aud rugged
grandeur, and as the train approaches
the terminus, glimpses are caught of
the great inland sea- Indeed in it Il
veritable sea, for all the navies of the
world could lie on its bosom and then
there would room to spare for the
Mercantile Marine as well.
The biggest warship ever built could
ride at anchor at Burrnjuck and there
would still be hundred feet of water
under her keel. A couple of years
ago here and there could be seen the
dying tops of giant gum trees which
had fringed the course of the two riv-
ers, but they have long since gone I'M
der, and smart motor boats skim
the surface many feet above the sub
merged trunks. Also number OF
homesteads, which nestled In the lone
some valleys, are likewise buried faith
oms deep. Their dispossessed owners
were we'll compensated by the State,
and the little homesteads had to go In
order that a score or two of holdings
might emerge on the Riverina plains.
The dam ranks fourth among the
great irrigation achievements of the
world. The formation at the site Of
the dam Is tne-grained hard red
granite, and on either side of the dam
| the hills rise steeply to height Of
| 1000 feet. At about Il mile above the
dam the gorge opens out into large
basin, which formerly included the
| junction of the Goodradigbee and Muir
rumbidgee Rivers.
| When the dam is full the area of
this portion of the storage will be
! about $500 acres, with depth Of wa
ter over large portion of from 1870 to
$50 feet Above. this basin the rivers
again enter the hills, opening out into
smaller areas of submerged flats here
and there, which Will still further In
crease the area Of the storage. Some
- miles above the dam the Yass River
falls into the general storage. Water
will be eventually held up the Yass
River to % miles, up the Goodradigbee
River to Is miles, and up the Murrum-
bidgee River to AZ miles above the
| dam.
The Berembed division weir is sit
uated 240 miles by river below Bur-
ringjuck Dam. Qiere the water Is d.
verified from thd river into the main
canal Eventually the main canal will
extend to about 100 miles from Berem-
bed. At present it terminates near
Griffith, about 90 miles from the
Berembed take-off to Yanco. Where
the canal practically enters the area
the distance from Berembed Weir is
As miles.
The estimated capacity of the dam
Is 1852, 81 600 cubic feet, or ILL., GAL
acre feet. The full supply level will
be at r. L. 1,1S0 above water spring
tides, Sydney, or 200 feet above the in
vert Of the drain-off pipes.
In the course OF year or so Bur-
rinjuck will come into It's own as one
of the most attractive resorts for
pleasure and recreation in the States,
lOI Tic NuSl uililldIiuu
reposes amidst most picturesque sur
roundings, and fishing, boating, swim
| ming, shooting will offer considerable
attraction to the tourist and holiday
maker, who wishes to make trip 200
miles inland from Sydney.
When the fall is completed it will
hold more water than Sydney Harbor,
| Itc ho xui hn IN St
as numerous, while the surrounding
country Is more rugged and inspiring
than that which surrounds Port Jack
son. There among those steep and
formidable mountains to a height of
200 feet the dam backs the water AZ
miles. The ruling grade Is only s feet
per mile. From the dam to YancO,
the great irrigation model Of New
South Wales, via the water route Is
$50 miles, and the fall of the whole
of that total distance Is only about 600
feet showing how the low grade en-
ables those areas so far distant from
the supply to be watered entirely by|
gravitation.
The farms allotted and available for
disposal on the Murrumbidgee Irri-
CATION Areas are Of varying sizes and
Of varying quality, with the result that
the lines of industry followed by the
settlers cover wide range.
There are farms of from to 25O
acres in extent, and the chief indus
tries carried on are dairying, which in
| many cases Is associated with pig
raising, fruit growing, viticulture and
| vegetable growing.
The usual variety of fruits grown
under irrigation conditions in other
parts of the world are being produced
on the Murrumbidgee Irrigation
Areas and the Yanco Experiment
Farm is a useful object lesson avail
able for the instruction of settlers in
the growth of these fruits, and al
though the settlement is still young,
phenomenal crops of apricots,
| Deaches cifrus fruits and grapes have