# Darwin Dam

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Dam in Tasmania, Australia

Dam in West Coast Tasmania

Darwin Dam An aerial view of the Darwin Dam, at the southern end of Lake Burbury Interactive map of Darwin Dam Country Australia Location West Coast Tasmania Coordinates 42°13′06″S 145°37′09″E / 42.218316°S 145.619102°E / -42.218316; 145.619102 Purpose Power Status Operational Opening date 1990 (1990) Owner Hydro Tasmania Dam and spillways Type of dam Rock-fill dam Impounds off stream Height 20 m (66 ft) Length 700 m (2,300 ft) Dam volume 430×10^3 m3 (15×10^6 cu ft) Spillways 0 Reservoir Creates Lake Burbury Total capacity 1,081.42 GL (876,720 acre⋅ft) Active capacity 1,065 GL (863,000 acre⋅ft) Catchment area 559 km2 (216 sq mi) Surface area 5,325 ha (13,160 acres) Normal elevation 233 m (764 ft) AHD Website hydro.com.au [1]

The **Darwin Dam** is an offstream [earthfill](/source/Earthfill_dam) [embankment](/source/Embankment_dam) [saddle dam](/source/Saddle_dam), located in [Western](/source/Western_Tasmania) [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania), Australia. The impounded [reservoir](/source/Reservoir), formed by [Crotty Dam](/source/Crotty_Dam) and the Darwin Dam, is called [Lake Burbury](/source/Crotty_Dam#Reservoir).[2]

The dam was constructed in 1990 by the [Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS)](/source/Hydro_Tasmania) for the purpose of generating [hydro-electric power](/source/Hydro-electricity) via the [John Butters Power Station](/source/John_Butters_Power_Station).[3] It had been known during construction as the *Andrew Divide Dam*.[4]

## Features and location

The Darwin Dam, together with the Crotty Dam, are two major dams that form the headwaters for the King River Hydroelectric Power Development. The dam is located at the southern end of Lake Burbury and holds the water for the lake.

The Darwin Dam wall, constructed with 430 thousand cubic metres (15×10^6 cu ft) of earth core, is 20 metres (66 ft) high and 700 metres (2,300 ft) long. When full, Lake Burbury has capacity of 1,081.42 [gigalitres](/source/Gigalitre) (876,720 [acre⋅ft](/source/Acre-foot)) and covers 53,250 hectares (131,600 acres), drawn from a [catchment area](/source/Drainage_basin) of 559 square kilometres (216 sq mi). The dam wall does not have a [spillway](/source/Spillway).[1]

The dam draws its name from [Mount Darwin](/source/Mount_Darwin%2C_Tasmania), a peak located to the west of the dam wall. Both locations draw their names from the railway stopping place and the ghost town site of [Darwin](/source/Darwin%2C_Tasmania) that was situated on the [North Mount Lyell Railway](/source/North_Mount_Lyell_Railway) between [Gormanston](/source/Gormanston%2C_Tasmania) and [Kelly Basin](/source/Kelly_Basin). It inundates the former [Kelly Basin Road](/source/Kelly_Basin_Road) which was the subsequent name for the railway line formation.

In the 1910s the [Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company](/source/Mount_Lyell_Mining_and_Railway_Company) investigated and surveyed a site very close to this dam for a proposed scheme.

## See also

- [Australia portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Australia)
- [Water portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Water)

- [List of dams in Tasmania](/source/List_of_reservoirs_and_dams_in_Australia#Tasmania)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ANCOLD_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ANCOLD_1-1) ["Register of Large Dams Australia-2015"](https://ancold.org.au/information-resources/dams-information/) ([Excel](/source/Microsoft_Excel). Requires download. Row 142). *[ANCOLD](/source/ANCOLD)*. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "Anthony and King Power Developments approved". *Cross Currents* (70). Hydro-Electric Commission. 1969. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0811-4803](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0811-4803).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["King - Yolande"](http://www.hydro.com.au/energy/our-power-stations/king-yolande). *Energy: Our power stations*. [Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania). Retrieved 21 June 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** HEC Public Relations (December 1983). *King River Power Development*. Hydro-Electric Commission.

## Further reading

- [Blainey, Geoffrey](/source/Geoffrey_Blainey) (2000). [*The Peaks of Lyell*](/source/The_Peaks_of_Lyell) (6th ed.). Hobart: St. David's Park Publishing. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7246-2265-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7246-2265-8).

- [Whitham, Charles](/source/Charles_Whitham) (2003). *Western Tasmania - A land of riches and beauty* (Reprint 2003 ed.). Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.

v t e Dams and reservoirs in Tasmania, Australia Central Highlands Arthurs Lake Catagunya Clark Cluny Lake Binney Lake Echo Liapootah Meadowbank Miena Pine Tier Repulse Wayatinah King Island Upper Grassy North East Briseis Cascade Clarence Curries River Duck Reach Weir Frome Monarch Mount Paris North West Guide River Henty Pet River White Spur Northern Augusta Cethana Devils Gate Ford Mackenzie Meander Paloona Parangana Rowallan Taylor No. 3 Trevally Wilmot South Craigbourne Flagstaff Gully Hall No. 2 Knights Creek Limekiln Gully Lower Reservoir Ridgeway Rileys Creek Risdon Brook Stanton South West Edgar Gordon Laughing Jack Scotts Peak Serpentine Western Anthony and levee Bastyan and levee Crotty Darwin Mackintosh Tullabardine Margaret Murchison Newton Reece Decommissioned Tolosa Park Category | List

v t e Western region of Tasmania, Australia Cities and other settlements Queenstown Crotty Darwin Dundas Gormanston Guildford Linda Pillinger Regatta Point Rosebery Strahan Tullah Waratah Williamsford Zeehan Governance Braddon (federal) Braddon (state) Franklin Land District Montgomery Land District Montagu Land District West Coast Council Lyell Murchison Zeehan Mountains West Coast Range Black Darwin Dundas Heemskirk Huxley Jukes Lyell Murchison Owen Read Read Volcanics Sedgwick Sorell Strahan Zeehan Tyndall Geikie Tyndall Eldon Eldon Peak Engineer unnamed peak Raglan unnamed peak Sticht unnamed peak National parks Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Rivers Anne Anthony Franklin Gordon Henty King Lea Mackintosh Murchison Pieman Queen Sophia Lakes Beatrice Burbury Dora Gordon Mackintosh Murchison Pieman Rosebery Westwood Dams Anthony Crotty Darwin Gordon Henty Mackintosh Tullabardine Lake Margaret Murchison Reece Power stations Anthony Power Development Bastyan Gordon John Butters Lake Margaret Mackintosh Reece Tribute Transport Anthony Road Hercules Haulage Lyell Highway Murchison Highway Queenstown Airport Strahan Airport Railways Emu Bay Macquarie Heads breakwater Melba Mount Dundas-Zeehan North East Dundas North Mount Lyell Wee Georgie Wood West Coast Wilderness Zeehan-Strahan Railway stations and former railway stations Queenstown Zeehan Landmarks Natural Birchs Inlet Cape Sorell Darwin Crater Granville Harbour Hells Gates Iron Blow Kelly Basin Linda Valley Macquarie Harbour Montezuma Falls Nelson Falls Ocean Beach Trial Harbour Man-made Cape Sorell Lighthouse Gaiety Theatre Galley Museum Paragon Theatre Queenstown Oval People of note Convicts on the West Coast Crotty Davey Gould Joyce Long Moore Pearce Piguenit Piners Sticht Whitham Mining Comstock Mine Copper Mines Henty Gold Mine Mount Jukes Mine sites Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Company Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program North Mount Lyell North Mount Lyell Disaster (1912) Renison Bell Stichtite West Coast Tasmania Mines Books and newspapers For the Term of His Natural Life Gould's Book of Fish The Peaks of Lyell West Coast Miner Zeehan & Dundas Herald Other Darwin glass The Unconformity Round Earth Theatre Company Tasmanian West bioregion Western Tasmanian Football Association Western Tasmanian languages

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Darwin Dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Dam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Dam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.