Millbrook Reservoir - SA

Information

The construction of the Millbrook Reservoir spanned the years of the First World War from 1914 to 1918.
Millbrook was built to control flows in the upper reaches of the River Torrens and provide a reservoir in the Mount Lofty Ranges with sufficient elevation for gravity to supply the eastern suburbs of Adelaide.
The reservoir is named after the small town of Millbrook which was situated above the site of the dam wall.
Despite stories claiming many of the old buildings of Millbrook still exist beneath the waters, the abandoned buildings in the storage area such as Miss Adey’s Private School and the Millbrook Hotel were all demolished and cleared away before filling.
However, the old bridge over the Torrens was left intact. During a severe drought in 1955 when the level of the reservoir dropped to a record low, the old bridge became visible for the first time in nearly 40 years.
In the 1970s the nearby small town of Chain of Ponds was also demolished to safeguard against any pollution of the water in the Reservoir.

Capacity: 16,500 megalitres
Length of wall: 288m
Height of wall: 31m
Type of wall: Earth with clay core
Area of water spread: 178 hectares