Darlingford Waters Boat Club

Darlingford Waters Boat Club Darlingford Waters Boat Club, nestled at the mouth of Jerusalem Creek on Lake Eildon.

24/08/2026

The 1910 double-rope river crossing at Upper Thornton.

Was a rudimentary, utilitarian suspension lifeline rigged across the Goulburn River to maintain foot communication for early settlers, miners, and timber workers when seasonal floods made the upper reaches impassable.

Historical Context of Upper Thornton.

The Settlement:

Upper Thornton lay roughly 7 kilometres east of the main Thornton township along the route toward Eildon, servicing a small, rugged pocket of pioneer farms, local sawmills, and forestry tracks.

The Crossing Need:

Before major twentieth-century engineering—such as the construction of the Eildon Weir infrastructure—bridging minor rural streams and river bends relied on local ingenuity. High winter and spring water levels on the Goulburn cut off children from the Upper Thornton school and isolated homesteads.

The Double-Rope Method:

Improvised double-rope configurations (one lower line for footing and an upper line for hand stability) were commonly erected at dangerous pinch-points or deep river sections to allow locals to pull themselves or supplies across the churning current safely.

19/08/2026

History of 200000 volt line from Kiewa to Mt Pinnager.

The Kiewa-Melbourne 200,000 volt power line was the first in Australia to operate at this voltage level. It spanned Lake Eildon from Mt Enterprise to Mt Pinninger, crossing the Goulburn River Arm.
This power line was a significant engineering achievement, crossing one and one third miles long (7,300 feet) and crossing Eildon Reservoir (normal spacing between towers was 1000 feet.). It was one of the longest cable spans in the world at the time.

The Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme, which includes the Kiewa-Melbourne power line, is the largest hydro-electric scheme in Victoria and the second-largest in mainland Australia. The scheme was originally constructed between 1938 and 1961 and was later privatized in the 1990s.

The Kiewa line crossing Eildon was also the site of a significant aviation incident in 2004 when a Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-28R-200 Arrow struck a power cable over the lake.

10/08/2026

Increased settlement led to the opening of a school in 1863, which was superseded by a state school in 1875.
In 1914 the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission began the construction of the Sugarloaf Dam at the headwaters of the Goulburn and Delatite Rivers, Eildon township being on the south side of the Goulburn. The Sugarloaf Waterworks school was established (1916) along with the housing for construction workers, and renamed the Eildon Weir primary school in 1923. By the 1940s the resulting township, named Eildon Reservoir, had a church, school, post office, recreation ground and numerous other buildings. It was about a kilometre beyond the dam wall, the hydroelectricity power house and transformer power house.

07/08/2026

The History of the Eildon Pondage part 1

The Eildon Pondage is a small regulating reservoir located immediately below the Eildon Dam. Although many visitors know it today as one of Victoria's premier trout fishing destinations, it was originally built as an important part of the dam's water management system rather than for recreation.
When the Big Eildon Project was completed in 1956, water released through the hydroelectric power station needed to be temporarily stored before flowing into the Goulburn River. Engineers created the pondage to regulate these releases, ensuring the river downstream was protected from sudden surges while still supplying irrigation water across northern Victoria. The pondage has a storage capacity of about 5,200 megalitres and covers approximately 150 hectares.

Historic Photos of the Eildon Pondage (1954–1958)
True photographs taken exactly in 1956 are quite rare, but there are several images from the mid-1950s (1954–1958) that show the pondage immediately after it was completed.

Picture of the pondage weir in the 1950’s

31/07/2026

This is a wonderful historical parish map of Darlingford, printed in 1928 by the Victorian Department of Lands and Survey. It shows the township and surrounding farming properties just before the area was inundated by the waters of the original Sugarloaf Reservoir, which later became part of today's Lake Eildon.

Located where the Goulburn River met the Delatite River, Darlingford was once a thriving rural community. The map records property boundaries, roads, river crossings and landowners, providing a fascinating snapshot of life in the valley before it was flooded.
You can see neighbouring districts including Thornton, Howqua, Jamieson, Lodge Park and Banyarmbite, highlighting how connected the region once was. Families farmed the fertile river flats, while local businesses, including the famous Darlingford Hotel, served residents and travellers for decades

31/07/2026

Darlingford Hotel’s ‘watery grave’: How a pub was submerged by Sugarloaf Weir – TIME GENTS

The story of the Darlingford Hotel is one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of Lake Eildon.

The Darlingford Hotel stood in the township of Darlingford, located at the junction of the Goulburn and Delatite Rivers. During the 1860s gold rush, Darlingford was a thriving settlement with seven hotels, shops, a post office, police station and school.

When the Victorian Government announced plans to build the Sugarloaf Weir (the original Eildon Reservoir), the town's fate was sealed. Construction began in 1915, bringing hundreds of workers to the area. The Darlingford Hotel, then operated by Thomas Henry Allen, became a favourite watering hole for the thirsty workforce building the dam

Address

603 Jerusalem Creek Track
Eildon, VIC
3713

Telephone

03 5774 2414

Website

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