Lerderderg River diversion tunnel

The Lerderderg River diversion tunnel, known as The Tunnel, is located on the Lerderderg River approximately 25 km north-west of Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia. The river flows around a spur in a horseshoe bend. The tunnel was driven through the spur diverting the river and allowing the exposed river bed to be sluiced for alluvial gold. [1]

The tunnel was dug during the Victorian gold rush, most likely between 1855 and 1870, and is one of around thirteen river diversions surviving from that era. [2]

The site is within the Lerderderg State Park. It is a 1.5 km walk along Byers Track upstream from the O'Briens Crossing Picnic Area. [1] [3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Lerderderg State Park Visitor Guide", Park Notes (Parks Victoria), December 2010, http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/315690/Park-note-Lerderderg-State-Park.pdf, retrieved 2011-11-27 
  2. ^ "Historic Gold Mining Sites in the South West Region of Victoria, Report on Cultural Heritage", Victorian Goldfields Project (Department of Natural Resources and Environment), August 1999, archived from the original on 2011-03-08, http://www.webcitation.org/5x1yz1OYR 
  3. ^ Byers Walk, Great Dividing Trail Association, 2010, http://gdt.org.au/Lerderderg_Track/Byers_Walk, retrieved 2010-09-14