Kim Rose - Karalee Water Catchment and Dam Survey
The first known water catchment construction at the Karalee Rocks site was by a party led by Charles Hunt in 1865 with the construction of 26 wells along the route from York to Hampton Plains. The following year, Hunt developed a larger dam at the site of Karalee Dam, commonly known as Hunts Dam Karalee. These expeditions were commissioned by the Government at the time in the hope of finding suitable land for agricultural purposes
The water catchment and dam at Karalee Rocks were built by the Public Works Authority in the 1890’s to service the steam trains running from Perth to the Goldfields along the rail line completed in 1896.
This railway was built in response to the rush to the goldfields following discoveries in the 1880’s (Stephens, 2002) rendering the Karalee Dam and others along the route of no practical use.
The aim for my survey of the Karalee Dam and catchment area is to create a 3-dimensional model of the steel flume, the catchment mouth and the beginning of the storage dam. This will provide a record of the structure while allowing a check against the initial plans of William Shields.
My personal interest in the history of W.A. has been significantly increased by the research I have already conducted and I hope that I am able to learn a great deal regarding the pioneers of our state and their early works that shaped the state.