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| Gordon Dam (Tasmania) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Gordon Dam |
| Location | Southwest Tasmania, Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening | 1974 |
| Owner | Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania |
| Dam type | Arch |
| Height | 140 m |
| Length | 198 m |
| Reservoir | Lake Gordon |
| Capacity | 12,359,000 ML |
Gordon Dam (Tasmania) is a major arch dam in southwest Tasmania that creates Lake Gordon and supplies water for hydroelectric generation at the Gordon Power Station. Located within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, the dam is linked to infrastructure and institutions across Tasmania, Australia, and international engineering practice, and it has been central to debates involving conservation groups, political parties, and energy planners since the 1960s.
The dam sits on the upper reaches of the Gordon River within the West Coast region near the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and adjacent to Lake Pedder and the Franklin River. It was designed and built under the auspices of the Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania, working with engineering firms and contractors influenced by postwar projects such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme and global projects like the Hoover Dam and Itaipú. The reservoir, Lake Gordon, links with the King River and forms part of a larger system that includes the Tarraleah, Poatina, and Tungatinah power developments, and it interacts with regulatory frameworks established by the Australian Parliament, Tasmanian Parliament, and environmental organizations including the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Tasmanian Wilderness Society.
Planning began in the 1960s when the Hydro-Electric Commission sought to expand Tasmania's renewable generation capacity, drawing on precedents set by engineers who had worked on the Snowy Mountains Scheme and international consultants from firms with experience on projects like the Aswan High Dam. Major political milestones included discussions in the Tasmanian Parliament and interventions by federal figures during controversies that would later involve the Franklin Dam dispute and campaigns by activists linked to international environmental movements. Construction employed contractors, civil engineers, and geologists who had affiliations with universities such as the University of Tasmania and international engineering societies like the Institution of Civil Engineers. The concrete arch was poured and the cofferdam removed in the early 1970s, and filling of Lake Gordon proceeded in tandem with connecting tunnels and penstocks that would feed the Gordon Power Station, while trade unions and the Australian Workers' Union and Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union provided labor.
Gordon Dam is a concrete arch dam rising approximately 140 metres above the foundation with a crest length near 198 metres, designed to retain Lake Gordon with a storage capacity comparable to Tasmania's largest reservoirs and analogous in scale to storied dams such as Hoover Dam and Grand Coulee in engineering literature. The design incorporated arch geometry derived from analyses used in projects recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the International Commission on Large Dams, and materials testing drew on standards from CSIRO and Australian Standards. The dam’s intake tower, spillway configurations, and outlet works were engineered to interface with turbines manufactured by firms that had supplied equipment for hydroelectric plants like those at Snowy Mountains and in Norway. Geological assessments referenced sites studied by geologists associated with the Australian National University and the Tasmanian geological surveys.
Water from Lake Gordon is diverted through long headrace tunnels and penstocks to the Gordon Power Station, where Francis turbines drive generators to supply the Tasmanian electricity grid operated historically by the Hydro-Electric Commission and later entities including Hydro Tasmania and energy market institutions influenced by the Australian Energy Market Operator and state energy policy. The scheme complements generation from other plants such as Poatina and Tungatinah and contributes to Tasmania’s role in interconnection debates with the National Electricity Market and proposals for Basslink. The storage capacity enables load balancing and frequency support services that are discussed in reports by the Australian Energy Market Commission and used by utilities in planning for renewable integration alongside wind parks and solar farms.
The creation of Lake Gordon inundated areas of wilderness and altered habitats, raising protests from conservationists associated with the Tasmanian Wilderness Society, the Australian Conservation Foundation, and international groups. The dam became entangled with high-profile campaigns including the Franklin Dam controversy that mobilized political parties such as the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party and led to federal intervention involving the High Court of Australia and World Heritage Committee deliberations. Environmental assessments considered impacts on species documented by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and researchers from the University of Tasmania, while social effects were studied by scholars linked to the Australian National University and community organizations representing West Coast towns like Queenstown and Strahan.
Lake Gordon and surrounding areas attract vehicle-based and boat-based visitors who access sites listed on itineraries promoted by Tourism Tasmania and operators offering wilderness cruises and fishing charters near Strahan and Derwent. Activities intersect with routes used by walkers visiting the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and heritage listings drawing tourists familiar with Tasmanian heritage sites and museums such as the West Coast Heritage Centre. Adventure tourism operators working with Outdoor Recreation Tasmania and guides certified by institutions like TAFE Tasmania provide access while coordination with Parks and Wildlife Service ensures compliance with protected area management.
The dam and its environs are situated within or adjacent to landscapes recognized by the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, a designation overseen by UNESCO and subject to Australian federal heritage instruments and state conservation legislation administered by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. Debates over listing, management plans, and remediation have involved stakeholders including environmental NGOs, heritage architects, and historians from the University of Tasmania and the Australian Heritage Council. Ongoing monitoring by research bodies such as CSIRO and engagement with international conventions reflect the contested but managed heritage status of the site.
Category:Dams in Tasmania Category:Hydroelectric power stations in Tasmania