158 



Failure of the Van Yean Reservoir. 



have a very considerable elevation above the bed of the 

 Goulburn, without mentioning other difficulties, would render 

 such an amount of cutting and tunnelling necessary, that I 

 fear the idea must be altogether abandoned. 



Similar difficulties would attend the proposal to bring the 

 King Parrot Creek, which is a tributary of the Goulburn, 

 into^the reservoir. The same dividing ranges would have to 

 be tunnelled, and much broken country bridged by aqueducts ; 

 but a scientific survey by competent engineers could alone 

 determine the question of its practicability and cost. And 

 after all, would it be worth while to expend a very large sum 

 in conveying so small a stream from so great a distance ? Such 

 a scheme, I apprehend, must be entirely laid aside until it is 

 shown that there is no other cheaper plan of supplying the 

 City with water. _ _ . 



The Diamond Creek claims our next consideration, it is 

 a tributary of the Yarra, and, in its upper course, is not more 

 than six miles distant from Yan Yean. It is more easy, 

 therefore, to form an estimate of the probable cost of bringing 

 this creek into the reservoir. An engineer, of great practical 

 knowledo-e, assured me that he would not undertake the work 

 for 50,000/. Besides, unfortunately it is a very diminutive 

 stream, even compared with the Plenty ; and, according to 

 my iudo-ment, is barely sufficient to supply the wants oi the 

 village of Eltham and the increasing population of this impor- 

 tant district. _ 



This proposal, therefore, merits no further notice. 

 It only remains to consider the Merri Creek as a source ot 

 supply It rises in a swamp of 1,280 acres, which is said to 

 have 30 square miles of drainage area, but there is not a single 

 creek or watercourse of any description, leading into it, which 

 shows the very small proportion of the rain that drams into 

 it from an area of surflice equal to one-half of the Plenty basin. 

 It is proposed to dam up this marsh, and to lead the water by 

 an aqueduct into the reservoir. Let us suppose therefore, 

 that this marsh really does receive the watershed of thirty 

 square miles, the area of the swamp being two square miles, 

 a rainfall of thirty inches would give a depth of thirty-seven 

 feet six inches, and one-ninth, or four feet two inches would 

 represent the watershed. This, added to the rainfall of the 

 swamp, would give altogether six/eet eight inches which i^ 

 not sufficient to cover the evaporation; and it would, therefore, 

 be dry for two months in the year. , . , „ 

 It is useless, therefore, to look to this marsh as a source ot 



