Thurs, 5th Feb, 2015 Ted’s Beach Campground to Gordon Dam car park (Dam sightseeing)

7am it is 10.7 degrees in the van but only 6 degrees outside. Blue sky but some clouds hanging on the mountain tops.

Headed off to explore. Stopped at the canal to read the info how the two lakes are joined and flow to rush through the generators to create power at Gordon and Serpentine Dams.

Lots of info I have read said to stop at the Creepy Crawly Trail on the way down to the other two lakes. Parked across the road and headed in. Someone had left a walking stick so Steve took it for a test run!! It was only a 20min nature walk. It was definitely crawly as there were trees everywhere across the boardwalk and we had to creep along. Other than that it was just a short walk through the bush and back again. Glad it was only a short one as we have seen enough moss to last us a lifetime!!

Passed by Mt Anne (1425m) – there is a walk to that one but it was a long one.

Arrived at the southern banks of Lake Pedder near Edgar Dam, magnificent views to the mountains.

The White Monolith Range in the distance.

Drove on to past the Scotts Peak Dam wall and up to the Red Knoll Lookout.  Just amazing views over Lake Pedder. Took panoramic shots around over the lake and a video.

A direction cairn in the centre of the lookout. So many mountains and ranges to try and work out which one is which.

It said Scotts Peak is 4km from our truck.

Looking over the dam wall to the mountains.

Drove up to the dam wall and the boat ramp. Info about Lake Pedder’s creation.

Good ramp and jetty. There was a map showing all the different fishing locations and you have to fill in a log book as to where you are going etc, like when we are hiking.

Looking back at the dam wall.

Another Engineering plaque.

Looking along the back of the wall.

Drove into the Huon Campground. Small camp areas poked into the trees, well away from the dam. A few groups of backpackers getting ready to do a trek somewhere. You can go from here down to the south west of Tassie then back around to Cockle Creek.

As we were driving out we met a car and boat – roads aren’t wide enough for two though!! So we backed up.

Drove into the longterm carpark. Two ladies had just come back from a 8 day trek around the Arthurs Ranges. Took a photo of the map in the info hut. We are at Scotts Peak. Good on them though they both look like they haven’t eaten in a week!!

The whole south west area trek.

Drove back out and down another road to the bottom of the dam wall. Steve wanted to check out the brown bit but it was just netting holding the rocks back.

Steve got out to check out the tunnel. “Danger from gases – unvented tunnel”. Called me over to try out the echo. So good I did a video of it!!

The area is covered in this reddish rock, hence it was Red Knoll.

Old sign about the dam.

Drove up another road to another lookout.  Great view again over the Lake.

On the other side. The water is the top edge of a little dam beside the bigger Edgar Dam. Arthurs Range is in front and goes left from there.

Edgar Dam wall (water is part of the little lake on the lower side called Edgar Pond) and the sign all about it.

Drove across then to the top of the wall. Edgar Pond to the left and Lake Pedder to the right.

The Edgar Campground is nearer the dam and more open. A few people are camped there.

A guy was hiking back out so stopped to say sorry we can’t give him a lift. He has just done 12 day hike out to the West Coast to Wreck Bay. There is no trail out there so he made his own track. He was from Hobart. He had 8 days where he never saw anyone. Guess he really got to feel what it was like to be an explorer!!

Stopped at Condominium Creek where the walk to Mt Anne, Mt Eliza and Judd Lake commences. The water is so clear here compared to the other tannin stained ones. This shows the area we are in and how big Lake Pedder and Lake Gordon are.

So many beehive groups throughout the area. We drove through a mass of them and unfortunately they splattered all over the windscreen – honey everywhere!!!

Back up onto the main road heading back to Gordon Dam. We stopped at Boyd’s lookout. It had a lovely little marked out walkway. Must have been from the early days. The trees have grown so much I could just peer through and zoom in with the camera to get a picture. A mountain and white stuff (found out later that this is the dead trees around Gordon Dam where the water level is low).

At the Wedge River Picnic Area. Another relic from the past by the looks off the toilet block.

Someone’s broom creation left in the picnic hut.

Don’t know where their clothes are if their suitcases are here by the bin!!

Nice view though from the picnic shelter.

Wandered down to the river which isn’t very big. This was is tannin stained.

The distance markers were LP 40 etc presumably for Lake Pedder but the township on the map is Strathgordon. As we drive in the first sign is for Lake Pedder then there is a Strathgordon one too – go figure. Stopped at the Lake Pedder Chalet which is in the buildings left over from when they build the dam and hydro generators etc. Inside were displays about the dam etc.

In 1963 the Federal Government provided a grant of $5 million to build a road west of Maydena into the Gordon River area. Following detailed investigations the Gordon River Power Development, Stage 1, was approved by State Parliament in 1967 and construction of the scheme began. The development created the largest water storage in Australia. The two interconnected lakes, Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder, are nearly eight times larger than Great Lake and three times larger than Lake Eucembene, the largest lake in the Snowy Mountains scheme. Lake Pedder was formed by construction three rockfill dams, Serpentine, Scotts Peak and Edgar. The water from Lake Pedder flows into Lake Gordon through the McPartian Pass canal. Lake Gordon was created by building a 140 metre high concrete arch dam across a narrow gorge in the Gordon River. Water from the two lakes is used in the Gordon Power Station, 183 metres underground. Lake Pedder provides about 44 % of all the water which passes through the turbines in the Gordon Power Station. The Gordon Power Station is the largest in Tasmania. The first two 144 MW turbo-generators came on line in 1977 and 1978. The power station is automatically controlled from Hobart, 160km away and generates about 13% of the State’s electricity. The third machine was commissioned in 1988. When the development was designed space was allowed for five machines. The building of Stage 1 involved the flooding of the original Lake Pedder, a small lake with a spectacular white beach during the summer months. Conservationists loudly opposed the development but were unsuccessful in halting the development. By 1979 the conservation lobby had grown in strength and there was vigorous opposition to any further developments in the Gordon catchment area.

Stage 2 which was also known as the Gordon-below-Franklin, was presented to Parliament in 1979. This scheme proposed a second dam on the Gordon River, just below its junction with the Franklin River, and the single power station would have re-used the water from the Stage 1 development. In 1982 State Parliament approved construction of this scheme and work began on building access roads into the site. In 1983 Federal Parliament passed the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act which banned construction in the area. The State Government challenged the validity of the Act before the High Court. It was not successful and work on the Gordon-below-Franklin ceased.

This one shows the dam, the generating plant under the ground and a replica of the Wrest Point Casino as a size comparison. It certainly is deep underground and huge.

The sun was coming in the window so it was hard to get some of the photos. This is the dam wall being constructed.

They also had a 3D model of the dam area and mountains.

The dark blue is the size of the original Lake Pedder.

This shows Gordon Dam (left), Serpentine Dam (right), back to Strathgordon then Ted’s Beach campground.

Then down the other end of Lake Pedder to Edgar and Scotts Peak Dams.

Some interesting reading about the lives of those that started working here in the beginning and how it progressed on, to grow into a big town.

The homes were made on site. Great photo showing all the houses. There are only a handful left here now.

Some more photos of the dam and power plant construction.

Lovely area for relaxing and a meal.

Fabulous view too.

They have a huge trout over the door.

Walked around to the front to check out the boat ramp area.

Helipad and mountains.

The hills beside look like they have snow but it is the quartzite rocks.

An info plaque about the weather station there. It is read 9am and 3pm each day.

Love the little poem.

As we drove out we stopped to check out the big Huon Pine tree. The ring markings work out that it is over 2200 years old.

 They have marked significant time events from ‘birth of Jesus’ to 1975 when it was salvaged.

Further along the road to the dam wall is the Lookout. Great info board showing all the mountains in the Frankland Ranges on the other side of the Lake.

They are composed of Precambrian quartzite rocks. Its rugged topography is largely due to the former presence of glaciers. Glacial debris from this range dammed the Serpentine River, resulting in the formation of the original Lake Pedder. Precambrian rocks are the oldest rocks in Tasmania. These ancient rocks also underlie the gravel road here.

More info off the board.

The original Lake Pedder in 1972.

A quartzite rock and a close up at the quartz vein.

Stopped to check out the Gordon Power Station info board. We can’t drive down to the station.

 The Switchyard and control building.

The Inlet pipe goes 183 meters underground. 13 percent of Tasmania’s electricity is generated here.

Notice all the dead trees on the bank (what I saw from Boyd’s Lookout). They have been selling off the power to the mainland as it doesn’t incur Carbon Tax so the water level has been dropping a lot.

Followed another road which leads down to a boat ramp (unofficial we think as it would be underwater if the dam is full).

Arrived at the dam wall and the Sunrise car and trailer were there. Had a quick chat with the guy as he headed down to the wall area.

Amazing deep valleys.

Walked to the end and what a spectacular view.

Looking over the wall.

Info board about Gordon Dam.

Check out the stairs.

First to get down to the wall then more to get down to the bottom.

The Sunrise crew were taking some photos using the remote controlled helicopter thing.

One chap setting up the satellite dish.

Just magnificent.

Headed down the stairs – though the little boy needed someone to accompany him!!

He took his glasses off this time which was better.

The workers use this cable car – now that would be a great ride!!

Down we go.

 And down some more.

Onto the wall at last.

Engineering plaque.

Lucky we don’t have to go down those ones too!!

 Wow is all we can say.

Looking back up.  Aardvark Adventures uses the old info centre as its base. Gordon Dam is the site of the world’s highest commercial abseil.

Then down to the bottom, 140 meters below.

Looking down on the valley,

Then back to the base of the dam wall 140 metres down.

Trent who is the cameraman from Sunrise was going to have an abseil so we hung around to watch him descend. 

Took a video of him going down the wall.

He looks so little all the way down there.Took him 3 minutes to get down to the bottom.

Now the long climb up the ladders.

Such a lovely view.

This was the old scenic lookout. Winds its way around the edge of the cliff to the lookout and the flying fox to the other side.

Back up the top we got a photo beside the Sunrise car and trailer.

Then we noticed Eddie who does the weather sitting in the van reading her notes so wandered over to say hello. She introduced herself as Edwina so I said that Steve’s grandmother and great grandmother were both Edwina too.

There were in Cairns recently at Cairns Coconut so took a photo of the “I love Cairns” sticker.

She is so lovely with such a marvellous smile and happy to pose for a photo.

Trent made it back up the ladders. It was great to watch – don’t think we will try it though.

We made a cuppa and were watching from above. The march flies had moved in – don’t bite just buzz around your head. Then the swallows arrived and gobbled them up, yeah!! We chatted with another couple from Mackay, Ken and Isabel. Ken saw that Eddie was going to abseil down the dam wall so he thought he would like to try and so rang Aardvark and booked in to do it the same time. They drove up with their van and are going to stay here in the car park for the night. We headed back to our van and decided that we would drive back to the car park too so we can get up early to watch the recording of the show.

As the sun goes down, a nice view of the valley.