Back to search results »

Back to search page »

Garfield Water Wheel Base

Location North Street, CHEWTON VIC 3451 - Property No B1979 File Number B1979 Level State

[1/1] B1979 Garfield Water Wheel

Statement of Significance

Garfield Water Wheel Base, one mile form Chewton, comprises the stone base of the water wheel, all that is now left of the 72 feet in diameter wheel erected in 1887 for the Madame Garfield Gold Mining Co. The wheel was removed in 1904. Believed to have been constructed in timber, the wheel had 22 Buckets and was "overshot" in arrangement, being supplied by an enormous, elevated timber mill-race and water from the Expedition Pass Reservoir.

The Garfield Water Wheel Base is a unique legacy of both an era and a technology that is now lost. The water wheel was one of the largest in the southern hemisphere and is an important representation of the highly mechanised mining of the latter nineteenth century, more usually powered by steam. Chewton was one of the richest and last gold producing areas and the stone base is a reminder of this, having also a role in the surrounding landscape.
The Garfield Water Wheel Base comprises only the stone base of the wheel which is in good condition and largely intact.

Classified: 03/08/1998.