Manly Dam: 132-year-old park given heritage status by the NSW Government

It was completed in 1892 and has become a favourite haunt for northern beaches locals. It’s now been added to the State Heritage Register.

Manly Warringah War Memorial Park, around Manly Dam, has been a favourite with locals and visitors for decades. Now its been listed on the State Heritage Register. Picture: Julian Andrews

The much-loved park around Manly Dam, a favourite destination for northern beaches locals for more than a century, has been given historic heritage protection.

Manly Warringah War Memorial Park, as the 375-hectare bushland reserve around the lake at Manly Vale is officially called, has been added to the State Heritage Register.

Heritage Minister, and Manly MP, James Griffin, made the announcement on Friday, after a long and concerted community campaign to make sure the park was protected.

The lake itself, once part of the drinking water supply network, is already on the Register, but Northern Beaches Council, with the backing of locals, had been pushing for the memorial park to be registered as well.

Heritage Minister, James Griffin and Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan, with representatives of community and Aboriginal groups at the announcement on Friday that the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park had been added to the State Heritage Register. Picture: Tim Pascoe

“The Manly Warringah War Memorial Park is a bushland treasure that so many people

from the northern beaches and all around Sydney love as a place to spend time in

nature with family and friends,” Mr Griffin said.

It is home to rare and endangered animals like the Powerful Owl and Eastern Pygmy Possum, along with more than 300 native plant species.

Heritage Minister, James Griffin (front) and Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan, at the announcement on Friday. Picture: Tim Pascoe

“The area the park was established in was also home to the Gayamaygal people,” Mr Griffin said.

“There is evidence of engraving sites, and the vegetation provided food and material for a wide range of items like rope, fishing nets, medicine, shields and canoes.

Manly Dam in 1891. Picture: Northern Beaches Library

Manly Dam in 1922 after the dam wall had been raised. Picture: State Library of NSW

Mr Griffin said the park accommodated an early example of water supply engineering — the rare concrete-walled gravity dam that pioneered wall strengthening methods and

technology that was a world first for its time.

Work to raise the Manly Dam wall in 1922. Picture: State Library of NSW

The dam, designed and built by NSW Public Works in 1892, and its catchment, is the largest example of a 19th century independent water supply system within the Sydney metropolitan area.

Manly Dam wall opening after heavy rains in 2013. Picture: Virginia Young

It was officially named the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park in 1939, but bushland around the dam was put under the management of a committee of ex-servicemen in about 1920.

Various parts of the park were then named Gallipoli, Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove.

An Anzac Day Dawn Service at Manly Dam in 2014. Picture: Martin Lange

It now popular for swimming, boating, water skiing, picnicking and bushwalking.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said it was a great honour for the park to have recognition as a “treasured, significant place”.

“Rich in natural biodiversity and shaped by engineering and science, the dam was

once a source of drinking water in Sydney’s north,” Mr Regan said.

“It remains a special place for veterans, a site rich in Aboriginal cultural significance,

a picturesque recreational area and a popular spot for local families.”

Mr Griffin said the listing would help protect this “treasured area and its stories for generations of Sydneysiders to continue enjoying into the future.”