Dartmouth Dam: Farmers who surrendered most for massive water storage

It cost $179 million, hectares of farmers’ land and is a saviour for irrigators in dry years, but the 50-year anniversary of work starting on Dartmouth Dam has quietly passed.

The 50th anniversary of a governor-general travelling into the Mitta Valley to officially start construction of Dartmouth Dam has slipped by with zero fanfare despite the project’s enormity and significance.

In February 1973, Sir Paul Hasluck triggered the first explosion to signify work commencing.

It took six years to complete at a cost of $179 million and become a saviour to irrigators in droughts, with a storage capacity larger than nearby Hume Dam that took 11 more years to build decades earlier.

Dartmouth’s creation had the biggest impact on two farming families.

About 120 hectares was compulsorily acquired from the Scales family for the new Dartmouth township to support the massive construction job; meanwhile, the Walsh family was the last to run cattle on land now under water.

Dartmouth farmer John Scales, who also worked as a dozer driver in building the major water storage in the 1970s.

John Scales was only 18 when his grandfather Jack and father Colin locked horns with lead agency, State Rivers, over the land that became home to 2000-plus people.

“My grandfather was vehemently opposed to parting with the 300 acres because it was all river frontage,” Mr Scales said.

“We had to drop from 300 (Hereford) breeders to 150 immediately which meant the farm wasn’t viable for three families to get income out of it.

“They constantly said ‘you can’t stand in the way of progress’, but I think that made him wilder.”

Dartmouth Dam, which last year spilt for the first time since 1996, was completed in 1979. Picture: Simon Dallinger

Part of the compensation finally settled upon was used to buy a bulldozer that enabled Mr Scales to secure contracts working on the dam.

“All I knew at the time was this big party town was coming,” he said.

“Almost overnight it went from what was our farm to this explosive township of 2000-plus people.”

Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck travelled to the Mitta Valley to officially start construction of Dartmouth Dam 50 years ago.

A butcher, chemist, doctor, newsagent, milk bar, bank and school were created, but the two most profitable businesses were the licensed grocery and TAB.

“The blokes who worked here would bet on two flies crawling up a wall,” Mr Scales said.

“There was so much disposable income floating around.”

One time 68 workers were busted and fined a total of $2280 following raids on an illegal gambling den that also saw three poker machines seized.

The minimum wage for a dam worker was around $380 per week with more skilled operators and contractors earning much more.

“I’d say most of the dairy farmers in the Mitta, Tallangatta and Kiewa valleys worked on the dam,” Mr Scales said.

“It saved them because interest rates at the time were 18 per cent.

“These blokes all had mortgages and had to meet them.”

Cattle belonging to the late Mike Walsh were removed from the Dartmouth Dam site for the final time in 1976. Picture: Supplied

The last cattle running on the dam site belonging to Mike Walsh were rounded up in 1976, with John Cardwell one of the drovers who mustered the 150 head.

“The long effort of going and finding cattle in the first place was a huge task,” he said.

“When they broke away you had to find them and of course they would head to the highest ridges they could find.”

“Physically it pretty much ruined my horse by the end.”