Lysterfield Reservoir - Turned Park!

Written by Kate Davis. 

Lysterfield Lake Park is a serene place full of wildlife and picturesque views. However, the site did not begin as a park, only becoming one after a rocky reservoir project ended. The site officially began as the Lysterfield Reservoir in 1929. Undertaken by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, the reservoir was designed to have a depth of 120 feet and the capacity to hold 15000 million gallons of water. It would be filled by the Bunyip Main Race and would then provide water to the Mornington Peninsula region, and later to the Dandenong, Hallam, Beaconsfield and Berwick areas.

Construction began in the area – a section of Eumemmerring Creek, around 6 kilometres north-east of Dandenong – in 1929. Approximately 120 men were employed and 100 horses used to build the reservoir by 1930; engaging in the likely grueling work of levelling the land by horse scoops.

In early January of 1931, workers arrived for their first day back on the job after the Christmas holiday period, only to find they’d lost their jobs. As written in the articles below, between 200 and 300 men were working on the reservoir when construction stopped, all of whom lost their jobs immediately. It seemed that the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission needed to perform a test on the reservoir in its incomplete state, to see if the capacity would be sufficient for the need. As indicated in the article below, speculation that the project had run out of necessary funds was rife.

Days later, representations were made to the Premier of Victoria and the chairman of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission on behalf of those who’d lost their jobs; 100 of whom were local. 6 days later, workers were assured they would either re-start their job working on the reservoir or would be assisted to find alternative employment on other projects. However, the answer from the Commission and government as to whether the work would be resumed remained indefinite. At this time, the capacity of the reservoir had only reached approximately 924 million gallons; far less than the 15000 initially planned.

Work, it seemed, would not resume until the early 1940s. When it did the Commission recommended to government that an area of 3000 acres be purchased as water catchment lands, to ensure adequate water supply to the Peninsula. Community uproar was high, as you would expect, considering the catchment would include 30 residences and 8 farms – 2000 acres of which was being used for agriculture – alongside the Church of England Boys Society Training Farm. Purchase of the land was designed to prevent pollution and siltation of the reservoir and would ensure water supply to Mornington Peninsula could keep up with the predicted growth of the region.

The manager of the Church of England Boys Society Training Farm appealed directly to the state government on this matter. The farm had been training 67 boys in the preceding year and had received a grant to extend their buildings; the potential for their land to be bought out from underneath them overshadowed this.

3 months later, discussions were still occurring. The Commission had now asserted that purchase of the lands would increase the runoff into the reservoir by 10-15%; effectively 90,000,000 gallons; quite a considerable amount.

The land was eventually acquired by the Commission for the Lysterfield Reservoir catchment area. The boys farm moved to Yering in 1945, so presumably the land was purchased in very late 1944 to early 1945. 30 years later in 1974, the Lysterfield Reservoir, alongside the Beaconsfield Reservoir, was decommissioned as a water supply source after the opening of the Cardinia Reservoir. The site was then acquired and turned into the Lysterfield Park, during 1981. 

Lysterfield Park is now part of the Lysterfield and Churchill State Park, managed by Parks Victoria. There are a wide range of walking, running and biking trails, alongside birdwatching, swimming and picnic spots. Few remnants of the Church of England Boys Society Training Farm remain in the park, which is now listed as a local heritage site by Yarra Ranges Council. There are some artefacts from the site held in the visitor centre within the park. Take a look at an older visitor information guide below - I'm not sure what year this is from, so if anyone knows I'd love to find out! 

Interested to know more about the history of Lysterfield prior to the reservoir? Read our blog post on Lysterfield here.



References

Arnold, Heather. (2014). Lysterfield – a short history. Casey Cardinia – links to our past [blog]. https://caseycardinialinkstoourpast.blogspot.com/2014/03/lysterfield-short-history.html 
City of Casey. (2022). Lysterfield National Park. City of Casey [website]. https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/lysterfield-national-park 
The Gipps-Land Gate. (July – September 1984). The building of the Lysterfield Reservoir. The Gipps-Land Gate [newspaper]. Page 42-43. Accessed from the Casey Cardinia Library Local History Archive.
Victorian Places. (2015). Lysterfield and Lysterfield South. Victorian Places [website]. https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/lysterfield-and-lysterfield-south
Yarra Ranges Council. (2015). Church of England Boys Training Farm. Yarra Ranges Heritage Database [online database]. http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/yarraranges/result_details/115223

Images – in order of appearance:

Mornington water supply. (1931). The Age (Melbourne, Vic.:1854 - 1954), p. 7. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203339702
Work suspended on Lysterfield dam. (1931). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.: 1861 - 1954), p. 14. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242889094
Lysterfield Reservoir (1931). The Age (Melbourne, Vic.:1854 - 1954), p. 7. Trove [online database] http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203334108
Lysterfield Reservoir (1931). The Dandenong Journal (Vic.:1927 - 1954), p. 6. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article201082337
Water plan affects farm sites (1944). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.:1861 - 1954), p. 6. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241301021
Pollution of water (1944). The Age (Melbourne, Vic.:1854 - 1954), p. 3. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205997540
Lysterfield boys’ farm wants to know its fate (1944). The Dandenong Journal (Vic.:1927 - 1954), p. 3. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214166477
State rivers’ official explains benefits of Lysterfield resumption (1944). The Dandenong Journal (Vic.:1927 - 1954), p. 7. Trove [online database]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214168055

Department of Conservation Forests & Lands. (n.d.). Lysterfield Lake Park. Accessed from the Casey Cardinia Library Local History Archive.