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Thomson River
The Thomson River is dominated by the huge Thomson Dam, which was built in three stages from 1973 to 1982 by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW). The 200m high rockfill dam is the largest in the southern hemisphere and supplies about 60% of Melbourne's water via a diversion tunnel to the Upper Yarra Reservoir. Originally it was intended to divert about 40% of the Thomson river flows, but in recent years it has been significantly more than this. A 6.2MW hydro power station generates electricity from releases into the lower Thomson River. The township of Rawson (originally named Robertson after the MMBW's Chief Engineer) was built as the construction town for this project, and Mountain Rivers Lodge was known as the "VIP Quarters".
Prior to the building of this dam I remember 4WD trips into this valley characterised by steep spur tracks, such as Bells Spur, and beautiful camp sites along the river. For current day visitors there are now picnic areas at the Dam Wall and nearby Silvertops. The road across the wall is now the fastest route from Walhalla to Matlock and Woods Point.
The headwaters of the Thomson River are on the northern side of the Baw Baw Plateau, swinging from west to east in an arc around Mt Whitelaw. The Thomson State Forest in this area is accessed for logging via the Thomson Valley Road from Erica. The Jordan River also flows into the northern end of the Thomson Reservoir. This area has many interesting historic gold mining sites around Jericho, Red Jacket and Violet Town, although a number were removed or destroyed as a result of the Thomson Dam Project and compulsory acquisitions of private land.
The Baw Baw National Park and Walhalla Historic Area are downstream from the dam. Steep tracks and interesting heritage sites make this area popular for 4WD touring and camping. I remember the deep river crossing at Beardmores Track being spectacular with the spillway overflowing in the late 1980s.
During this time I was also involved in running rafting expeditions down the Thomson to Cowwarr Weir. Highlights were the 2m waterfall above The Narrows, passing under the old Poverty Point and Bruntons Bridges, careering down the minor and major gorges with four rafts tied together (16 people on board), exploring the beautiful rock pools along Deep Creek, and shooting the big rapids at the Triple Stager, Boulder Rapid and Four Foot Gap. Because of the Horseshoe Bend Tunnel it was normally necessary to pull out at the Walhalla Road Bridge and go back into the river at Coopers Creek.
These days the lower flows in the river make it less attractive for rafting or canoeing. However the river is popular for fishing, and the exciting 4WD river crossing at Coopers Creek is probably the best within a days' drive of Melbourne. This is a feature of many of our Mountain-Top Experience tours, including the Coopers Creek copper smelting and lime kiln ruins.
Other tourist attractions include the Walhalla Goldfields Railway, running between the town and Thomson Station (at the Walhalla Road Bridge). From here an excellent Rail Trail walking track extends to Erica. Another walking track from Platina Station (on the Rail Trail) goes down to the Horseshoe Bend Tunnel. Originally called the Chinese Tunnel, it was built by the early gold miners to enable alluvial mining of about 1km of riverbed. An attempt by the river management authority to destroy it or block it was thwarted by a group of locals in 2006, resulting in its listing as a heritage site.
The river emerges from the rugged, forested mountains at Cowwarr Weir. The weir is a concrete regulating structure located on Rainbow Creek, which is a breakaway section of the Thomson River and now forms the main course of the river through its length. The weir was constructed in 1957 to divert water for irrigation, domestic and stock supplies in the southern section of the Macalister Irrigation District. Excellent picnic facilities make it a popular destination for day visitors. These facilities have been re-opened after 12 months of repairs following the devastating floods of June 2007.
From Cowwarr, the Thomson River meanders east, where it is joined by the Macalister River before arriving at the inland Port of Sale, where it in turn joins the Latrobe River.
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