Adversity and identity: A history of Rockhampton's domestic water supply 1861-2014

In history, the progress of a city's water supply often parallels the growth of the city, and in Rockhampton's case, also reflects a number of adversities that the local councillors had to overcome. This dual local and water history dissertation explores the history of Rockhampton's water supply. In doing so it engages with themes within local history such as politics, local government, adversity, resilience and identity. This history also reveals patterns of local power relations. These themes are set against the backdrop of broader Australian history in order to provide context.1 Rockhampton sits astride the large Fitzroy River, but despite this fortune of geography, the c;ity has had a history of challenges in securing a safe and reliable water supply. The forethought of mayors and local government officers was an integral feature of directing Rockhampton away from using unhygienic lagoon water, to having possibly one of the safest and best water supply systems in Australia, and this can only be appreciated by understanding the history of this local area. The development of Rockhampton was a phenomenon unlike most towns in Queensland. The duffer's gold rush at Canoona, bringing in hundreds of people almost instantly, prevented Rockhampton developing slowly like other towns, which depended mainly on agriculture. The challenge for the leading citizens in a new town that virtually grew overnight was to source adequate drinking water for a town on the bank of a salty river. Local history narratives like this rely on the stories of people in the area. This local history narrative encompasses some local political history, although Councillors were not politically aligned in the early days of Rockhampton. The significant water history events that are explored in this thesis include the following, and each represents progress in ideas and technology. The first resolution passed by the first Council in 1861, was to apply to the Queensland Colonial Government for permission to cart water from Yeppen Yeppen Lagoon, later known as Yeppen Lagoon as the town water supply. In 1875 a more sophisticated reservoir was built to supply water to approximately 1,400 houses with lagoon water and by the 1926, a pumping station and water treatment works were built at Yaamba and potable water was piped the thirty-five kilometres to Rockhampton. In 1970 a barrage was built across the Fitzroy River at the "Rocks" to prevent tidal salt water contaminating the fresh Fitzroy River water. Subsequently, a new pumping station and water treatment works were built within the city at Glenmore in 1971. The thesis argues that the people who progressed Rockhampton's water supply faced adversity in achieving a continuous articulated potable water supply for the city. The city is adjacent to a saltwater river, yet the incremental progress made encouraged large businesses and even adjacent towns to eventually flourish, as well as helped to green Rockhampton. Furthermore, this water history shows Rockhampton's distinctive identity when it obtained its iconic Council-owned Barrage.