The Queensland contractors were able to preserve the heritage-listed Loudoun Weir, which is a $95K project. It took a lot of work to build this concrete barrier. The team had the CCTV camera, 20 wheely bins worth of material and they needed local guidance for finding just the right tree type- all before construction begins.
The 135-year-old weir at Irvinebank on the Atherton Tablelands in the far north of the state has been restored to its original state of beauty. It was a tricky project, but the local contractors were able to fix it in no time.
The Resources Minister Scott Stewart could not contain his excitement about the work that went into this project. He said it was a great example of what he loves to see at the Department of Resources, which often-unseen efforts protect our state’s heritage for future generations.
Development projects done at Loudoun Weir.
The Loudoun Weir is an iconic structure, with its original timber façade intact. It was built in 1885 as part of the Vulcan tin mine complex and upgraded to concrete by Queensland Government officials back in 2006 but retained its historic appeal for preservation – initial leaks were spotted during routine inspections in 2017 which led them to make temporary seals on incoming water entry points before finding out how serious these problems really are.
The permanent seal job started in December 2020 with a significant void found at the bottom of our weir wall. With some help from CCTV camera cables, departmental staff was able to establish that five cubic meters worth of concrete would fill up what was missing and stop any leaks for good. The heritage-listed weir had to be repaired after six logs were replaced mid-year. The input for this restoration came from locals, so the replacement timbers matched what they recommended on a like-for-like basis.
Robyne Perkes, president of the Irvinebank Progress Association says that their department work is “a godsend” for local residents.
Loudoun Weir is part of 21 non-commercial dams and weirs maintained by the Department of Resources that help to regulate water levels, prevent flooding in downstream areas, control floods when they do happen.
(Source: https://www.insideconstruction.com.au/section/projects/contractors-save-historic-qld-loudoun-weir/)