Gordon Dam

After leaving the Serpentine Dam we continued along Gordon Rover Road to the end of the road, where we came to the Gordon Dam.

Lake Gordon, created by the dam, was still shrouded in fog so it was impossible to see how big it was, but we could see the dam wall itself, which is pretty impressive.

Lake Gordon

Completed in 1974, it’s 140 metres high and is the highest arch dam and the largest storage dam in Australia.

The view from near the top of the steps

It’s curved both horizontally and vertically, which allowed them to use less concrete in construction, reducing the overall cost. The dual arch explains why it doesn’t look straight. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!

View from the lookout. There are people walking along the wall.

Top of the dam wall

Gordon River side of the dam wall

Gordon River

Looking back up to the road

 

Serpentine Dam

The Serpentine Dam is part of Lake Pedder or, to use its technical name, the Huon Serpentine Impoundment. The dam was constructed in 1971 on the Serpentine River.

About two km west of Strathgordon, you pass the Lake Pedder lookout. This day, it was foggy and the lookout view was non-existent.

At Lake Pedder lookout

Good for silhouettes

Continuing along Gordon River Road for another seven km, you reach the turnoff to the Serpentine Dam. From there, it’s a short drive to the boat ramp.

The road to the dam seen from near the boat ramp

Lifting fog over Serpentine Dam

Fog over Serpentine Dam

Hillsides peeking through the fog

Mist emerging from mist

And from there, it’s another short drive to the dam wall.

Serpentine Dam

This is a concrete-faced rockfill dam, which is basically a compacted rock wall that is made waterproof by a thin layer of concrete on the upstream face (the left side in this picture). The wall is 41.5 metres high at its highest point and 134 metres long. It contains 114 000 cubic metres of rockfill.

 

The Sentinels

Along the Gordon River Road heading towards Lake Pedder is a spectacular range called The Sentinels. It’s a quartzite range about five km long and one km high and it would seem the most common reaction of people seeing it for the first time as they drive round the bend is, “Wow!”

That was certainly my reaction. This range took my breath away when I saw it from the road. Over the three days we were in the area we made several photo stops here, and here’s what we saw.

Day one—sunny, beautiful sky

Photos from the road to Strathgordon.

Day 1: From the road

Day 1: From the road

Day 1: From the road

Day two—started out foggy, mostly cleared up in the afternoon

Photos from a couple of roadside stops in the afternoon sun.

Day 2: From a convenient cutaway

Day 2: Zooming in

Day 2

Day 2: Looking up

Day 2: Zooming in

Day 2: In a different light

Day three—nothing to see here

Photos from a roadside stop on the way home in the fog.

Day 3: Over the road

Day 3: Misty

Day 3: Still misty

The Needles

The Needles is a short, medium-grade walk in Tasmania’s Southwest National Park.

Here are some photos from my recent visit to this stunning place. To read the full story that goes with them, you can visit my personal blog, Stepping on the Cracks.