Clyde Dam

For the Clyde Dam Lookout Walk, start at the Goldminers’ Monument at the foot of the hill. You walk up the hill to a lookout point above the Clyde Dam.

The Clyde Dam - 1992 A National government ‘Think Big’ Project, the dam was very controversial. Many people were opposed to flooding the Cromwell Gorge and its orchards, and claimed earthquake faults made the site unsuitable for a dam.

Homes, roads, orchards and farms were lost as a result of the project and extra work needed to stabilise hillsides and to build a road higher than originally planned meant the project far exceeded original costings. Controversy still dogs the dam. Locals claim floods that later destroyed houses in Alexandra resulted from the building of the dam.

The power station associated with the Clyde Dam has a peak output of 432M(e).