Ululah Glory Hole Spillway

Ululah Lagoon, Maryborough Queensland, ca. 1916.

Up until around 1881 Ululah dam was the main water supply for the Maryborough settlement. “In 1864 the local land surveyor James Buchanan, reported favourably on the possibility of damming the creek to provide a reservoir of some 8 million gallons (36 megalitres) capacity. The cost of constructing the dam was estimated to be at least £2500 and the council (Maryborough City Council) requested the newly elected parliamentary member for Maryborough, William (Bill) Walsh, to ask the government for a grant of £5,000 for the construction of a reticulated water supply scheme based on Ululah Creek…. Walsh discreetly reduced the figure to £2000” (Whitmore, 1997). This was withdrawn when the Premier, Arthur Macalister decided that a competent engineer would visit and determine the region’s needs. The first suggestion was that a dam would be established on the creek opposite Ann Street.  The council aldermen suggested that the volume of water held back there would not be adequate so advocated for it to be built opposite Queen Street and include Lora Creek in the catchment area.  The surveyor found that for an extra £300 pounds the dam could be built at Queens Street and carry around four times the water the Ann Street proposal would hold (Whitmore, 1997).

By 1867, it was agreed that £2000 would be provided to build a dam under the supervision of three commissioners (Whitmore, 1997). After two resigned, Richard Sheridan was the sole controller of the reservoir and the fenced water reserve that surrounded it. He was the chief officer of customs, immigration agent, harbour master and water police magistrate (Whitmore, 1997).

Ululah Glory Hole - during dry weather vegetation has grown aroung the top. The tap which connected to piping can been seen half way down.

“The completed dam was quite modest in size, being 419 feet (126 metres) in length and 18 feet 6 inches (5.5 metres) in height, tapering in width from 103 feet (31 metres) at the base to 12 feet (3.6 metres) at the top and possessing a core of puddled clay 4 feet (1.2 metres) in thickness” (Whitmore, 1997). The original lagoon was enlarged with horse drawn scoops and the dam wall built just below the confluence of two creeks – one which flowed from the direction of Alice Street and the other which flowed more or less parallel to Queen Street, down through what is now the golf course (Brown, 2004).

Ululah dam in 1994. Ululah reserve provided Maryborough with its first permanent water supply .(Whitmore, 1997) 

The glory hole was part of this construction. It was a timber-lined bye-wash. Its purpose was to carry excess water across the dam wall and down to the Mary River. During construction, many of the crew left to search for recently discovered gold at Gympie. In 1867, the Ululah dam was finished (Whitmore, 1997). The timber glory hole was already needing repairs by May 1878.  Engineer-in-Charge of Maryborough Waterworks William Highfield determined repair would be expensive. The government refused to pay for these, so the repair bill was left to council (Whitmore, 1997). This was added to the considerable debt accrued with the state to develop waterworks including Teddington Weir.

A stump from a pier that was used to collect water at Ululah. Source: Maryborough Family History Society Inc.

The construction of the Teddington Weir began in 1877. The Queensland Government set up a department called the Hydraulic Engineers Department. Its primary purpose was to construct substantial water supply systems in Warwick, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Brisbane and Maryborough. The local municipal council was ambivalent about moving the water supply from Ululah, but the government hydraulic engineer presented his suggestions for the new waterworks to a meeting, and then announced that it was to go ahead. The glory hole served to connect Ululah with Teddington Weir water supply. The glory hole spillway at Ululah is of engineering interest, being one of the few known glory hole spillways built in Australia.

Find out more from The Water Supply of Maryborough (National Library of Australia, 1877) and The Maryborough Water Work (National Library of Australia, 1902).

Do you know anything more about the Ululah Glory Hole spillway?

References:

Brown, M. C. (2004). Historical Significance - Spillway - Ululah. Maryborough.

National Library of Australia. (1877, April 21st). Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860 - 1947). Retrieved from Trove: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/148443986

National Library of Australia. (1902, August 6th). Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860 - 1947). Retrieved from Trove: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/148180916?

Whitmore, R. L. (1997). Queensland's early waterworks. Brisbane: Department of Natural Resources Queensland.

Tags #gloryhole #spillway #Maryborough #lagoon #dam #waterworks #maryborough