100-year birthday milestone for Overland Corner’s Lock Three

In an historic milestone for SA Water’s network of locks and weirs on the River Murray, Overland Corner’s Lock Three is this year celebrating a century of service.

The lock was the second to become operational in the South Australian stretch of the River Murray, with the remaining river assets progressively built over the following decades.

On behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, SA Water manages Locks One to Six in South Australia as well as Lock Seven at Rufus River and Lock Eight at Wangumma in New South Wales, and Lock Nine at Kulnine in Victoria. The utility also operates barrages at Goolwa, Mundoo, Boundary Creek, Ewe Island and Tauwitchere.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of River Murray Operations Garry Fyfe said it is a terrific celebration for the state’s second oldest river lock.

“This is a significant milestone that recognises the important role Lock Three, together with our broader network of locks, has played in the daily life of people boating on the River Murray for the past century,” Garry said.

“Construction on the lock was completed in late 1924, with Mr. Charles Evans Adams appointed as the site’s first lockmaster in December of the same year.

“Initially used by fleets of paddle steamers and cargo boats in the trade era of the early 20^th century, recent decades have more seen the transition towards houseboats, ski boats, dinghies and kayaks as the primary vessels passing through Overland Corner.

“How we operate the lock in the modern day remains mostly the same by securing the vessel inside a lock chamber and raising and lowering the water levels to match the flow height on the other side of large hydraulic gates.

“While it is difficult to say exactly how many boats have used the lock over its century of service, our recent records show more than 15,000 lockages have been recorded at Overland Corner since the new Millennium.

“Our local lockmasters take pride in operating and maintaining Lock Three for the broader community as well as visitors to the Riverland region and look forward to continue doing so for the next hundred years!”

In what will be another milestone, Mr Fyfe said this site’s lock chamber, used to facilitate the passage of vessels through the site, will undergo important refurbishments from late April.

“This will include our team draining the lock of its near eight million litre water capacity for up to 16 weeks while we conduct repairs to the chamber’s interior and hydraulic gates,” Garry said.

“There will be a temporary closure of the lock chamber for river users during this time, and we thank everyone for their patience while we complete these important upgrades as quickly and safely as possible.”

For more information on SA Water’s network of locks and weirs, visit sawater.com.au.

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