Helping boaties unlock Tauwitchere

Work is underway to upgrade one of the least known structures in the River Murray system – Tauwitchere Barrage Lock at the Murray Mouth.

SA Water is undertaking the essential maintenance on behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of River Murray Operations Garry Fyfe said only around 250 boats and other vessels navigate through Tauwitchere each year, and even some of the more travelled River Murray enthusiasts aren’t aware it exists.

“At around 3.5 by 13 metres, it’s definitely one of our smaller structures, but it still plays an important part in the wider river system,” Garry said.

“Tauwitchere is a small hand-operated lock, which although common with lock operations in Europe, is very rare in Australia.

“Like other larger locks, it works through a process of opening and closing valves to equalise upstream and downstream water levels, to allow river vessels to safely continue their journey along the River Murray. This process typically takes between 10 to 15 minutes.

“The difference with Tauwitchere is that rather than a machine carrying out the task, it’s all done through the brute strength of boat operators and their crew.

“The main aim of the lock upgrade is to make this procedure quicker and easier. Works being undertaken include the installation of new valves to reduce opening and closing times by up to 80 per cent, and repainting of the lock chamber gates.”

Tauwitchere is one of five barrages, as part of the wider Goolwa Barrages system, which extends from Sir Richard Peninsula in the west to Pelican Point on the northern side of the Murray Mouth. The other barrages include Goolwa, Mundoo, Boundary Creek and Ewe Island.

The barrages were constructed between 1934 and 1940, to firstly reduce salinity levels in the lower reaches of the River Murray, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert, and secondly to stabilise the river level for both upstream pumping and irrigation.

The Tauwitchere Lock will be closed to river users during the upgrade, and will re-open once works are complete in late-September.

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