Yan Yean Reservoir
Yan Yean Reservoir is about 30 kilometres north of Melbourne and provides water to the northern and central suburbs. Yan Yean Reservoir, which was Melbourne’s first reservoir, has a capacity of 30,000 megalitres (million litres).
In December 1853, the first sod was turned on the Yan Yean scheme. Water from the Plenty River was stored in Yan Yean Reservoir before being taken to Melbourne via a closed pipeline. Yan Yean water was first turned on in Melbourne in 1857. In 1872, almost 11,000 hectares of land around Yan Yean Reservoir was proclaimed a permanent reservation for water supply. Channels diverting water from Wallaby and Silver Creeks were completed in 1883 and 1884, and in 1885 the Toorourrong Reservoir was constructed. This meant water entering Yan Yean came from an uninhabited catchment, rather than from farming areas.
In 2003, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the oldest reservoir in Melbourne’s water supply system, a history of Yan Yean was released. Yan Yean: A history of Melbourne’s early water supply was developed by Melbourne Water in partnership with the Public Record Office of Victoria, and written by Melbourne authors Tony Dingle and Helen Doyle. The book can be purchased here.
Area of catchment
2,250 hectares (off stream storage)
Type of dam
Earthfill embankment
Maximum height of main dam from river to crest
10 metres
Length measured along top of dam
963 metres
Surface area (top water level)
560 hectares