The Return Creek Dam (locally referred to as the Top Dam) was a timber barrage across the Return (Nanyeta) Creek, a tributary of the Herbert River, located approximately northeast of and approximately west of , in Far North Queensland, Australia. The dam was constructed for mining purposes in the and decommissioned in 1967.
Overview The Return Creek Dam was built in the early 1900s on the Return Creek, to supply the township of Mount Garnet and the copper and silver mine of a water supply. This dam was a large construction of logs and was still in use until, in 1967, when a large flood decimated it causing an evacuation of lower lying areas of the township. The dam was too far damaged to repair so the logs were cleared to allow Return Creek to flow freely. A new water supply for Mount Garnet was sourced elsewhere.
The Tableland Tin Dredging Company constructed the Eastine Creek Dam, across Eastine Creek, in the 1930s to supply mine houses with potable water, as well as for processing mined tin. This area is called Tabo and is just over from Mount Garnet. The Eastine Creek Dam continues to supply Tabo with water. Eastine Creek is a tributary of Return Creek; which in turn is a tributary of the Herbert River.
See also
List of dams and reservoirs in Australia
Notes
References