ADVANCED WARNING:
Commencing in April 2026, we will start to archive many of our caches as the maintenance load is becoming a major concern as our capacity to make regular visits to our caches declines. The date has been chosen so that, apart from unforeseen circumstances, all of caches will be available to those visiting Tasmania for the Tassie Event in early March 2026. We are giving advanced notice so that all have the opportunity to look for any of our remaining caches before they are archived. This is one of the caches that will be archived.
From its source to its mouth, the Mersey River flows through varied topography, rich agricultural land and many interesting centres of population. The Meandering the Mersey (MTM) series will follow, as much as practical, the course of the Mersey River with caches being placed at varying intervals. We trust you will enjoy the area.
In the early 1960s work commenced on the construction of the Mersey-Forth Hydro Electric Power Scheme. Two main dams were constructed on the upper reaches of the Mersey River and three on the Forth River. Water was diverted through a tunnel from the Mersey River to the Forth River to maximise the power genertation from the available water. More details of the scheme can be obtained by selecting the above link. Some smaller dams were built on the Fisher and Wilmot Rivers to further enhance the scheme.
This cache is located near a bridge crossing the Mersey River a little north of Lake Parangana. The photo below has been taken from the bridge crossing the Mersey River less than a kilometre from the dam face.
Although there is a mini-hydro scheme at the base of the Parangana Dam, the principal function of the dam is to divert water from the Mersey River to the Forth River through a tunnel bored through the hills to the west. The Mersey River below the Parangana Dam normally only has environmental water flows to maintain the river downstream and is sourced from the outflow of the mini-hydro scheme. However when the dam is full and the water cannot be transferred to the Forth River quickly enough, water cascades over the spillway and the Mersey River below the dam can become a torrent of cascading water.
The cache is a 200mL sistema.
Please Note: If the logbook is not signed, your find log will be deleted.