Introduction
In 1837 a New South Wales pastoralist took up the Cudgewa pastoral run, adjoining the west side of the Cudgewa Creek which flows north-east to the Murray River. The creek flows through a wide valley suitable for agriculture and intensive grazing (there’s similar land on the other side, at Corryong) and the first farm selectors took up land in 1866.
The township of Cudgewa began evolving in the mid-1870s as a direct result of the Victorian Land Acts of the 1860s, when land ownership for ordinary families became a reality.
Largely escaping the gold fever that was sweeping the rest of the State, one pioneer, James Briggs, gave birth to two local industries, the first being a flour mill (in the early 1880s) and the second a dairy factory when a cooperative of inexperienced farmers set up shop next to the flour mill (in order to harness the mill’s engine). The Cudgewa Dairy Company moved its operations to Corryong in 1899 to be closer to the centre of the Upper Murray dairying area, but the dairy industry continued to thrive in the region for decades to come.
North East Water
In December 1994 the Kiewa Murray Region Water Authority became responsible for Cudgewa’s water supply. Wastewater services were not provided and to this day Cudgewa does not have sewerage services but instead relies on septic tanks for its domestic waste.
Cudgewa is Connected to the Corryong Water Supply
Prior to the construction of the Corryong Water Treatment Plant in 1999, and Cudgewa being connected to the Corryong water supply that same year, Cudgewa’s water was booster disinfected with chlorine. As the water supply was not fully treated, residents would experience water quality issues following heavy rainfall events. The water supply would also experience recontamination of the disinfected water supply due to the water being stored in an open storage. During its first year of operation, the North East Region Water Authority roofed the water storage.
In 1999, the Cudgewa water supply was linked with Corryong’s supply, with the addition of a 12 kilometre PVC main to connect the Corryong clear water storage and the Cudgewa service basin.
As with Corryong, Cudgewa’s water is supplied by Nariel Creek. The raw water is pumped from the Creek to the 90 megalitre reservoir on Hamilton Hill. From the Hamilton Hill Reservoir, water is pumped to the Corryong Water Treatment Plant. From there, the treated water flows to the clear water storage. The addition of the 12 kilometre pipeline to the Cudgewa service basin means that the treated water can then be fed to the Cudgewa reticulation.
The Cudgewa service basin, photographed in 2014
