Waterwheel Visitor Information Centre (Warburton)

The Waterwheel in the township of Warburton provides tourist information, an artists gallery, an Environment Centre and showcases locally handmade goods.

It is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation that receives no government funding and relies on our local businesses and volunteers to bring you accurate, timely and friendly information to make your stay amazing.

At the front of the steps is an area with some trees and two shaded tables plus a water tap.

The Great Steps of Warburton

At the front of the Information Centre is a beautiful mosaic known as the "The Great Steps of Warburton". The Great Steps represents a vision for Warburton to be known as beautiful, artful and edible. The mosaic, composed of more than 20,000 tiles, expands over 26 steps, each more than 5 metres in width. More than 300 community members contributed to the mosaic including local primary, secondary and VCAL students, groups from U3A, local traders, councillors and members of the public.

Water Wheel

In front of the main entrance to the Information Centre is the huge waterwheel made from yellow stringybark. Unfortunately, as of December 2019, the Water Wheel is not operating until further notice due to structural defects.

On the the Water Wheel support is the inscription "Water wheels similar to this were an important part of the history of the Warburton area".

Prior to 1908 this 4.3 metre wheel was used to power a generator to provide electrical lighting at the Contention gold mine in Contention Gully about 10 kilometres south of the Upper Yarra Dam.

In 1908 it was moved seven kilometres to Patti McVeigh's Hotel, the site of which is now under water. Thought initially to have been used to drive a chaff-cutter, it subsequently generated electricity for hotel lighting. About 1.6 kilometres of water race was cut through rock to bring water from the Yarra River for both power and hotel use. The original generator at the hotel produced only 110 volts and in 1922 the proprietor Mr Frank Seymour replaced it with a larger generator. In 1936 McVeigh's Hotel was lost to fire but the Waterwheel survived. The hotel was rebuilt and although both it and the wheel survived the 1939 fires only the Waterwheel was left standing after the fires one year later.

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works purchased the property and for a time the wheel was used to provide power to a nearby surveyor's camp.

Prior to the commencement of the filling of the Upper Yarra Dam in the fifties, the wheel was dismantled and stored in the MMBW's salvage yard for 30 odd years. In 1978 it was restored by the Board of Works. Some of the original ironwork was used and an old photograph was used as a reference to ensure an accurate reconstruction. McVeigh's Water Wheel was installed in the picnic grounds at the Upper Yarra Dam together with a 44 metre long timber water-race and was in working condition. Since then it has been moved to occupy an iconic place at the Information Centre.

How it works - A Waterwheel consists of a wheel mounted on a horizontal shaft, able to rotate on bearings, with containers or "buckets" fixed to the outer rim of the wheel. When filled with water at the top of the wheel, the full buckets on one side of the wheel exceed the weight of the empty buckets on the other side and cause the wheel to rotate. The full buckets spill out water at the bottom of the wheel as it rotates and empty buckets are refilled as they reach the top of the wheel. The power obtained from the revolving wheel can be used to drive machinery such as battery stamps, pumps or other equipment.

Historical Murals of Warburton

Behind the Waterwheel Visitor Information Centre, painted onto the historic Warburton Railway Station siding of the Warburton to Lilydale Rail Trail, are the Historical Murals of Warburton which celebrate the living history of Warburton.

The murals are an open air display that can be viewed any time of the day or evening.

There are 51 hand painted murals, each one showcasing a scene from the history of Warburton over the past 150 years. Some of the scenes depicted include historical sites such as the Sanitarium building, The Alpine Hotel and recognisable shop fronts on the main street, while other murals show the history of the gold and timber era in the township and some of the faces and events that helped establish the town as the popular destination it is today.

Each scene has a QR code, that can be scanned to read more information about that scene (simply use the QR reader on your Smartphone) and a comprehensive brochure that is available from the Waterwheel. The murals have been sponsored by local community members and businesses.

Local artist Peter Van Bruegel commenced the project in 2012 and the official Launch of the Historic Murals was on 22 December 2016.

Our favourites are "Warburton Elephants", a tribute to the two Indian workign elephants that hauled the timber that helped create Melbourne and surrounds circa 1930's, Warburton Motors circa 1946 and "Last Train to Warburton".

Near the murals are some carved totem poles.