Yeldulknie Weir and Reservoir

As we make our way around Eyre Peninsula again we decided to try out a couple of new overnight stays before our first destination.

One of the off grid camping spots we stopped at was Yeldulknie Weir, around 5 kilometres east of Cleve.

The camping area has a number of spaces to pull up a van, camper, tent or swag with open areas or more sheltered and shaded areas to choose from. There are also designated campfire rings to use at the right time of year.

Amenities at the weir include barbecues, table and bench seating, rubbish bins and flushing toilets. The space is maintained by the Lions club of Cleve who have done a magnificent job in creating this recreation area including planting trees, providing seating and constructing walking tracks. They also provide an old fridge which houses a big collection of books and magazines to swap.

From the campground you can take a walking trail that leads past the state heritage listed Wheel House building and around the reservoir. The weir was built in 1911/12 and was designed to supply water to Cowell and Arno Bay districts of Eyre Peninsula. The reservoir still remains with SA Water, but their interest in the scheme was relinquished due to the water supply being unreliable.

For those who like statistics, the height of the weir is 12.8 metres, the length 108 metres, the water area when full is 17 hectares, and the reservoir capacity is 740 megalitres or 164 million gallons.

There are a few walking trails to take and a sign board shows the trail names, distance and a brief description of where they go, including the Reservoir Loop trail. This is around 3 kilometres long and trail markers show you the way to go, and guide you back to the campground.

Even if you don’t take the walking trail all the way, it’s only a short distance to the Wheel House building which I was surprised to find when trying the door handle, that the building was open. Inside you can see the three controls which were used to open the flush gate, let water directly into the water main and into the main weir. On the walls you can also see the original engineering plans and drawings.

Yeldulknie Weir and Reservoir is a really comfortable and clean camping area and all they ask for is a donation for your stay, so be generous when leaving a donation in the designated collection tin.

The town of Cleve is just a short drive down the road for any supplies you need and there is a well stocked Foodland for groceries. While you’re in the town check out the artwork on some of the buildings and historic information on signboards dotted around.