cut through a ridge between the reservoir and a watercourse, which discharges into the Avon River below the dam. Each end of the dam wall is flanked by massive Egyptian style pylons complete with decorative lotus columns. It is fitted with outlet valves on two levels. The upper level water draw-off consists of two diameter pipes each fitted with needle valves in diameter, situated below full supply level. The lower draw-offs, which were used for passing the stream flow during construction work, consist of two diameter pipes fitted with diameter needle valves at the level of the river bed. Specifications for Avon Dam: Capacity: 47,153 million gallons (214,500 megalitres) (now 146,700 megalitres).. Greatest depth of water: . Greatest height of wall above foundations: . Area of lake at full supply level: . Cost: £1,047,000. Concrete in wall: 219,515 cubic yards (167,929 cu metres). Length at crest including pylons: . Length at spillway weir: . Width at base: . Width at crest: . Area of lake catchment: 55 sq miles (142km2). The Dam today has a well-developed picnic area on its eastern side, approximately in the area formerly occupied by the construction village. This picnic area features landscaped gardens within picturesque retaining walls, large areas of lawn and modern amenities and shelter facilities. There is a large rivetted steel (possibly cast-iron) elevated water tank within the picnic area, carried on rivetted plate-web girders and cast steel (or iron) posts. There is only one early residential building remaining, believed to be the former Resident Engineers residence. It is a single-storey weatherboard building with terracotta tiled hipped roof which also has a breakfront gabled wing. It is simply detailed with carved timber brackets to a projecting rectangular window frame and roughcast render to the chimney. One other house dates from the 1960s and two from the 1970s/80s and are all single-storey brick cottages. The earlier cottage is of red brick and has terracotta tiles to a hipped and gabled roof. The two later cottages appear to have been built to the same design and feature concrete tiled, gable roofs and utilise large-dimension mottled bricks. The works office and the picnic area amenities buildings are single storey brick buildings, recent in origin, with either profiled steel skillion roofs or gable roofs clad in concrete tiles. After the immediate dam environment of the Cataract Dam, that of the Avon Dam is perhaps the most scenically