Ord River Stage II Banner and Petter Pump Engine

“Developing the North” has been the catch cry of Governments and the dream of many. Inspired by Steinberg's plans to establish a Jewish settlement in the north, in March 1941, Kim Durack, the son of “MP” Durack, wrote ‘Developing the North – Proposed Research Station for the Kimberley’, and by the end of that year, his dream became a reality. In August 1941 the Director of Public Works, Russell Dumas, selected dam sites and by December had sent up the 36HP pump engine to begin diverting water for irrigation. The pump-engine now sits proudly outside the Museum. The Ord River Irrigation Scheme was a bold move to bring agriculture to the region by harnessing the water of the Ord River. Ord Stage 1 saw construction of the Ord River Diversion Dam (1960-1963) and establishment of the town of Kununurra. Ord Stage 2 entailed construction of the Ord River Dam, which holds back Lake Argyle, named after the drowned Argyle Downs station, that lies at the bottom of the lake. This banner commemorates the opening of the ‘Top Dam’ in 1972 by Prime Minister Billy McMahon, that created Lake Argyle, one of the largest man-made water bodies in the world and a popular tourist destination.