The Weir on the Burdekin River is the main source of water for the town of Charters Towers. Water was originally pumped straight from the river, however a few years of severe drought in the late 1890s and early 1900 meant that water supplies were dangerously low. The Waterworks Board, formed in 1887, made the decision to install a weir wall to help catch some of the river's flow for the town use.
Work began on the wall in 1902, one mile upstream from the Pumping Station. It was completed in just five months, with water flowing over the new 16ft wall in December 1902. The capacity was 400m gallons - an incredible piece of engineering for the region.
The original Pumping Station had been in existance since the late 1890s and housed a Hathorn Davey steam pump to draw water from the river and through pipes to the Reservoir on Towers Hill.
Eventually the old pumping system became outdated, and in 1975 a new pumping house was constructed beside the Weir wall. This is still in use today.
As the town of Charters Towers grew, and demands on water supply increased, the old Weir Wall was no longer catching enough of the river to keep up, and in 1996 the City Council raised the height of the wall, encasing the old stepped concrete in a new, curved wall and raising the height an extra two metres. The Weir Park is now a popular spot for locals and visitors, and a boat ramp was added further up the river above the wall.
While several severe floods have caused damage to the pump infrastructure and the park facilities over the years, it is still going strong supplying water to the town.