Wivenhoe Dam, Queensland, Australia

The origins of its name

Ross Harvey

Wivenhoe Dam outside Brisbane, Australia
Photograph by Paul Brown

I noticed some conjecture about the origins of the name of the dam. I checked with authorities (Seqwater) who operate the dam and they have given me this response:
To answer your question; our best known dam, Wivenhoe, comes from the name of the pastoral property established in 1864 by Edmund Blucher Uhr in Australia.
The property took its name from the town of Wivenhoe in Essex, England.
But a Wivenhoe, Essex local speaking to David Curnow featured on ABC Brisbane suggested it should be pronounced ‘WIV-ven-hoe’.
(explanation – the people of Brisbane pronounce it WHY -venhoe where the “WHY” rhymes with “aye” or “eye”)
http://www.seqwater.com.au/water-supply/dam-operations/wivenhoe-dam

This page was added on 04/05/2018.

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