Verran Tanks Conservation Park

Verran Tanks Conservation Park South Australia
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Verran Tanks Conservation Park
Nearest town or city	Verran.
Coordinates	33°50′07″S 136°13′52″E / 33.8354°S 136.2311°E / -33.8354; 136.2311Coordinates: 33°50′07″S 136°13′52″E / 33.8354°S 136.2311°E / -33.8354; 136.2311
Established	28 July 1983 (1983-07-28)
Area	1.19 km2 (0.5 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
Footnotes	Coordinates Nearest town Managing authority
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

Verran Tanks Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia, located on the Eyre Peninsula in the gazetted locality of Verran about 105 kilometres (65 mi) north of Port Lincoln and about 55 kilometres (34 mi) south-east of Lock.. It is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the west of the Verran railway siding.

When the Hundred of Verran was first surveyed from July to September 1908, it was known that the first settlers would need a reliable supply of water, as there was no piped water available to the area at the time. This site was chosen as a good location to build a water harvesting and storage point due to its sloping topography. Other sites earmarked for water collection were the Verran Dam (8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Verran Tank, along the Blue Range, built in 1909), and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) further south was another site which became the Railway Dam, after the Port Lincoln to Darke Peak railway line was opened in 1913.

The Sheoak Hill Tank as it was also known, was constructed prior to the allocation of the blocks to the new settlers, which began 27 January 1909. The materials for the dam were carted to the site by camel team. The tank was built on the northwest side of the hill. A large hole was dug for it, and much of the stone removed from the hole was used in the construction of the water run pathways and walls, as well as for the thick walls of the tank. Water is channeled down the slope into a 27 cubic metres (950 cu ft) cement-lined sediment collection tank, and then into the tank, which is also lined with cement and mostly underground. If the tank filled up, the overflow was channeled out a side passage from the sediment tank. The tank was completed with a corrugated iron roof, and a steel ladder for the residents to access the water. It measures approximately 12 metres (39 ft) in diameter, and is 6 metres (20 ft) deep, giving it a capacity of 678,000 litres (149,000 imp gal; 179,000 US gal).

The tank was a reliable source of water for the early settlers, and saw much use in the early days. Water carting was a constant job, and as horses were used to pull water tanks to the site, a galvanised iron water trough was left at the site to water the horses after their long trek up the hill. The use of the tank began to decline in 1930 when piped water from the Todd Reservoir finally reached the southern area of the hundred, and another pipeline was laid from Verran heading southwest in 1964, servicing the eastern and central area of the hundred.