In 1963 the Federal Government provided a grant of $5 million to build a road west of Maydena into the Gordon River area. Following detailed investigations the Gordon River Power Development, Stage 1, was approved by State Parliament in 1967 and construction of the scheme began.
The development created the largest water storage in Australia. The two interconnected lakes, Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder, are nearly eight times larger that the Great Lake and three times larger than Lake Eucembene, the largest lake in the Snowy Mountains scheme.
Lake Pedder was formed by constructing three rockfill dams, Serpentine, Scotts Peak and Edgar. The water from Lake Pedder flows into Lake Gordon through the McPartlan Pass canal.
Lake Gordon was created by building a 140 metre high concrete arch dam across a narrow gorge in the Gordon River. Water from the two lakes is used in the Gordon Power Station, 183 metres underground. Lake Pedder provides about 44% of all the water which passes through the turbines in the Gordon Power Station.
The Gordon Power Station is the largest in Tasmania. The first two 144 MW turbo-generators came on line in 1977 and 1978.The power station is automatically controlled from Hobart, 160 km away and generates about 13% of the State's electricity. The third machine was commissioned in 1988. When the development was designed space was allowed for five machines. It is anticipated that the two final machines will be put in next century.
The building of the Gordon River Power Development, Stage 1 involved the flooding of the original Lake Pedder, a small lake with a spectacular white beach during the summer months. Conservationists loudly opposed the development but were unsuccessful in halting the development. By 1979 the conservation lobby had grown in strength and there was vigorous opposition to any further developments in the Gordon catchment area.
The Gordon River Power Development, Stage 2, which was also known as the Gordon-below-Franklin, was presented to Parliament in 1979. This scheme proposed a second dam on the Gordon River, just below its junction with the Franklin River, and the single power station would have re-used the water from the Stage 1 development.
In 1982 State Parliament approved construction of this scheme and work began on building access roads into the site. In 1983 Federal Parliament passed the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act which banned construction in the area. The State Government challenged the validity of the Act before the High Court. It was not successful and work on the Gordon-below-Franklin ceased.
Lake Pedder at sunset