Somerset Dam is a rural town and locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] When first being planned, it was unofficially known as the Stanley River township. In the 2021 census, the locality of Somerset Dam had a population of 78 people.[1]
The town was constructed in 1935 to provide accommodation for those working on the construction of the dam and their families with the first businesses opening in 1936. The town was designed by civil engineer Charles Bank Mott like a suburban with gravel streets, electricity, street lights, reticulated water, stormwater drainage, and sewerage. Mott was seconded for three years from the Brisbane City Council.[9]
As there was already a Somerset State School near Kilcoy (which had opened in 1915), the education authorities had decided to call the town's school Silverton. Silverton Provisional School opened in February 1936 at the end of First Avenue (27°07′04″S152°33′02″E / 27.1178°S 152.5505°E / -27.1178; 152.5505 (Somerset Dam State School (former))).[11][12] In 1958 it became Silverton State School. Circa 1959 it was renamed Somerset State School (the school of that name near Kilcoy having closed in 1943). On 24 January 1966 it renamed Somerset Dam State School. It closed on 31 December 2000.[13]
The dam was being built as part of a program of providing employment during the Great Depression. During World War II construction of the dam was halted to enable the workers to be redeployed on war-related work, such as the Cairncross Dockyard with work resuming in 1948. About 450 people were employed constructing the dam during which time the population of the town exceeded 1000 people.[9]
^""SOMERSET DAM"". The Courier-mail. No. 739. Queensland, Australia. 11 January 1936. p. 12. Retrieved 3 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"THE SILVERTON STATE SCHOOL". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXVI, no. 15, 369. Queensland, Australia. 17 February 1936. p. 8 (DAILY). Retrieved 3 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ab"CHURCHES DEDICATED". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXVII, no. 15, 536. Queensland, Australia. 31 August 1936. p. 8 (DAILY.). Retrieved 31 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
^"St. Mark's Church". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXVII, no. 15, 536. Queensland, Australia. 31 August 1936. p. 8 (DAILY.). Retrieved 3 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
^"RELIGIOUS NOTES". The Courier-mail. No. 698. Queensland, Australia. 23 November 1935. p. 5. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"St. Joseph's Church". Queensland Times. Vol. LXXVII, no. 15, 536. Queensland, Australia. 31 August 1936. p. 8 (DAILY.). Retrieved 3 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
