The Barossa Reservoir was built between 1899 and 1902 to supply water to town of Gawler and other northern country areas in South Australia. At the time of its completion, the reservoir was hailed as an engineering marvel. The thin arch of the dam’s retaining wall, curved against the pressure of the water, was an innovation considered radical, and attracted attention from all over the world, even making its way into the pages of the journal Scientific American. At a height of 36 meters, it was also the highest dam in Australia.

But what draws visitors to Barossa Reservoir is the unique acoustic effect of its curved wall. Due it’s parabolic shape, words whispered at one side can be clearly heard at the other, more than 140 meters away, earning the dam the title "Whispering Wall".

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