It was established in 1973 as a construction camp for workers working on the Dartmouth Dam and the Post Office opened on 1 March 1973.

(An earlier Post Office had existed in the rural locality from 1910 until 1930).

It caters to fisherman, tourists and local workers who maintain the dam and the now two power stations.

While the dam was being built by the State Rivers & Water Supply Commission, the population was around 2,000, many of those people were employed by Thiess Brothers.

Climate data for the region are sourced at the bottom of the dam wall, in a relatively sheltered spot at 365 metres (1,198 ft) above sea level.