The McVeighs tower is situated in the Upper Yarra water catchment in Victoria, Australia. The Upper Yarra Dam is vital for the water supply of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria.

The original tower was built in the 1940s to keep an eye on the fires when they cleared the valleys for the construction of the Dam. After the dam was completed, it was decided to keep the tower active as it looked into lots of areas where neighbouring towers couldn’t see into.

The original wooden tower was replaced in the late 1960s and it had a false roof put over it in the late 1980s. This proofed to be a good move as it reduced the heat in the cabin.

In 2008, Melbourne Water was looking into the idea of replacing McVeighs tower with another tower a bit further south. This would also give the tower a 360° view. The original tower was built is situated on the side of the mountain and only has approx. a 200°view. Plans for a 50m tower were drawn-up and a site was chosen but the costing came in ridiculously high above budget and the plans were shelved. The cabin was deteriorating in the meantime and in 2013 the cabin was removed and replaced with a brand new one. The cabin was also placed on a 2m high framework to cover for the tree growth over the years. The tower is built in a way that if Melbourne Water decided to build the new tower at the new location at a later date, the cabin will be used to go on top.