List of dams and reservoirs in Australia facts for kids

Tasmania's Gordon Dam, one of the largest in Australia, was built in the 1970s. It collects water from a huge area of 1,280 square kilometers (494 sq mi).

Dams and reservoirs are like giant walls built across rivers to hold back water, creating large lakes called reservoirs. These reservoirs store water for many important uses, such as providing drinking water for cities, helping farmers water their crops (this is called irrigation), and even making electricity (called hydroelectricity). They can also help control floods.

Australia has many dams and reservoirs across its states and territories. These structures are super important for managing water, especially in a country that can be very dry. Let's explore some of the main dams and reservoirs in different parts of Australia.

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has three main places where it stores water. There's also a fourth water source, Googong Dam, which is actually in New South Wales but helps supply water to Canberra. The ACT also has four smaller man-made lakes used for fun activities and to catch dirt and fertilizers.

Here are some of the important dams and reservoirs in the ACT:

• Bendora Dam and Bendora Reservoir, located in Namadgi National Park, collect water from the Cotter River for water supply.
• Corin Dam and Corin Reservoir, also in Namadgi National Park, are another key source of water from the Cotter River.
• Cotter Dam and Cotter Reservoir also help supply water from the Cotter River.
• Scrivener Dam created Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, which is used for recreation.

New South Wales

New South Wales (NSW) has a huge number of dams and weirs – over 2,250! About 135 of these are considered "major dams."

Dams and Reservoirs in NSW

The biggest reservoir in New South Wales is Lake Eucumbene in the Snowy Mountains. It holds a massive 4,798,000 megalitres (ML) of water and was formed by the Eucumbene Dam.

Many dams in NSW are used for different purposes:

• Water Supply: Dams like Avon Dam, Cataract Dam, Cordeaux Dam, and Nepean Dam are vital for supplying water to Sydney and nearby areas.
• Hydroelectricity: Dams in the Snowy Mountains, like Blowering Dam, Guthega Dam, and Jindabyne Dam, are part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, which generates a lot of electricity.
• Irrigation: Dams such as Burrendong Dam and Keepit Dam provide water for farming.
• Flood Control: Some dams, like Warragamba Dam (which creates Lake Burragorang, a major water source for Sydney), also help protect areas from floods.

Other notable dams include:

• Ben Chifley Dam near Bathurst.
• Chaffey Dam in New England.
• Copeton Dam on the Gwydir River.
• Hume Dam, which is shared with Victoria, is a huge dam on the Murray River used for power and irrigation.
• Manly Dam in Sydney's Northern Beaches helps with flood control.
• Wyangala Dam in the Central West is used for flood control, power, and irrigation.

Weirs and Barrages in NSW

Weirs and barrages are smaller structures than dams, often built to raise the water level in a river or control its flow. Some examples in NSW include Penrith Weir in Western Sydney and Inverell Weir in the North West Slopes.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has 805 named water storage places, with four being major dams.

• Darwin River Dam is a large embankment dam that supplies water to Darwin.
• Manton Dam is used for recreation.
• Mary Ann Dam creates Lake Mary Ann near Tennant Creek, also used for recreation.

Queensland

Queensland has 183 key water storage facilities, holding a total of 13,389 gigalitres (GL) of water.

Dams and Reservoirs in Queensland

Many dams in Queensland serve multiple purposes:

• Water Supply: Dams like Awoonga Dam (creating Lake Awoonga), Baroon Pocket Dam, Hinze Dam (creating Advancetown Lake for the Gold Coast), North Pine Dam (creating Lake Samsonvale for Brisbane), and Wivenhoe Dam (creating Lake Wivenhoe for Brisbane and the Gold Coast) are crucial for drinking water.
• Irrigation: Atkinson Dam, Bill Gunn Dam (Lake Dyer), and Fairbairn Dam (Lake Maraboon) provide water for agriculture.
• Flood Mitigation: Hinze Dam and Wivenhoe Dam also play a big role in managing floods.
• Recreation: Many reservoirs, like Lake Awoonga and Lake Samsonvale, are popular spots for boating, fishing, and other water activities.

Other important dams include:

• Burdekin Falls Dam (Lake Dalrymple) in North Queensland, used for irrigation and water supply.
• Enoggera Dam and Gold Creek Dam are older dams that supplied water to Brisbane.
• Leslie Harrison Dam (Tingalpa Reservoir) also helps supply water to Brisbane.
• Moogerah Dam (Lake Moogerah) and Maroon Dam are important for irrigation in the South East.
• Peter Faust Dam (Lake Proserpine) is used for urban water supply, irrigation, and recreation.
• Somerset Dam (Lake Somerset) is another key dam for water supply, flood control, recreation, and hydroelectricity.
• Wyaralong Dam is a newer dam built for water supply.

Weirs and Barrages in Queensland

Queensland also has many weirs and barrages, which help manage river levels for various uses. Examples include Ben Anderson Barrage and Fitzroy River Barrage (Queensland).

South Australia

South Australia relies heavily on its reservoirs for water, especially in the dry climate.

Adelaide Catchment

The capital city, Adelaide, gets its water from several reservoirs:

• Barossa Reservoir, famous for its "Whispering Wall."
• Happy Valley Reservoir
• Hope Valley Reservoir
• Kangaroo Creek Reservoir
• Millbrook Reservoir
• Mount Bold Reservoir
• Myponga Reservoir
• South Para Reservoir
• Thorndon Park Reservoir (Adelaide's first reservoir, now a park)
• Warren Reservoir

Regional South Australia

Outside of Adelaide, other reservoirs include:

• Aroona Dam
• Beetaloo Reservoir
• Blue Lake (a natural lake used for water supply)
• Goolwa Barrages (structures that control water flow at the mouth of the Murray River)

Tasmania

Tasmania has 103 dams, with 100 considered major. A large number of these, about 44%, are built to generate hydroelectricity.

Dams and Reservoirs in Tasmania

• The largest reservoir in Tasmania is Lake Gordon, created by the Gordon Dam in the South West. This dam is a huge arch dam and is a major source of hydroelectricity.
• Crotty Dam creates Lake Burbury, another important hydroelectricity source.
• Clark Dam creates Lake King William and is used for hydroelectricity.
• Devils Gate Dam creates Lake Barrington, also for hydroelectricity.
• Lake Pedder is a large reservoir formed by several dams, including Edgar Dam and Scotts Peak Dam, primarily for hydroelectricity.
• Miena Rockfill Dam helps manage Great Lake, a significant part of Tasmania's hydroelectric system.
• Meander Dam is used for both irrigation and hydroelectricity.
• Reece Dam creates Lake Pieman, another key hydroelectricity dam.
• Trevallyn Dam on the South Esk River also generates hydroelectricity.

Victoria

Victoria has many dams and reservoirs, especially around its capital city, Melbourne.

Melbourne Water Area

These reservoirs supply water to Melbourne:

• Cardinia Reservoir
• Maroondah Reservoir
• O'Shannassy Reservoir
• Silvan Reservoir
• Sugarloaf Reservoir
• Tarago Reservoir
• Thomson Dam (one of Melbourne's largest water sources)
• Upper Yarra Reservoir
• Yan Yean Reservoir

Regional Victoria

Dams and reservoirs outside Melbourne include:

• Blue Rock Dam
• Dartmouth Dam
• Eildon Dam
• Lake Eppalock
• Glenmaggie Dam
• Hume Dam (shared with NSW)
• Waranga Basin

Barwon Water Area

These reservoirs supply water to the Geelong region:

• Bostock Reservoir
• Korweinguboora Reservoir
• Painkalac Reservoir
• Stony Creek Reservoirs
• West Barwon Reservoir
• Wurdee Boluc Reservoir

Western Australia

Western Australia, being a very dry state, relies heavily on its dams and reservoirs for water supply, especially for its metropolitan areas and mining regions.

Metropolitan Supply (Perth Area)

Dams that supply water to Perth and its surrounding areas include:

• Canning Dam
• Churchman Brook Dam
• North Dandalup Dam
• Serpentine Dam
• South Dandalup Dam
• Victoria Dam
• Wungong Dam

Goldfields Water Supply

The Goldfields region, including Kalgoorlie, gets its water from:

• Mundaring Weir, which is part of a long pipeline system that brings water to the goldfields.

North West Region

• Fitzroy River Barrage
• Harding River Dam
• Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra are massive reservoirs in the Kimberley region, important for irrigation and hydroelectricity.

Great Southern Region

This region has many smaller dams and reservoirs, often used for local water supply. Examples include Mount Barker Reservoir and Wave Rock Dam.

South West Region

The South West also has several dams:

• Harvey Dam
• Harris River Dam
• Logue Brook Dam
• Waroona Dam
• Wellington Dam

Images for kids

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  Bendora Dam in the ACT

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  Corin Dam from above

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  Cotter Dam

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  Lake Ginninderra

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  Scrivener Dam with open sluices

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  Stranger Pond

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  Lake Tuggeranong

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  Avon Dam

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  Bankstown Reservoir

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  Ben Chifley Dam wall

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  Blowering Dam

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  Lake Burrendong

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  Burrinjuck Dam under construction

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  Carcoar Dam

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  Cataract Dam at full capacity

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  Chaffey Dam

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  Chichester Dam

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  Copeton Dam Spillway

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  Cordeaux Dam

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  Lake Eucumbene from the sky

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  Fitzroy Falls Reservoir

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  Geehi Dam

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  Googong Dam

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  Guthega Dam

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  Hume Dam

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  Lake Rowlands Dam

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  Lostock Dam

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  Manly Dam Wall

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  Nepean Dam

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  Aerial view of Prospect Reservoir

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  Tallowa Dam discharging water

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  Warragamba Dam

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  Wingecarribee Reservoir

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  Wyangala Dam at full capacity

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  Balmain Reservoir

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  Paddington Reservoir Gardens

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  Atkinson Dam wall

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  Awoonga Dam Wall

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  Lake Baroon

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  Bill Gunn Dam

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  Boondooma Dam from lookout

• Bromelton Dam.JPG

  Bromelton Dam

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  Burdekin Dam

• Lake Clarendon Dam.JPG

  Lake Clarendon Dam

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  Coolmunda Dam

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  Enoggera Reservoir

• Ewen Maddock Dam.JPG

  Ewen Maddock Dam

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  Glenlyon Dam spillway

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  Gold Creek Dam

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  Hinze Dam Spillway Tower

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  Leslie Dam

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  Leslie Harrison Dam

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  Maroon Dam wall

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  Lake Moogerah dam wall

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  Lake Moondarra

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  North Pine Dam

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  Paluma Dam

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  Peter Faust Dam

• Poona Dam.JPG

  Poona Dam

• Sideling Creek Dam.JPG

  Sideling Creek Dam

• Six Mile Creek Dam.JPG

  Six Mile Creek Dam

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  Somerset Dam wall

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  Splityard Creek Dam

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  Tallebudgera Creek Dam

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  Water pouring over Wappa Dam

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  Wivenhoe Dam wall

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  Wyaralong Dam

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  Gordon Dam

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  Clark Dam

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  Devils Gate Dam

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  Paloona Dam

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  Trevallyn Dam