Sideling Creek Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sideling Creek Dam |
|
|---|---|
 Location of the Sideling Creek Dam
in Queensland |
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| Country | Australia |
| Location | South East Queensland |
| Coordinates | 27°15′28″S 152°57′7″E / 27.25778°S 152.95194°E |
| Purpose | |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date |
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| Operator(s) | SEQ Water |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Sideling Creek |
| Height | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Length | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Dam volume | 280×103 m3 (9.9×106 cu ft) |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled |
| Spillway capacity | 710 m3/s (25,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Kurwongbah |
| Total capacity | 14,500 ML (3.2×109 imp gal; 3.8×109 US gal) |
| Catchment area | 53 km2 (20 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 320 ha (790 acres) |
The Sideling Creek Dam is a large wall built across Sideling Creek in South East Queensland, Australia. It's an earth-fill dam, meaning it's made mostly of earth and rock. The main jobs of this dam are to provide clean drinking water for the Moreton Bay area and to offer a place for fun activities. The big lake created by the dam is called Lake Kurwongbah.
Contents
Where is Sideling Creek Dam?
This dam is located about 2 kilometers east of the North Pine Dam. It is also 4 kilometers northwest of a town called Petrie. The main stream that flows into the dam is Sideling Creek. This creek is a smaller branch of the North Pine River. Right next to the dam, on its eastern side, you'll find the Lakeside Park motor racing track.
How the Dam Works
The Sideling Creek Dam was finished in 1958. It is 23 meters tall and 500 meters long. The dam wall holds back a huge amount of water, about 14,500 megalitres, when it's full. A megalitre is like a million liters!
The water for the dam comes from a large area of 53 square kilometers. This area includes places like Petrie, Kallangur, and Dakabin. All this water helps create Lake Kurwongbah, which covers an area of 320 hectares. The dam has a special overflow area called an un-gated spillway. This means it doesn't have gates to control the water flow. If too much water comes in, it simply flows over the spillway. The dam is currently managed by Seqwater, a company that looks after water in Queensland.
In 2018, Seqwater started making improvements to the dam. This is part of their Dam Improvement Program to keep it safe and working well.
Fun Things to Do at Lake Kurwongbah
You can get to Lake Kurwongbah from Dayboro Road. There's a nice picnic area called Mick Hanfling Park on the eastern side of the lake.
Water Activities
You can enjoy water skiing on Lake Kurwongbah. Rowing is also a very popular activity here. The lake has even been used for big competitions with radio-controlled model yachts. However, these competitions have recently moved to a pond near the Lakeside Park motor racing track. Lake Kurwongbah was even considered as a place for rowing events if Brisbane had hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Motor Racing Nearby
The Lakeside International Raceway, also known as Lakeside Park, has been holding motor races since 1961. Famous events like the Australian Grand Prix and the Australian Touring Car Championship have taken place there.
Fishing at the Lake
Lake Kurwongbah is a great spot for fishing! The lake has been stocked with different types of fish, including silver perch, golden perch, and bass. You can also find spangled perch and forktail catfish living naturally in the dam. Remember, you can only fish from the banks of Lake Kurwongbah.
