Tallowa Dam, Kangaroo Valley, NSW, Australia
Posted by: 
Tuena
S 34° 46.278 E 150° 18.942
56H E 254341 N 6149035
Tallowa Dam is situated on the Shoalhaven River near Kangaroo Valley, about 200 kilometres south of Sydney.
Waymark Code: WMBMVR
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 06/03/2011
Views: 18
The centrepiece of the Shoalhaven scheme is Tallowa Dam, a concrete dam completed in 1976. It is located immediately downstream of the junction of the Kangaroo and Shoalhaven rivers.
The dam collects water from a 5,750 square kilometre catchment that extends from Kangaroo Valley in the north-east to the upper Shoalhaven River south-west of Braidwood. This water is stored in Lake Yarrunga, which is formed by Tallowa Dam.
Height: 43 metres
Length: 518 metres
Capacity: 90,000 megalitres
Catchment: 5,750 square kilometres
Lake Yarrunga: 9.3 square kilometres
The Shoalhaven Scheme, built in the mid 1970s, was designed as a dual-purpose water supply and hydro-electric power generation scheme. Water from Tallowa Dam, and Fitzroy Falls and Wingecarribee reservoirs, is used to supply local communities and supplement other SCA storages during drought. Power generation involves regular exchange of stored waters between Lake Yarrunga, Bendeela Pondage and Fitzroy Falls Reservoir.
The facilities at the dam include:
Picnic tables
Electric barbecues
Toilets/disabled toilets
Untreated water
Viewing area
Limited public parking
Fishing, swimming and non-powered boating are permitted at Tallowa Dam and nearby Bendeela Camping and Picnic Area.
Items of interest include the largest fish lift of its kind in Australia, which transports fish over the dam wall in a 2,500 litre bucket. The fish lift is helping to protect 10 native fish species by allowing them to migrate between the lower and upper Shoalhaven River.
Credit: Sydney Catchment Authority (
visit link)
I was fortunate enough to arrive at the dam just as the Fish Lift began its return journey to its start point below the dam.