Warragamba Dam. NSW. Australia.
S 33° 53.185 E 150° 35.840
56H E 277798 N 6247838
Warragamba Dam is Sydney's largest water supply dam. A dam here was first suggested in the 1880s, but it took until 1948 before it was commenced and then took 12 years to build.
Waymark Code: WMGT0Z
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 04/06/2013
Views: 16
The Warragamba Dam is made of concrete and took twelve years to build from 1948 to 1960.
Lake Burragorang, which was created behind the dam, holds about 4 times more water than Sydney Harbour and it accounts for about 80% of the available water supply for the Sydney region.
Water to fill the lake drains from a catchment area of over 9000 square kilometres. If the lake is too full after heavy rain, water is released automatically down the central spillway of the dam. The water flows down the Warragamba River into the Hawkesbury - Nepean River and eventually enters the sea at Broken Bay.
A new spillway was completed in 2002 to protect the dam from extreme floods.
The village of Warragamba was originally a construction town for the building of the majestic Warragamba Dam, the largest concrete dam in Australia. Unlike many construction towns which vanished overnight after the completion of the works, many residents stayed in the area and today Warragamba is a small, close knit community with great pride in its heritage.
Warragamba Dam Specification
Height 142 metres
Length 351 metres
Thickness at top 8.5 metres
Thickness at base 104 metres
Width of central spillway 90 metres
Width of auxilary spillway 190 metres
Length of auxiliary spillway 700 metres.
Total capacity (when full) 2,031,000 ML
Area 75 square km
Length of lake 52 kilometres
Length of foreshores 354 Km
Maximum depth of lake 105 metres
Catchment area 9051 square km
Average Annual rainfall 840 millimetres.
Warragamba Dam Visitor Centre: This extremely interesting display centre is located within the Picnic Grounds (off Farnsworth Ave) Featuring a display of the Dam workings, photos and information on the dam. Open 10am to 4pm, 7 days a week. Well worth a day trip to visit this area.
Waymark Co-ords are given for the spectacular Visitor Center Lookout platforms.
Spillway Lookout co-ords are: S 33° 53.040 E 150° 36.030
Waterway where the dam is located: Warragamba River
Main use of the Water Dam: Water Supply (Drinkable)
Material used in the structure: Concrete
Height of Dam: 142m
Date built: 01/01/1948
Fishing Allowed: no
Motor Sports Allowed: no
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of the Dam and a description of your visit.