Address & Contact
Dam Access Rd
Ghinni Ghi NSW 2474
Phone: N/A
Email: N/A
Web: https://www.waternsw.com.au/nsw-dams/regional-nsw-dams/toonumbar-dam
Toonumbar Dam is situated on Iron Pot
Creek about 30 kilometres west of Kyogle on the NSW North Coast and about 750 kilometres north of
Sydney.
The dam was completed in 1971 to provide
water for irrigation, stock and domestic requirements in the
Richmond Valley.
Toonumbar is an Aboriginal word meaning heelmark.
Toonumbar Dam was built to provide a reliable supply of
water for irrigation in the
Richmond Valley, meet downstream stock and domestic needs, and provide flood mitigation and environmental flows.
The dam’s 98 square kilometre catchment falls largely within the
Richmond Range and Toonumbar national parks featuring rugged mountain terrain of steep ridges and deep gullies.
Toonumbar Dam is a rock-fill
embankment with a clay core. The wall is 229 metres long and 44 metres high. A concrete
chute spillway is located just south of the dam wall.
Construction began in 1969 and finished in 1971.
A
lookout and
picnic area just north of the dam wall provides excellent
views of the lake and its rugged bush shoreline.
Toonumbar Dam is regularly stocked with bass which are the top catch. Fishing is best on the
water by canoe or boat but the foreshores also provide fishing spots. Access is via
boat ramp – at Bells Bay 3km north of the wall.
Water sports include power boats, sailing, canoeing and swimming. There is an 8kph speed limit for power boats. Canoes are available for hire.